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Gillian Lester

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Gillian Lester
15th Dean of Columbia Law School
In office
January 1, 2015 – July 31, 2024
Preceded byDavid Schizer
Personal details
Born (1964-10-30) October 30, 1964 (age 59)
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
SpouseEric Talley
EducationUniversity of British Columbia (BSc)
University of Toronto (LLB)
Stanford University (JSD)
WebsiteGillian Lester

Gillian L. L. Lester (born October 30, 1964) is a Canadian legal scholar who served as the 15th Dean of Columbia Law School.[1] She joined Columbia Law School on January 1, 2015, as Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, where she is now Dean Emerita and Alphonse Fletcher Jr. Professor of Law.[2] Previously, Lester was acting dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law[3] where she had been a professor since 2006.[4] Before that, she was a full professor at the School of Law of the University of California, Los Angeles.[4]

Lester was the second female dean of Columbia Law School. Soon after taking the job, Lester told The Chronicle of Higher Education she wanted to tweak the curriculum to turn more Columbia law students into "global actors" and "entrepreneurs" who could build careers in both the private and public sectors.[5]

Early life and education

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Lester was born in Maple Ridge, British Columbia, and later moved to West Vancouver. She is the youngest of four children born to Richard Egerton Matheson Lester, a labor lawyer, and Lois (Jensen) Lester, a teacher.[6] She earned a B.Sc. in 1986 from the University of British Columbia, an LL.B. in 1990 from the University of Toronto, where she served as editor-in-chief of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review,[7] and a J.S.D. in 1998 from Stanford University.[8]

Academic career

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Lester began her career in the legal academy in 1994 at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. She became a full professor in 1999. She joined the Berkeley law faculty in 2006 and in 2014 became the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of Law and the Werner and Mimi Wolfen Research Professor.[9] At Berkeley, Lester served as co-director of the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security;[10] Associate Dean for the J.D. Program and Curricular Planning; and, from 2013 to 2014, Acting Dean.[11]

She has held external appointments as the Sidley Austin Visiting Professor at Harvard Law School and the Sloan Fellow and Visiting Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, as well as short-term visiting appointments at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, the University of Chicago Law School, and Radzyner Law School at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel.

She serves on the board of directors for Legal Aid Society of New York[12] and the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law. Lester is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Labor Law Research Network[13] and the American Law Institute[14] and was an Advisor for the American Law Institute Restatement 3d Employment Law. She is also on the advisory board of the Columbia Law Review.[15]

Scholarship and recognition

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Lester is a nationally recognized authority in employment law and policy.[16][17] Her research has explored issues in the workplace and in public finance, distributive justice, and the design of social insurance programs.[18] She is the author of numerous books and articles, including one of the leading casebooks on employment law, Employment Law Cases and Materials.[19] She is also a member of the American Law Institute and was an adviser to the ALI Restatement of Employment Law. In April 2021, Lester was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.[20]

Personal life

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Lester is married to Columbia Law School professor Eric Talley, with whom she has two children.[21][22]

Selected works

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Books

  • Philosophical Foundations of Labour Law, (Oxford U. Press, 2019) (with Hugh Collins and Virginia Mantouvalou)[23]
  • Employment Law: Cases and Materials, Fifth Ed. (Lexis-Nexis, 2012) (with Steven L. Willborn, Steven J. Schwab & John F.Burton)[24]
  • Employment Law: Selected Federal and State Statutes (Lexis-Nexis, 2012) (with Steven L. Willborn, Steven J. Schwab & John F.Burton)[25]
  • Family Security Insurance: A New Foundation for Economic Security (Workplace Flexibility and the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security, 2010)[26]
  • Estreicher and Lester's Employment Law Stories (Foundation Press, 2010) (with Samuel Estreicher)[27]
  • Employment Law (Concepts and Insights) (Foundation Press, 2008) (with Samuel Estreicher)[28]
  • Jumping The Queue: An Inquiry Into The Legal Treatment Of Students With Disabilities (Harvard Press, 1997) (with Mark Kelman)[29]

Articles and chapters

  • "Age Discrimination and Labour Law in the United States," in Mia Ronnmar & Ann Numhauser-Henning (eds.), Age Discrimination In Labour Law (Kluwer Law International, 2015).
  • "Keep Government Out of My Medicare": The Search for Popular Support of Taxes and Social Spending, in Michael Sherraden and Marion Crain (eds.) Working And Living In The Shadow Of Economic Fragility (Oxford U. Press, 2013)
  • "Can Joe the Plumber Support Redistribution? Law, Social Preferences, and Sustainable Policy Design, in Tax Law Review (2011)
  • "Beyond Collective Bargaining: Modern Unions and Social Solidarity," in Brian Langille and Guy Davidov (eds.), The Idea of Labor Law (Cambridge University Press, 2011)
  • "Restrictive Covenants and Choice of Laws: An American Perspective," in Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal (2010)
  • "A Defense of Paid Family Leave" in Harvard Journal of Law & Gender (2005)
  • "Unemployment Insurance and Wealth Redistribution" in UCLA Law Review (2001)
  • "Careers and Contingency" in Stanford Law Review (1998)

References

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  1. ^ Dean Gillian Lester: Biography
  2. ^ "Gillian Lester". www.law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2024-08-01.
  3. ^ Gillian Lester Appointed Dean of Columbia Law School
  4. ^ a b Women in Academia Report (May 2, 2014)
  5. ^ "New Dean Asks More of a Successful Law School," The Chronicle of Higher Education (April 13, 2015)
  6. ^ Richard Egerton Matheson Lester Obituary, The Vancouver Sun (March 26, 2014)
  7. ^ "University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review". Archived from the original on 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  8. ^ Sloan, Karen (April 26, 2018). "Stanford Class of 1998 Has Magic Formula for Producing Top Female Law Deans". The Recorder at Law.com. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Cohen, Andrew (April 23, 2014). "Gillian Lester Appointed Dean of Columbia Law School". University of California. Berkeley Law. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  10. ^ "Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security". Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2015-10-22.
  11. ^ Lagos, Marisa (May 10, 2014). "Lawyers David Boies, Ted Olson inspire UC Berkeley law grads". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  12. ^ "Legal Aid Society Board of Directors". Archived from the original on 2015-12-06. Retrieved 2015-12-07.
  13. ^ Members of the Advisory Committee, Labor Law Research Network
  14. ^ The American Law Institute, Members
  15. ^ Columbia Law Review
  16. ^ Klug, Lisa Alcalay (December 23, 2005). "Jury Rules Wal-Mart Must Pay $172 Million Over Meal Breaks". New York Times. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  17. ^ Nevius, C.W. (July 6, 2006). "Levi's was ahead of its time on domestic partner benefits for employees". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  18. ^ Faculty Profile, Practising Law Institute
  19. ^ Employment Law: Cases and Materials (Lexis Nexis, 2012)
  20. ^ "Honoring Excellence, Electing New Members". American Academy of Arts & Sciences. April 22, 2021.
  21. ^ Jaksic, Vesna (September 11, 2008). "Law Schools Hiring Faculty Couples". Law.com. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  22. ^ Akcaguner, Yasemin (August 21, 2017). "New Law School dean talks cross-country move, priorities". Columbia Spectator. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
  23. ^ Philosophical Foundations of Labour Law. Philosophical Foundations of Law. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. 2019-02-12. ISBN 978-0-19-882527-2.
  24. ^ Employment Law: Cases and Materials, Fifth Ed. (Lexis-Nexis, 2012)
  25. ^ Employment Law: Selected Federal and State Statutes (Lexis-Nexis, 2012)
  26. ^ Family Security Insurance: A New Foundation for Economic Security
  27. ^ Estreicher and Lester's Employment Law Stories (Foundation Press 2010)
  28. ^ Employment Law (Concepts and Insights), (Foundation Press 2010)
  29. ^ Jumping The Queue: An Inquiry Into The Legal Treatment Of Students With Disabilities (Harvard Press, 1997)
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Academic offices
Preceded by Dean of Columbia Law School
January 1, 2015 – present 		Incumbent
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