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Law School faculty members honored for teaching excellence

May 15, 2020

Six members of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School have received teaching awards for the 2019–20 academic year.

Six members of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School have received teaching awards for the 2019–20 academic year. They are: Jean Galbraith (Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence), William Ewald (LLM Teaching Award), Wendell Pritchett (A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course), Leo Katz (Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching), Sozi Pedro Tulante (Adjunct Teaching Award), and Sarah Pierce (Experiential Teaching Award).

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Jean Galbraith receives the Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence

By democratic vote, the 2020 graduating class selected Jean Galbraith to receive the Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.

Galbraith teaches and writes about public international law and U.S. foreign relations law. Her research focuses on the structure of international legal institutions, especially treaty regimes, and the connections between these institutions and U.S. domestic law. This year she taught Contracts and in the Appellate Advocacy Clinic.

What the students say:

  • “[Prof. Galbraith] is brilliant, very precise, and exposes weak points artfully. Her Socratic method is perfect and everything I wanted law school to be.“
  • “[Prof. Galbraith] encouraged each of us to learn the material, but to do more than learn the black letter law – and as such to think for ourselves, and question our own assumptions and world views.”
  • “I have never had a professor that has inspired me to want to learn as much as she has.”

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William Ewald receives the LLM Teaching Award

Voted on by the LLM class of 2020, William Ewald is the recipient of the the LLM Teaching Award.

Ewald is an internationally recognized scholar in legal philosophy and comparative law. His research examines, from a comparative perspective, the distinctive character of American law. This work has led him to write on the legal philosophy of James Wilson, the first professor of law at the University of Pennsylvania. This year, he taught U.S. Law From a Comparative Perspective and Political Philosophy of the Founders.

What the students say:

  • “Professor Ewald is a true gentleman. He takes great pains to ensure that everyone is up to speed and welcomes questions … . His enthusiasm is infectious and he has made a convert to American constitutional law out of me!”
  • “[He] motivated students to think [about] problems from different perspectives and made us more interested in the U.S. legal system.”

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Wendell Pritchett receives the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course

Provost and Presidential Professor of Law and Education Wendell Pritchett receives the A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course for the Land Use course he taught this spring.

 Pritchett is an award-winning urban historian. His research examines the development of post-war urban policy, in particular urban renewal, housing finance, and housing discrimination. Pritchett has specialized in real estate and housing law, representing nonprofit organizations involved in the development of affordable housing. 

What the students say:

  • “Provost Pritchett went above and beyond to be accessible to students; his invitation to small-group student lunches early in the semester demonstrated his interest in each of us as people beyond our identities as students in his class.”
  • “He’s led an incredibly interesting and varied career, and my favorite part of the class was just getting to hear and engage with his points of view on various topics, along with the class discussions. His passion for teaching is very clear.”

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Leo Katz receives the Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching

Leo Katz receives the Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching for his remarkable and innovative work in adapting his Criminal Law class to the online environment.

Katz focuses his scholarship criminal law and legal theory. By connecting criminal law, moral philosophy, and the theory of social choice, he tries to shed light on some of the most basic building block notions of the law — coercion, deception, consent, and the use and abuse of legal stratagems. 

What the students say:

  • “Professor Katz’s self-[S]ocratic method on Canvas [was] the highlight of my day. He did an incredible job and approached the pre-recorded lecture with creativity and humor.”
  • “I’m confident the past six weeks have provided what will be my favorite Socratic method stories from all of law school, and I’m excited to later in my career tell new graduates about my law school experience where the professor called on himself (and asked for repetition when needed, obviously).”

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Sozi Pedro Tulante receives the Adjunct Teaching Award

Sozi Tulante receives the Adjunct Teaching Award for his outstanding work teaching State Constitutional Litigation, supervising externships, and mentoring students.

Tulante is a partner at Dechert LLP, where his practice focuses on white collar criminal defense, trial work, government investigations and compliance, and products liability.

A former Philadelphia City Solicitor, Tulante draws on his extensive experience working in multiple areas of government to represent clients in high-profile litigation matters involving sensitive white collar litigation and investigations. 

What the students say:

  • “Professor Tulante was great, so stimulating and always engaging with students and encouraging them to participate. You can tell how much he enjoys teaching.”
  • “Professor Tulante … was very accessible (especially for a partner at a law firm!) and always seemed happy to help his students with anything from the job search to understanding course materials.”

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Sarah Pierce receives the Experiential Teaching Award.

Legal Practice Skills Senior Lecturer Sarah Pierce receives the Experiential Teaching Award for developing and teaching three new, experiential Boot Camp courses for the JD/MBA Capstone requirement that tracked a company through several transactions: start-up structuring/initial capital raise, exit/M&A, and restructuring, while also continuing to excel in teaching and mentoring students in Legal Practice Skills.

Pierce brings more than a decade of transactional and courtroom experience to the Legal Practice Skills program. Prior to joining the Law School faculty, Pierce was counsel at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP where she practiced for 13 years focusing on corporate and financial restructurings and reorganizations, representing companies, secured lenders, investors, and buyers. 

What the students say:

  • “Professor Pierce is a gift to us all. She makes it seem like we really can be successful lawyers and like she is always proud of us. She is the embodiment of tough but fair and wants to make sure that we all truly improve.”
  • “Professor Pierce did a singularly excellent job reimagining the Capstone class to make it much more practically applicable and interesting to the students.”