Professor Iria Giuffrida Receives John Marshall Award
Iria Giuffrida, Professor of the Practice of Law and Assistant Dean for Academic & Faculty Affairs, received the John Marshall Award during William & Mary Law School’s Commencement Ceremony at Kaplan Arena on Saturday, May 18. The award honors a faculty or staff member who has demonstrated “character, leadership, and a spirit of selfless service to the Law School community.”
As he presented the award, Dean A. Benjamin Spencer quoted from several testimonials, one of which noted that Giuffrida “exemplified exceptional character, leadership, and service to the law school.” Another praised her “strong commitment to fostering a sense of belonging within our community.” Yet another thanked her for being “an unwavering ally to international students.”
Giuffrida is particularly noteworthy in the number of roles she has played, and plays, across the Law School. In her position as Assistant Dean for Academic & Faculty Affairs, she focuses on adjunct faculty matters and faculty/academic components supporting online and executive education programs.
As an academic, Giuffrida is an expert on the legal issues arising from the increasing use of artificial intelligence, the rapid growth of the internet of things and related emerging technologies. She is involved in interdisciplinary projects and activities focused on cybersecurity and privacy.
Giuffrida’s teaching portfolio at the Law School includes a course on artificial intelligence—one of the first in the nation—and an interdisciplinary seminar on cyber and information security co-taught with a team of professors from the Mason School of Business and William & Mary’s Department of Computer Science. She also teaches International Business Transactions, International Commercial Arbitration, and Mediation. Until recently, she also taught Legal Environment of Business and Business Law to undergraduate and graduate students at the Mason School of Business.
Giuffrida first came to the Law School as the 2001 Drapers Scholar to earn an LL.M. degree. She spent the following academic year as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law at the Law School, the only LL.M. student to do so after graduation. Giuffrida later received a Ph.D. in Law from Queen Mary, University of London, where she had previously earned a Bachelor of Laws degree. She is admitted to practice in the State of New York, is a Solicitor in England and Wales, and has qualified as a Solicitor in the Republic of Ireland. She is also a certified information privacy professional (CIPP/US).
Prior to returning to the Law School as the Deputy Director of the Center for Legal & Court Technology, she practiced as a commercial litigator in high-stakes disputes, first in the London and Brussels offices of Dechert LLP, and at Enyo Law LLP in London. She advised clients on a wide range of commercial matters and has substantial experience in alternative dispute resolution.
The award honors the legal contributions of John Marshall (1755-1835), who served as the fourth Chief Justice of the United States. Marshall was among the first students to study law under the tutelage of George Wythe at William & Mary.