By Megan Sayles
AFRO Business Writer
msayles@afro.com
LaVonda N. Reed became the first woman dean of University of Baltimore’s (UB) School of Law on July 1 after serving at Georgia State University’s law school for three years. A military brat, Reed grew up moving from state to state, and some of that time was spent in Prince George’s County, Md.
Her interest in law arose from a passion for social justice and American history. Over the course of her career, Reed has served as a professor of law for Syracuse University, a judicial clerk of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and a telecommunications and corporate law attorney.
LaVonda N. Reed is the first woman to serve as dean for the University of Baltimore’s School of Law. She assumed the role in July after serving as dean of Georgia State University’s College of Law for three years. (Photo courtesy of University of Baltimore)
Before being offered the deanship, Reed had two chances to work in Baltimore, but she decided to go in a different direction. This new role has felt like a homecoming, as much of her family and friends live in Maryland.
“When this opportunity came up last spring, I jumped at it,” said Reed. “It was a good time in my life to be able to make the move, and I was excited to have the opportunity, yet again, to come to Baltimore.”
The AFRO had a chance to sit down with Reed to discuss her goals and plans for leading the law school. The responses below have been edited for length and clarity.
As you’ve settled into your role, what have you identified as priorities for the law school?
Some of the big things that we are tackling here at the law school are around student success. We’re focusing on academic preparedness while they’re in law school, increasing the bar passage for our law graduates and programming that will increase the pipeline of individuals who matriculate at law school.
We have some fabulous programs where we work with high school students during the summer to provide an opportunity for them to see what law school is like. We also have a program in collaboration with the area historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) that creates a pipeline and preparedness for older students who are considering law school.
We are also working on raising the profile of our faculty. We have a world-class, diverse faculty here. They are coming from all over the world, and they have a wide variety of disciplinary interests. We want to raise the profile of the scholarly work they’re doing. Our folks are working on things from juvenile justice, to school truancy, to post-conviction projects.
You are the first woman dean of UB’s School of Law in its nearly century-long history, what did this achievement mean to you, and what do you think about the state of women representation in law?
It’s humbling, and it’s also a point of pride. I know that when history is told many years from now, it will be a significant moment for the university and the law school. I know it’s been a long-time coming. It’s also a huge responsibility. I serve as a role model for a lot of people. I want to do the best I can for this institution, the students, alumni, faculty and staff.
It’s often said that people can’t be what they can’t see. My role is multi-fold. My primary responsibility is to run the day-to-day operations of the law school to prepare it for future success. But, I also recognize that my serving in this role with excellence, grace and class also shows young women who are coming up behind me what is possible. They will see that they can do hard things if they see other women in leadership roles navigate hard situations and solve problems.
I do what I do in honor and recognition of the people who came before me. My parents grew up in the segregated South, and these types of jobs weren’t available to them. My dad was one of the early Black officers in the Marine Corps, so he was a trailblazer in his own regard. A lot of what I do is in honor of him.
How does the School of Law engage Baltimore’s underserved communities, and how do you plan to continue that legacy?
Our law school is home to a number of legal clinics where our students work under the supervision of licensed attorneys to solve real-life issues for our neighbors here in Baltimore. We have an Innocence Project Clinic, a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic, a Family Law Clinic and an Immigration Clinic. Our clinics are ranked number five in the country on U.S. News World Report.
Our faculty testify in Annapolis on a variety of different issues related to policy, like juvenile justice for example. We are really proud of the fact that we contribute a lot to the state of Maryland, and there’s always more that could be done. We are always looking for partners who might be able to help us provide more services to our community.
While the education students receive from law school may be invaluable, it comes with a hefty price tag. How important is addressing affordability to you, and how does the school help to ease the financial burden on students?
It’s very important. As the country diversifies and the wealth gap widens, it becomes even more critical, particularly for our graduates who are going into jobs that do not have the highest salaries. We don’t want students to be making decisions about fulfilling their aspirations and how they will use their law degree based solely on financial terms.
We’ve done a fairly good job of raising money for scholarships, and that is something we want to continue to build upon. We also want to increase stipends for students. A lot of them are actually continuing to work while they are in law school. We want them to be able to focus on studying for the bar exam.
As leadership shifts in the country, what is your message to students about your commitment to supporting them?
At this moment in time, lawyers are going to be needed more than ever before. Lawyers are going to play an important role in upholding civility and adherence to the rule of law and maintaining a society in which people’s rights are recognized.
Our students are getting a degree that is very powerful in society. I want them to feel empowered by the credential they’re getting and their ability to effectuate change in the country. Some of the most profound changes that we have seen in the country were brought about because lawyers were involved. We’re in Baltimore, the home of Thurgood Marshall, and he was central to so much that we enjoy today.
Our students should find solace and draw inspiration from the work of so many people who came before them, who faced what seemed like insurmountable odds. We will probably see attempts to set us back, but people who came before us have confronted these issues and overcome them. Our students can do the same.
