Professor Paul Marcus Receives McGlothlin Award for Exceptional Teaching
Professor Paul Marcus was honored with the McGlothlin Award for Exceptional Teaching at William & Mary Law School’s May 14 Diploma Ceremony. The annual award was established in 2016 and is given to two outstanding educators from the Law School and Mason School of Business who have demonstrated sustained commitments to teaching. The recognition includes a substantial prize for each recipient, made possible through a generous endowment from James W. McGlothlin '62, J.D. '64, LL.D. '00 and Frances Gibson McGlothlin '66.
Marcus is the Haynes Professor of Law at William & Mary and 2017 president of the Association of American Law Schools. A three-time winner of the Law School's Walter L. Williams, Jr., Memorial Teaching Award, he served in 2007 as the inaugural Herbert V. Kelley, Sr., Professor for Excellence in Teaching. In 2010 he received the State Council of Higher Education in Virginia Outstanding Faculty Award, the state's highest honor for professors, which recognizes excellence in teaching, research, and public service.
“I have so many colleagues who are teaching at the very highest levels. To receive this award is such a tremendous honor,” said Marcus. “It is my great privilege to teach the outstanding law students at William & Mary.”
An internationally known scholar of criminal law and procedure, comparative criminal justice, and jury behavior, he has written more than 50 law review articles and authored or co-authored eight books, including The Prosecution and Defense of Criminal Conspiracy Cases. In addition to his scholarship, he has spoken on various legal topics in 24 countries, most recently in Australia, Brazil and Spain. He regularly lectures on behalf of the Federal Judicial Center. National Jurist named him to its 2017 list of the “Most Influential People in Legal Education” earlier this year. According to the magazine, he “has influenced not only the legal profession in general but also thousands of students, lawyers, judges, and professors.”
“Paul possesses an uncommon gift for teaching and is an inspiring mentor to both students and colleagues,” said Law School Dean Davison M. Douglas. “We are indebted to Jim and Fran McGlothlin for their extraordinary generosity and for their belief that outstanding professors shape the lives of students as people and as lawyers.”
In addition to his teaching awards, Marcus also has been honored with the University of Arizona's Distinguished Citizen of the Year Award and William & Mary's Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, which recognized him "for the spirit with which he gives of himself, especially to those in need." Marcus is founder and director of the Law School's Literature and the Law Program at the Virginia Peninsula Regional Jail.
Marcus earned his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of California at Los Angeles. He began his academic career at the University of Illinois and later joined the faculty of the University of Arizona, where he was appointed dean of the College of Law at the age of 36. In 1992 he joined the William & Mary faculty as the Haynes Professor of Law and later twice served as acting dean.
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.