New Dean's Distinguished Fellow Announced

This fall, Villanova Law welcomed The Honorable Kevin J. Carey ’79 (Ret.) as the latest Dean’s Distinguished Fellow.

As leaders in their fields, Dean’s Distinguished Fellows teach select courses, lead seminars and give lectures as part of their relationship with Villanova Law. Previous Fellows include The Honorable Joel Slomsky, Senior U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania; Jonathan Klick, PhD, the Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School; and Kellye Testy, the president and chief executive officer of the Law School Admission Council.  

Judge Carey brings over 40 years of experience to Villanova. Most recently, he served as a judge for the United States bankruptcy court, District of Delaware, and has expertise in bankruptcy and reorganization law. He is teaching Bankruptcy and Corporate Reorganization this fall.

“I am thrilled to welcome Judge Carey back to Villanova Law as a Dean’s Distinguished Fellow,” said Mark Alexander, the Arthur J. Kania Dean and Professor of Law. “His career achievements across the legal profession – including serving as a judge – make him a wonderful addition to our community. I know we will all benefit by learning from him.”

After graduating from Villanova Law in 1979, Judge Carey served as a law clerk to U.S. Bankruptcy Judge and Villanova Law alumnus Thomas M. Twardowski ‘65, later practicing law at several Philadelphia law firms. While in practice, Judge Carey handled corporate transactions, commercial real estate, commercial lending, and bankruptcy matters, encompassing a wide range of engagements for debtors, creditors and other parties involved in bankruptcy proceedings.

In 2001, Judge Carey began serving as a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 2005, he became one of the nation’s top bankruptcy judges after being appointed to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. He concluded his time on the bench in 2019 and has since served, first as a partner, now as senior counsel, for global law firm Hogan Lovells, specializing in business reorganization and insolvency.  

Judge Carey has also held adjunct positions in the LLM bankruptcy program at St. John’s University School of Law and Temple University Beasley School of Law. He is the immediate past president of the American Bankruptcy Institute and currently sits on the executive committee for their board of directors. He also serves as a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the International Insolvency Institute. He is a past global chair of the Turnaround Management Association.

“I am delighted that Dean Alexander extended this opportunity for me to return to the Villanova Law community as a Dean’s Distinguished Fellow,” said Judge Carey. “In a lot of ways, my career has been a Villanova Law story, and I am very thankful for the education and the career opportunities that this institution has offered me.”

As a Fellow, Judge Carey is honored to return to his alma mater—and the classroom. 

“Every teacher’s goal is to inspire students,” he said. “I hope to make it as engaging and exciting as possible. I think I can offer a perspective that not too many people have. I’ve been fortunate enough in my career to really love the law. I see this opportunity to return to Villanova as a chance to celebrate it.”