Beginning his tenure as Dean at Southwestern in Fall 2005, Bryant G. Garth brings the perspective of an internationally recognized scholar, law professor and former dean. "It is an exciting time," he says, "to be in the midst of helping law students prepare for and build fulfilling, successful careers that best serve the public interest."

Proficient in four foreign languages, Dean Garth was editor-in-chief of the Stanford Journal Of International Studies and went on to serve as a judicial clerk to Judge Robert Peckham of the Federal District Court, Northern District of California. In 1979, he joined the faculty of Indiana University School of Law, Bloomington, where he taught civil procedure, legal profession, international and comparative law and human rights, and served as Dean from 1986 to 1990.

Dean Garth was appointed in 1990 as the Director of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), the independent nonprofit research center established by the ABA for the empirical study of law, legal institutions and legal processes. Under his guidance over the next 14 years, the Foundation became a preeminent resource for lawyers, scholars, legal educators, and policy makers throughout the world.

The author or co-author of more than 16 books and 75 articles, Dean Garth's research focus has been on the legal profession, dispute resolution, globalization and the rule of law. Drawing on this expertise, he has served as a consultant to such entities as the World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development and major philanthropic foundations. In recent years, Dean Garth has addressed more than 100 forums across the U.S. as well as more than a dozen foreign countries. He has held numerous leadership positions within the ABA and the Association of American Law Schools, currently chairing the advisory board of the Law School Survey of Student Engagement and serving on the executive coordinating committee of the pioneering "After the J.D." study of lawyer careers. According to Dean Garth, "Information from these and other studies will help us take the lead in designing innovative curricula and programs that best suit our students' needs."