Law school's Dean Eck to retire in June

UM School of Law Dean E. Edwin Eck has announced that he will resign from the position of dean of the law school effective June 30, 2009.

Eck joined the UM School of Law faculty in 1981 and became dean of the school in 1995. He will return to the law school faculty after his tenure as dean is complete, but will do so after an administrative leave during fall semester 2009.

Eck recently has provided leadership in a project that will substantially renovate and expand UM’s Law Building, and he will continue to oversee the completion of that project, as well as preparations for an upcoming American Bar Association accreditation visit. The building’s renovation and expansion is central to the law school’s continued accreditation.

“The School of Law has prospered under Dean Eck,” said UM Provost Royce Engstrom, “and the building project itself is a clear symbol of his determination to move the school forward.”

Eck received a bachelor’s degree in government and international relations from Carleton College, a Juris Doctor degree from UM’s School of Law and a Master of Laws degree in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center. He is a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He joined UM’s law school faculty after diverse experiences as judicial clerk, assistant United States attorney for Montana and several years in private practice.

Eck also serves as a commissioner of the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws and has been active in leading Montana legislative reforms in the area of trusts and estates. Upon the recommendation of U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, the Senate recently confirmed Eck as a member of the Internal Revenue Service Oversight Board.

The University soon will conduct a national search for the next dean of the School of Law.