Paul Litton today took office as interim dean of Mizzou Law following the leadership of Dean Lyrissa Lidsky, who stepped down on July 4. MU Provost Latha Ramchand announced in April that Litton had been named interim dean after Dean Lidsky finished her tenure.
Litton, who is the R.B. Price Professor of Law at Mizzou Law, has been a member of the faculty at MU since 2006 and served as associate dean for research and faculty development for the last seven years. In addition, he has served as director of the office of academic integrity within the MU Office of the Provost since 2017.
“I am honored to step into this role at such an exciting time for Mizzou Law,” Litton said. “The School of Law thrived under Dean Lidsky’s leadership, and I look forward to carrying our momentum forward.”
This August, Mizzou Law will be welcoming its most impressive class in its 150-year history, with incoming students boasting record-high undergraduate GPAs and median LSAT score. In addition, a group of outstanding new colleagues will join the faculty, including Sandra Sperino, Rachel Wechsler, Lauren Shores Pelikan, Yunsieg Kim, and Haley Proctor, among others.
“This upcoming year promises to be an exciting one for our students, faculty and alumni,” Litton said. “Not only are we celebrating new achievements but also looking to the past, celebrating our rich history as a school.” This September, Mizzou Law alumni, friends, faculty and students will be celebrating the 150th anniversary of the school with a weekend-long series of events, culminating in a Mizzou football watch party and class reunion on Saturday, Sept. 24. To learn more and register for the event, visit: https://law.missouri.edu/150th/.
“Our Hulston Hall community is so excited to welcome back our alumni and friends for this once-in-a-lifetime celebration event,” Litton said. “We hope to see hundreds of our alumni and their families for what may be the first time since they graduated. It will truly be a spectacular celebration!”
As interim dean, Litton says he hopes to continue to grow the faculty as well as continue the record-high employment rate of Mizzou Law graduates, which currently sits at 97.6% for the class of 2021.
Litton joined the School of Law’s faculty in 2006 after spending two years as a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Clinical Bioethics within the National Institutes of Health. Previously, he was law clerk to the chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, working primarily on capital cases. Litton earned a JD and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and conducts research at the intersection of law and philosophy.
Provost Ramchand has announced that a national search for the next full-time Mizzou Law dean will begin soon.