Four Law Faculty Honored with Plumeri Awards
The following is an excerpt of the press release announcing all 20 of the 2015 Plumeri Award recipients.
In recognition of their exemplary achievements in teaching, research and service, 20 William & Mary professors are being honored this year with the university’s prestigious Plumeri Award for Faculty Excellence.
Among the 2015 Plumeri Award recipients are a linguist who works to help preserve Native American languages, a leading authority in U.S. immigration and labor history and a computer scientist whose research focuses on improving mobile devices such as smartphones that have become ubiquitous in everyday life.
The award was established in 2009 with a generous gift from Joseph J. Plumeri II ’66, D.P.S. ’11. It provides $10,000 to honored faculty members to use for research, summer salaries or other stipends associated with scholarly endeavor. A total of 114 faculty members have been honored with the Plumeri Award since its inception.
“When I was a student at William & Mary, I was inspired by so many extraordinary professors who reinforced the importance of standing up for what I believe in, to think creatively and innovatively and to keep moving forward even when barriers might stand in the way,” said Joseph Plumeri. “I am proud to honor those professors whose remarkable service to the institution has helped so many students pursue their dreams with passion and integrity.”
The Plumeri Awards promote and reward innovation and creativity among the university’s faculty, according to Provost Michael Halleran. “I congratulate the 2015 recipients and look forward to seeing the fruits of their Plumeri-funded labor. I also thank Mr. Plumeri, on behalf of the entire College, for once again extending this generous support to our wonderful faculty members,” he said.
Brief biographies of the 2015 Plumeri Award recipients on the law faculty appear below:
Jeffrey Bellin
Associate Professor of Law
Bellin embodies the Law School’s commitment to the citizen lawyer. He is not only deemed by students as one of the Law School’s most outstanding faculty, but is also a scholar whose work has had an immediate impact on the development of the law. Bellin brings experience in private practice at Latham & Watkins and as an assistant United States attorney, and his work has been influential in how lawyers and scholars think about evidence law in our technological age. The hallmark of his work is the care and diligence with which he assesses the current state of the federal evidence rules and crafts proposed revisions. Bellin has authored 12 major articles that have displayed his talent in proposing creative and practical reforms. His opinion pieces on issues of criminal procedure have appeared in major media outlets, and he is a sought-after guest on local and national radio programs when important issues of criminal law arise. Bellin teaches two of the most foundational courses at the Law School, as well as a seminar on criminal justice issues, and students’ evaluations list him as an influential and favorite professor. At last year’s commencement ceremony, the class of 2014 awarded him the Walter L. Williams Jr. Memorial Teaching Award.
Evan J. Criddle
Tazewell Taylor Research Professor of Law
Through his scholarship and teaching, Criddle has established himself as a significant voice in human rights law and administrative law. His work focuses on the complex questions of when and how nations may intervene internationally to protect human rights abroad — topics that will continue to engage scholars and policymakers for years to come. Still early in his career, Criddle has produced an impressive portfolio of scholarship, including 15 published articles in American and international law journals and four book chapters. In addition, Criddle has co-authored the book International Law and the Fiduciary Constitution of Sovereignty (with Evan Fox-Decent), which is forthcoming from Oxford University Press. He is an editor and contributor for Human Rights in Emergencies, which is forthcoming from Cambridge University Press. At William & Mary Law School since 2013, Criddle has taught three of the school’s foundational courses: Civil Procedure, Administrative Law and Public International Law. He earns high praise from students for his kindness and his patience in teaching difficult subjects. Criddle holds a juris doctorate from Yale Law School.
Adam Gershowitz
Kelly Professor of Teaching Excellence
In the short time he has been on the faculty, Gershowitz has become one of the Law School’s notable scholars. He is an expert in the areas of criminal procedure and criminal justice, and his consideration of real-world problems in criminal procedure makes him someone to whom practitioners turn for advice on legal issues. Gershowitz has earned a reputation as a thought-provoking writer who has made significant contributions in the field, authoring numerous articles and essays. He has been quoted in more than 300 media stories in outlets such as the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. Before Gershowitz came to William & Mary, he received the Best New Professor Award and the All Faculty Teaching Award at South Texas Law School. At the University of Houston Law Center, he received the Order of the Barons Professor of the Year Award, the Student Bar Association Professor of the Year Award and the All University Teaching Award. Now, at William & Mary, student comments in evaluations consistently name Gershowitz as one of the Law School’s best professors, and he was recently named the school’s Kelly Professor of Teaching Excellence. His innovative use of popular culture to illustrate serious legal challenges has caught the notice of many media outlets.
Allison Orr Larsen ’99
Associate Professor of Law
At William & Mary Law School since 2010, Larsen has developed a national reputation as a scholar of the process of decision-making in U.S. courts. Her work has explored topics such as the practice of dissent by judges in controversial cases; negotiation and compromise by jurors in the jury room; and the citation of materials outside the record by courts and the complications this practice poses in the Internet age. Larsen’s scholarship has been featured in major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. Recognized as an outstanding teacher, Larsen was honored with the Class of 2013 Walter Williams Jr. Memorial Teaching Award, which is awarded by the graduating class to one member of the Law School faculty for “excellence in teaching, devotion to law and friendship to students.” She received William & Mary’s Alumni Fellowship Award in 2012. In 2014, Larsen received the Outstanding Faculty Award from the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia, which also named her an early-career “Rising Star.” Larsen earned a bachelor’s degree in English and psychology from William & Mary and a juris doctorate from the University of Virginia School of Law.
About William & Mary Law School
Thomas Jefferson founded William & Mary Law School in 1779 to train leaders for the new nation. Now in its third century, America's oldest law school continues its historic mission of educating citizen lawyers who are prepared both to lead and to serve.