Nancy B. Rapoport, professor of law at the University of Houston (UH) Law Center, has been named the Gordon & Silver, Ltd. Professor of Law at UNLV's William S. Boyd School of Law, effective July 1, 2007.
Rapoport, who served as dean of the UH Law Center from 2000-2006, oversaw the hiring of 15 tenured and tenure-track faculty members, the first curriculum revision in 20 years, a new strategic plan, seven new endowed professorships, two new centers, and a significant increase in fundraising and alumni support.
"As much as I have enjoyed watching UH Law Center blossom, I am looking forward to returning to my roots as an academic," Rapoport said. "I'm excited about moving to Nevada's only law school, which isn't even ten years old yet, and is one of the most entrepreneurial law schools I've ever seen. I'm honored to become the new holder of the Gordon & Silver, Ltd. Professorship."
Established in 2003, the Gordon & Silver, Ltd. Professor of Law designation is conferred upon a leading teacher and scholar in the area of commercial, bankruptcy, and business law. It is an honor bestowed upon a professor who has shown excellence and innovation in the classroom.
"I am delighted that our recruitment of Professor Rapoport, which began last spring, has come to a successful conclusion," said Boyd Law School Dean Richard Morgan. "She is a fine teacher, scholar, and colleague who will bring great energy, talent, and a splendid reputation to our law school. I look forward to substantial contributions from her in her role as a senior faculty member."
The prior holder of the professorship, Robert M. Lawless, now teaches at the University of Illinois College of Law.
Professor Rapoport's specialties are bankruptcy ethics, ethics in governance, and the depiction of lawyers in popular culture. Among her published works is "Enron: Corporate Fiascos and Their Implications" (Foundation Press 2004), which was co-edited with Professor Bala G. Dharan of Rice University. She has also appeared in the Academy Award-nominated documentary "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room."
She is a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy. She is admitted to the bars of the states of California, Ohio, Nebraska, and Texas and of the United States Supreme Court. In her spare time, she competes, pro-am, in international Latin and Standard ballroom dance.
After receiving her B.A. from Rice University in 1982 and her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1985, Rapoport clerked for the Honorable Joseph T. Sneed on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and then practiced law with Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco from 1986-1991. She started her academic career at Ohio State University College of Law in 1991 and served as dean of the University of Nebraska College of Law from 1998-2000. She will continue to serve at the UH Law Center, on sabbatical, until July 1, 2007.
