New Dean's Distinguished Fellow Announced
Continuing Villanova Law’s commitment to bringing renowned leaders in the legal profession to campus, The Honorable Joel Slomsky, Senior United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, joins the Law School’s Dean’s Distinguished Fellows program.
Judge Slomsky joins Jonathan Klick, PhD, Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania, and Kellye Testy, President of Law School Admission Council, who were the inaugural Dean’s Distinguished Fellows in 2017. Among the leading academics in their respective fields, invited Fellows teach select courses, lead seminars and give lectures as part of their multiyear relationship with Villanova.
“I am honored to have Judge Slomsky join Jonathan and Kellye as a Dean’s Distinguished Fellow,” remarked Dean Alexander. “He has been an esteemed leader in the legal field and in our community for the past 40 years. I am thrilled to have him immersed in our law school and for our students, faculty and staff to learn from his expertise.”
Judge Slomsky will teach a course on judicial clerkships, introducing students to the work performed by judicial law clerks and the work of judges. The course will expose students to substantive areas such as the structure of litigation in trial and appellate courts, ethics in relation to clerking, research and writing for clerks and practical application of specific Federal Rules. In addition to classroom meetings, the course will include visits to judges’ chambers and courtrooms.
About Judge Joel Slomsky
Judge Slomsky became a federal judge on October 8, 2008. He received his BA in 1967 from Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and his JD in 1970 from New York Law School. Judge Slomsky was a Special Attorney with the United States Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Philadelphia Strike Force from 1970-1973. From 1974 to October 2008, he was in private practice, primarily as a criminal defense attorney representing clients in state and federal court, before the grand jury, at trial and on appeal. While in private practice, Judge Slomsky was admitted to practice in many venues, from the Supreme Court of the United States to many Courts of Appeal and District Courts. He was a member of numerous Bar Associations and was a former member of the Board of Directors for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. Judge Slomsky has guest lectured at the University of Pennsylvania, Temple and Rutgers Law Schools. While an Editor of the Philadelphia Lawyer Magazine, he wrote several articles covering topics such as money laundering, financial reporting crimes and the federal sentencing guidelines.
