PROVO — D. Gordon Smith, the Glen L. Farr professor of law at Brigham Young University, has been named dean of Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School. He will be begin his five-year term on May 1.
Smith replaces James R. Rasband, who has served as dean of the law school since 2009. Rasband will return to full-time teaching after taking a leave of absence to study in London and Washington, D.C.
Brent W. Webb, academic vice president, said Smith is well-qualified to lead the law school.
Smith served as associate dean for faculty and curriculum for five years during Rasband’s tenure as dean. He received his bachelor’s degree in accounting from BYU and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago Law School. Prior to joining the faculty at BYU in 2007, Smith was a professor of law at the University of Wisconsin Law School, and he has taught as a visiting law professor at Vanderbilt University Law School, Arizona State University College of Law and Washington University School of Law in St. Louis.
An expert in law and entrepreneurship, Smith has written extensively on the role of law in promoting entrepreneurial action, and he co-founded the Law and Entrepreneurship Association. Smith has published foundational articles on the theory of fiduciary relationships, and he is co-authoring a law school casebook on fiduciary law.