
Benjamin Barros Brings Significant Leadership Experience to Stetson Law
Benjamin Barros stated in a release that Stetson Law has established a national reputation for its excellence in advocacy, legal writing, and elder law, among other areas. He is excited to collaborate with all members of the Stetson Law community to enhance these strengths toward a promising future. Stetson University has named Barros the incoming dean of its College of Law, effective July 1, replacing Theresa J. Pulley Radwan, who took over as interim dean after Michèle Alexandre stepped down to serve as dean of Loyola University Chicago School of Law. A spokesperson for Stetson University confirmed that Pulley Radwan would return to teaching.
Stetson University announced that during Benjamin Barros' leadership as dean, the University of Toledo College of Law experienced significant improvements in enrollment, bar exam success, employment of graduates, and fundraising. According to his bio on the University of Toledo website, Barros teaches and writes about property law and theory, regulatory takings, property law reform, and the philosophy of science. In a statement, Barros expressed his excitement to join Stetson Law, which has a national reputation for excellence in advocacy, legal writing, and elder law, among other areas. Last year, Barros spoke out against the U.S. News & World Report law school rankings in an interview with The Bar Examiner, citing the rankings' negative impact on American legal education. Barros also served as the associate dean of academic affairs and law professor at Widener University School of Law, founded the Journal of Law, Property, and Society, and authored a casebook on property law with Aspen/Wolters Kluwer in 2015.
Barros' Background in Law, Property, and Society Strengthens Stetson Law
According to his biography, Benjamin Barros was one of the youngest educators to serve on the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) executive committee. He has also been the chair of the AALS Property Section and president of the Association for Law, Property, and Society. After completing his law degree, Barros clerked for U.S. District Judge Milton Pollack of the Southern District of New York before working at Latham & Watkins and Debevoise & Plimpton in New York City. Barros received his J.D. from Fordham University School of Law in 1996, where he was a member of the editorial board of the Fordham Law Review and the Order of the Coif. He also holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from Colgate University (1991) and a master's degree from the University of Maryland (2013). The announcement regarding his appointment as dean of Stetson Law stated that the search committee was pleased to have a leader with significant decanal experience, a collaborative mindset, and a clear focus on student excellence. The University of Toledo College of Law, did not respond to inquiries about Barros' successor.