Han, McNeal Receive Dean's Award for Excellence in Scholarship

Last Saturday, April 11, 2015, Pepperdine School of Law Dean Deanell R. Tacha announced that professors David Han andGregory McNeal would receive this year's Dean's Award for Excellence in Scholarship.

"As all of you know, the rank and reputation of the Pepperdine School of Law have increased significantly over the past decade," said Dean Tacha told attendees of the 42nd Annual Law Dinner. "This strategic ascent is attributed in large measure to our faculty, many of whom have been producing outstanding legal research and writing and presenting their work at conferences nationally and around the world. To recognize and encourage such scholarly efforts, we showcase our exemplary faculty through the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Scholarship."

She went on to summarize some of their recent accomplishments:

• "Professor Han has been incredibly productive, publishing two high-quality articles in Top 35 law reviews: William & Mary and Wisconsin. He is making significant intellectual contributions in a field (the First Amendment) that has attracted many of America’s top scholars, and his writing is superb."
• "Professor McNeal’s article, 'Targeted Killings and Accountability,' made a major and lasting contribution in a legal area of great practical and theoretical importance and reflected a huge amount of creative research, including not just cases and statutes but armed-forces manuals, interviews, and other sources.”

Nearly 500 guests attended the annual dinner . The formal event, which took place at the JW Marriott Los Angeles L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles, California, featured distinguished scholar Arthur Miller and a panel of guests discussing the evolution of the law school experience. Dean Tacha's remarks focused on the "changing arc of legal education at Pepperdine Law" and also featured videos highlighting the Parris Institute for Professional Formation and the Global Justice Program's efforts in the Ugandan youth justice system.