School of Law
THE DYNAMIC DUO OF MEMPHIS LAW SAYS FAREWELL
Memphis Law is saddened to share that former law school dean Katharine Schaffzin and Professor Danny Schaffzin will soon depart our law school family for the next chapter in their lives.
We are immensely sad to see them go, but incredibly thankful for the years of dedicated work, service, and guidance these two amazing individuals have given to Memphis Law.
The law school would not be the place it is today without both of these outstanding legal professionals, teachers, and leaders.
Scores of former students will look back on their special “Sushi with the Schaffzins” nights as even more special now that they will no longer continue here.
As the first woman to serve as Dean of the University of Memphis School of Law, Kate Schaffzin already holds the title of the law school’s first “leading lady.” Her six-year tenure as Dean saw her face a number of unique challenges, ranging from the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, national and local civic unrest tied to rising racial tensions and protests across the country, and the monumental task of addressing bar passage rates and enrollment matters in a new legal landscape. These obstacles did not hinder her ability to successfully implement her vision, however. She entered the job with a clear, three-fold vision. First, to support and advance student success; Second, to foster an inclusive environment in the law school and help diversify the legal profession; and third, to embrace educational innovations. She found success in addressing each area of her vision, when many others would have given up the fight, thanks in large part to her ability to adapt to challenging situations and not waver from what she knew was important.
But her time at the law school was not solely spent leading it. Since she first joined the Memphis Law faculty in 2009, Kate has been an integral part of the community and culture of the law school. She began as an Assistant Professor and was soon awarded tenure and promoted to Associate Professor of Law. In 2015, she was named a full Professor of Law and was also named as a Provost’s Fellow in the University of Memphis Provost’s Office. Her service to the law school and the University continued as she was named the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in 2017 and was selected to serve on the inaugural University of Memphis Board of Trustees, where she held the role of Chair of the Academic, Research, and Student Success Committee. After serving as a Trustee for more than a year, she stepped down in May 2018 to serve as the Interim Dean of the law school until becoming the first woman to serve as its Dean in July 2019, faithfully leading the law school for the next five years.
Memphis Law has gained a reputation as a destination for real-world experience and innovative community partnerships.
It is fair to say that Professor Danny Schaffzin is responsible for building both of these pillars of the law school’s identity, especially since our move to downtown Memphis.
The law school has seen its’ students embedded in an incredible cross-section of the Mid-South’s legal offices, non-profits, medical industry, court systems, higher education offices, and even Fortune 500 companies, through our robust externship program.
All of that is because of Professor Danny Schaffzin and his years of relationship building and dedication to finding the best externship experiences possible for our students.
Memphis Law’s innovative legal clinics not only educate our students outside of the traditional classroom, but they carry out work that truly makes the city and its communities better places. From removing blighted properties across Shelby County and restoring faith in a community’s ability to be a safe and vibrant neighborhood, to ensuring that children and their families who are patients at Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital have the legal resources to fight for the care and treatment they deserve, even when they leave the hospital, our legal clinics show that the law school impacts the this city far beyond the confines of the classroom and our academic institution. The law school and our students have shown the ability and dedication to making Memphis a better place.
Danny's relentless efforts to bring new partnerships and working relationships together for the benefit of his students and the law school have ensured that Memphis Law is represented in a myriad of important arenas throughout the city.
And his tireless energy and optimism are contagious, making it even easier for any partner to become excited about the work ahead of them.
His hard work has also ensured that Memphis Law has become a national name in the field of experiential learning and clinical programs. During his time overseeing the experiential learning program, U.S. News & World Report named it as the 46th best clinical training program in the country, with it being listed as high as 21st among public law schools in the country. In just a few short years, his efforts led to a leap of more than 20 spots in the rankings. He has also helped the law school become a national name in these fields via his leadership as President, co-President, and VP of the Clinical Legal Educational Association (CLEA), as well as his time on the AALS Clinical Section Executive Committee and various other roles within the section. Additionally, he is a founder of the Strategic Code Enforcement Management Academy (SCEMA), which has become a national leader in the teaching and practices of strategic code enforcement for cities and leadership throughout the country, bringing his expertise from the founding of the law school’s Neighborhood Preservation Clinic to a national scale.
It is undeniable that the dynamic duo of Kate and Danny Schaffzin made Memphis Law (and Memphis) a better place. Their incredible dedication to students, the city, and the law school have cemented their legacy here and though the Schaffzin family may be moving on to a new chapter, a part of them will always live on at the law school through the many years of students they’ve helped educate and the partnerships they’ve nurtured and seen blossom in the Mid-South.