Martha Minow to Step Down as Dean From Harvard Law

Martha Minow, dean of Harvard Law School, will step down from her post at the end of the academic year after an eight-year tenure, according to an announcement released on Tuesday.

The Harvard Law School press release said University President Drew G. Faust will start a search for her successor “soon” and “will welcome advice from across the law school community.”

Through a spokeswoman, Minow, 62, released a statement on why she is stepping down:

“I intended to serve five years; I’ve been Dean for eight. Following one of our strongest years ever in terms of admissions and the strongest ever for fundraising, it seemed a great moment to turn over the reins as we look to the Law School’s bicentennial year ahead. I plan to remain an active member of the faculty, and I also want to devote more time studying and speaking about issues of inequality, access to justice, and discrimination in the current economic and social climate — issues that have been at the center of my life’s work and are more pressing than ever.”

Minow was not immediately available for an interview, as she was traveling to speak at the Association of American Law Schools’ conference in San Francisco, according to school spokeswoman Michelle Deakins. Tomorrow, she will moderate a panel on the impact of the 2016 U.S. election on the law.

[Updated: Read our Q&A with Minow on diversity, fake news and her future plans here .]

Minow will remain on the faculty as a professor, the school said in its announcement. Her successor will take the reins during the school’s 200th anniversary, and its $305 million capital campaign.

Read the full release here and additional coverage from the Harvard Crimson .

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