Eight Georgetown Law Faculty Members Honored with Professorships

May 31, 2022

Professors Abbe Smith, David Koplow, Emma Coleman Jordan, Jane Stromseth, Hillary Sale, Julie O'Sullivan, Naomi Mezey and Deborah Epstein were honored together with named professorships.

On April 26, the Georgetown Law faculty convened to celebrate eight of its own, each of whom had been awarded a named professorship since the beginning of 2020.

As Dean William M. Treanor noted in his introductory remarks, this was not the usual way such installations are commemorated at the Law Center. In the past, such ceremonies took place a few times a year, honoring one or two professors at a time. However, the combination of the recent increase in named professorships during the 150th anniversary year and the suspension of on-campus events during the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a “the more, the merrier” gathering. Additional such events will take place in the near future, as there are still more new professorships to celebrate.

Colleagues, family members and other guests gave standing ovations and cheers of joy as Dean Treanor read out citations for each honoree and presented them with the following professorships:

Agnes Neill Williams Sesquicentennial Professorships

These professorships were established through a historic bequest from the estate of Agnes N. Williams (L’54), one of Georgetown Law’s first women graduates. There will eventually be a total of 20 Agnes Neill Williams Professorships on the Georgetown Law faculty.

Prof. Epstein and Dean Treanor

Prof. Deborah Epstein with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Deborah Epstein
“For her tireless dedication to improving society’s response to intimate partner violence; the hundred of young lawyers she has trained to protect the most vulnerable among us and the groundbreaking work she has done to transform how systems support domestic violence survivors, I am honored to name Deborah Epstein the Agnes Neill Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Law.”

Prof. Mezey and Dean Treanor

Prof. Naomi Mezey with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Naomi Mezey
“For her leading scholarship exploring the intersection law and culture in collective and national identity formation and contestation; her commitment to institutional service, including founding the Georgetown Gender+ Justice Initiative and her innovative examination of our most current cultural movements, I am honored to name Naomi Jewel Mezey the Agnes Neill Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Law.”

Prof. O'Sullivan and Dean Treanor

Prof. Julie O’Sullivan with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Julie O’Sullivan
“For her many contributions to criminal law and procedure, in both her impressive practice experience and her renowned scholarship; her extensive work exploring our federal sentencing guidelines and white collar criminal law and her deep commitment ensuring that students both at Georgetown Law and across the nation understand the importance of civic engagement and protecting our democracy, I am honored to name Julie O’Sullivan the Agnes Neill Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Law.”

Prof. Sale and Dean Treanor

Prof. Hillary Sale with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Hillary Sale
“For her role as one of the preeminent voices in leadership and corporate governance, her commitment to facilitating strong leaders and company cultures through partnerships with industry leaders and creating cutting edge programs and her tireless work supporting and promoting women as leaders, I am honored to name Hillary Sale the Agnes Neill Williams Sesquicentennial Professor of Law.”

The Francis Cabell Brown Professorship of International Law

This professorship was made possible by the late Francis Cabell Brown Jr., a former Georgetown Board of Regents member who had a distinguished legal career at the Justice Department and in private practice.

Prof. Stromseth and Dean Treanor

Prof. Jane Stromseth with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Jane Stromseth
“For her lifelong search for justice through her work, focusing on international law, constitutional law, accountability for atrocity crimes, and international human rights; her commitment to public service while continuing to produce impressive scholarship illuminating the complex questions surrounding international criminal justice issues and her leadership in promoting humanitarian rule across the globe, I am honored to name Jane Stromseth the Francis Cabell Brown Professorship of International Law.”

J. Crilley Kelly and Terry Curtin Kelly Professorship of Business Law

This new professorship was made possible by the late J. Crilley Kelly (L’73), in memory of his beloved wife, Terry, both of whom had impressive careers as business executives.

Prof. Jordan and Dean Treanor

Prof. Emma Coleman Jordan with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Emma Coleman Jordan
“For her revolutionary work establishing the field of economic justice in legal theory, her lifelong leadership and advocacy in the financial services field, tirelessly working to promote justice and equality within the system and for serving as a role model for future generations on how to lead, advocate and persevere, I am honored to name Emma Coleman Jordan the J. Crilley Kelly and Terry Curtin Kelly Professor of Business Law.”

Scott K. Ginsburg Professorships

These professorships were established in 2019 through the generosity of Scott K. Ginsburg (L’78), and have previously been awarded to Professors Rosa Brooks, Sheila Foster and Carlos Vazquez.

Prof. Koplow and Dean Treanor

Prof. David Koplow with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor David Koplow
“For his work examining the intersection of public international law and national security law, focusing on the difficult issues of arms control and national security and treaty negotiation and implementation, for teaching our students how to represent brave refugees seeking asylum in the United States because of persecution in their homelands and for acting as a dedicated public servant, I am honored to name David Koplow the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law.”

Prof. Smith and Dean Treanor

Prof. Abbe Smith with Dean William M. Treanor

Professor Abbe Smith
“For her lifelong commitment to tirelessly defending the rights of the accused, for her prolific writing that illuminates the experiences and dilemmas of criminal defense attorneys and captures the humanity of those caught up in the criminal legal system and for all the students and fellows she has taught through her teaching and stewardship of the E. Barrett Prettyman/Stuart Stiller Fellowship Program, I am honored to name Abbe Smith the Scott K. Ginsburg Professor of Law.”