New appointment for Dean of School of Law

Victoria University of Wellington’s Dean of Law, Professor Tony Smith, has been appointed to a distinguished legal role at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

Professor Smith, who is Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of the School of Law at Victoria, will become the Arthur Goodhart Visiting Professor in Legal Science at Cambridge University for the northern hemisphere academic year, beginning in September 2015.
Professor Tony Smith - portrait in Cabinet Room OGB
Professor Smith will step down from his current roles at Victoria in March next year, after eight years in both positions. He will, however, return to a professorial position at Victoria at the conclusion of his time at Cambridge University.

Victoria University Vice-Chancellor Professor Grant Guilford says that Professor Smith’s Cambridge appointment reflects the high regard in which he is held internationally.

“Professor Smith has made an outstanding contribution to Victoria.

“Under his leadership, Victoria’s Faculty of Law became the number one ranked law school in New Zealand for research quality (in the 2012 Performance-Based Research Fund evaluation) and has consistently gained outstanding placings in international rankings,” says Professor Guilford.

Victoria’s Law School was also recently awarded three Marsden Grants which, says Professor Guilford, shows the flourishing legal research environment at Victoria.

“Professor Smith’s vision and his support and facilitation of academic research across the School has helped Victoria achieve this impressive position.”

Professor Smith is known internationally for his scholarship and has a strong publication record.

Having recruited a number of young, extremely capable academics during his tenure, Professor Smith will leave Victoria’s Law School in an excellent position says Professor Guilford.

The Arthur Goodhart Visiting Professor of Legal Science was established to commemorate the 80th birthday of Arthur Lehman Goodhart who, at the time, was Emeritus Professor of Jurisprudence at Oxford University, retired Master of University College Oxford, and Honorary Fellow of Trinity Hall and Trinity College Cambridge.

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