Rutgers Law School to Host Conference Honoring the Legacy of J. Allen Smith, Founder of the Law and Humanities Institute

Newark, NJ – On April 23 to 25, 2009, Rutgers School of Law–Newark will host the “Law & Humanities Institute (LHI) Conference Honoring J. Allen Smith” in conjunction with the school’s 100th anniversary celebration. The late J. Allen Smith taught Property at the law school from 1963 – 1984 and was the founder of LHI, a non-profit organization devoted to promoting interdisciplinary studies between law and the humanities. In dedicating its spring 1984 issue to Professor Smith, Rutgers Law Review editors wrote that his presence “enriched the Law School as he drew upon the sum of the humanities – philosophy, literature, music and art – to teach those of us who were fortunate enough to be his students. From him we learned that law is an expression of human experience, to be understood in light of other human experiences and knowledge.” 

LHI has invited many of its former and current officers as well as distinguished scholars to discuss the past, present and future of its interdisciplinary projects. The conference will also feature a keynote address by LHI’s founding and current president, Richard Weisberg, the Walter Floersheimer Professor of Constitutional Law at Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and a recent recipient of the French National Legion of Honor.

The panels are free and open to the public. The April 23 and April 24 dinners require an RSVP and payment. The law school has reserved rooms at a special rate at Newark’s Robert Treat Hotel. For information about registration and lodging, contact Randle DeFalco at randman@pegasus.rutgers.edu.