Emory University School of Law went all the way to Canada to find its new dean, Mary Anne Bobinski, who brings a track record of leadership and scholarship.

Bobinski, who is six weeks into her tenure as dean, is tasked with crafting a strategic plan for the law school to address 21st century challenges for legal education.

"Emory Law has amazing faculty and students from around the world. It's been a leader in navigating changes in legal education," she said in an interview. "What will excellence in legal education look like in the next five years? How are we serving students? How are we engaging with the outside world?"

The new dean has already been confronted with her first big controversy in the Emory Law community. After the Daily Report spoke to Bobinski, news broke that the law school is looking into two student groups' reports that two adjunct professors each used a racial slur in an educational context in class.

Bobinski's office referred the Daily Report to the law school's Sept. 13 statement: "Emory remains committed to upholding the principles of equity, inclusion, and respect that all members of our community embrace and value."

Emory leaders say she's up to the challenge of leading the school, no matter the issues that come her way. Emory Provost Dwight McBride called Bobinski, who has a five-year term, a "leader who can provide stability for Emory Law and also vision for its transformation for the next generation." He spoke at a Sept. 13 reception to introduce her to Emory alumni, donors and Atlanta legal community leaders.

"She is that rare combination of a scholar who can lead," said Annalisa Bloodworth (04L), the president of the Emory Law Alumni board and general counsel of Oglethorpe Power. "It's a huge coup for Emory to get her."

First Female Dean

Bobinski became Emory Law's first female dean in its 103-year history Aug. 1, taking over from interim law Dean James Hughes Jr., who'd held the role for two years after former dean Robert Schapiro's term ended.

A noted health law scholar, Bobinski, 57, served as the dean of the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia from 2003 to 2015 (the two-term maximum), then returned to teaching and research. Bobinski also taught at the University of Houston Law Center from 1989 to 2003, where she directed its Health Law and Policy Institute.

Bloodworth and Eversheds Sutherland co-CEO Mark Wasserman (86L), who chairs the Emory Law Advisory Board, co-hosted the reception last week at Midtown's Four Seasons Hotel.

Bobinski, who spoke with the Daily Report before the reception, said she relished the "broader impact" she can make as a dean, instead of professor, at a nationally recognized law school in "recruiting the best scholars in the field" and "helping students and colleagues connect the law school to the broader world."

To keep pace with the changes in legal education, Bobinski said, Emory Law has expanded its experiential learning offerings through legal clinics, externships and practicums that offer students hands-on experience beyond the classroom. She said she'll work with faculty to discern more opportunities.

The law school's six joint degree programs (such as with the public health and divinity schools), she said, are another way Emory Law is connecting with other areas of the university and community.

As a health law scholar, Bobinski said, she's excited about Emory Law faculty's strong ties to the greater health law and policy community, such as the university's Rollins School of Public Health and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, located adjacent to the Emory campus.

Beyond the urgent national debate around access to health care, she said, there are legal issues around treating and preventing infectious diseases such as Ebola. (Emory University Hospital successfully treated four Ebola patients after the 2014 outbreak.)

One of Bobinski's major achievements at Allard Law was leading a successful building campaign. Allard Hall, which opened in 2011, was the first new building for a Canadian law school in 30 years.

Asked if there are plans to update Emory Law's home, Gambrell Hall, which was constructed in 1972, Bobinski said it was under consideration. "We're always looking at the building and infrastructure. It's an older building, but as to making renovations or building a new building, it's too early to say."

The Daily Report asked Bobinski if Emory Law's tuition—now $58,200—is a recruitment challenge, given student concerns about high debt loads and competition from well-regarded and lower-cost public law schools in Georgia.

"Emory is very attentive to this issue," Bobinski said, adding that the law school offers students a variety of financial support including scholarships.

"Emory Law is distinctive in its national reach, both for attracting students and, then, in their careers. The law school's legacy and opportunities for students are exceptional," she said, noting that the Senate has just confirmed two alumni, Steven Grimberg (98L) and Ada Brown (99L), for the federal bench.

"We are constantly mindful of our responsibility to students," she added.

Bobinski said that one of her most enjoyable activities over her first six weeks as dean has been visiting with the new 1Ls at their house dinners. (Emory Law sections the first-year class into eight houses for a more cohesive, small-group experience.)

"There is nothing more inspirational than talking to them—finding out where they're from, why they chose law school and Emory—and their hopes going forward," she said.

Bobinski's partner, Holly Harlow, who's also a lawyer, and their daughter Anna have moved to Atlanta with her, where they have settled in Morningside.