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Paul
LeBel spent his first months as UND’s new law
dean traveling across North Dakota and Minnesota to
become acquainted with the area and meet as many alumni
and supporters as possible.
What impressed him most, he said, is the remarkable
level of support the law school enjoys in the region.
Turnout at meetings and receptions was high, and often
included lawyers and judges who graduated from other
schools but are strong supporters of the Law School.
“People care about this school,”
he said, “and they’re committed to its success.”
LeBel, who has a ready smile and a good sense
of humor, heard many testimonials on his “listening
tour.” He believes his school’s alumni,
who comprise the vast majority of North Dakota’s
1,800 licensed attorneys, feel well-prepared and well-equipped
for a full range of opportunities, including the public
sector and business as well as the practice of law.
He also was impressed by the long-standing and
evolving professional connections he saw among lawyers
in North Dakota. Many of them date back to friendships
formed in law school — one of the things about
professional practice that LeBel emphasizes to today’s
students. The reputation students acquire in law school
can be critical.
This fall, UND law students number 204, nearly
half of them women. UND admitted its first law student
in 1899.
Among the dean’s goals are increasing service
to the state of North Dakota and its citizens by building
on current strengths (such as American Indian law) and
taking advantage of new opportunities (such as agricultural
and rural law) for the law school to have a positive
impact. He also intends to advance research, increase
interdisciplinary work with other areas across campus,
and expand the school’s fundraising efforts.
LeBel, who came here from the Florida State University
College of Law, says he was attracted to UND by the
size of the law school and the strong sense of community
he found here. The size will allow him the opportunity
to have classroom contact with every first-year student.
It’s important for law students to have a relationship
with the dean outside of the dean’s office, LeBel
said, and he intends to teach torts, his specialty,
to first-year students.
LeBel sees legal education as a subspecies of
a liberal arts education, with the basic mission of
preparing the next generation of lawyers to analyze
critically, communicate effectively, and appreciate
their responsibilities. Along with that basic mission,
he says, has been an increased necessity for interdisciplinary
collaborations with other academic departments.
UND also needs to ensure that the scholarly research
by faculty has the impact it deserves, he said, and
that findings are publicized. His own research interests
center on tobacco and alcohol litigation; he studies
how society deals with injuries that are the result
of endemic or systemic risks. His book, John Barleycorn
Must Pay: Compensating the Victims of Drinking Drivers,
was published by University of Illinois Press.
An avid baseball fan, LeBel has followed the
Minnesota Twins since they were the Washington Senators.
The Connecticut native grew up in south Florida watching
spring training baseball, and in his first regular season
game saw the Senators play the Yankees the year before
the Senators moved to Minnesota. His wife, Lucinda,
works as a medical technician. They have one daughter,
Lisa, who lives in the Washington, D.C., area.
LeBel says he’s enjoying the law school
and his job. “What we do here matters,”
he said.
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