MESSAGE FROM DEAN & PRINCIPAL

It has been said that those who have “been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

This is especially true of those entering the legal profession. Presidents, paupers, and people from all walks of life turn to lawyers with their darkest secrets and most troubling problems when those matters are too much to bear. An excellent legal education develops the intellect, skills, and confidence to address those problems boldly. The courage to defend the indefensible comes from within, but only with excellent preparation and education! At NUST Law School (NLS), we look to develop a lawyer who is a skilled advocate, a proficient partner, and a trusted expert. A lawyer should be a sage advisor, strategist, and wise counselor. Law schools should develop those skills in their students. Abraham Lincoln said, “As a peacemaker, the lawyer has a superior opportunity of being a good man.” You will learn to pursue accommodation and compromise at NLS while practicing principled professional behavior. You will learn litigation skills and other adversarial strategies, but not at the expense of a fair compromise or justice. Dear All, I am honored and proud to have been chosen as the pioneer Dean of NLS. I am humbled and conscious that this position comes with a daunting and utterly challenging responsibility—precisely, laying a foundation for a law school that imparts legal education of the 21st century and envisions the future.

At NLS, we firmly believe that significant achievements can only be made in collaboration. Our success will not be measured by individual accomplishments but by our collective ability to unite the law school community to pursue our shared goals. Each of you, faculty, staff, admin, and students, play a vital role. The spirit of affirmation and collaboration, which has been a hallmark of the young law department of S3H since its inception in 2020, is something we all contribute to. It is crucial that we not only preserve it but also develop it to its fullest potential. Only through a sustained spirit of shared enterprise, with each of us playing a vital role, will our law school become all that we hope.

As we strive for excellence and set our sights on loftier goals, we must maintain sight of the unique culture we have already cultivated at NLS – based on mutual respect and understanding. This culture, which sets us apart, is something we should all be proud of and committed to preserving. It’s this unique culture that makes each of you, faculty, staff, admin, and students, integral to our institution. Lawyers are more than just legal technicians. Great lawyers are deeply interested in the human spirit and the hopes and dreams of individual men and women. It is our collective responsibility to continue nurturing this spirit in our students, faculty, and graduates. The best way to do this is by safeguarding and fostering an environment where human concerns are at the forefront of our endeavors.

Our relatively young faculty is devoted to the success of law school. Many of my colleagues are at the beginning of their careers. Their scholarship and commitment will continue to enrich our law school and the national legal community. Helping each member achieve their professional potential requires more than the faculty member’s commitment. It requires an institution to provide adequate financial and intellectual resources to fulfill high aspirations.

We (faculty, staff, admin, and students) begin NLS education encompassing an all-purpose leadership degree, and our model is based on a simple formula: Choose the best minds! Train them in rigorously analytic, institutional, and ethical terms and encourage them to question everything! The result is highly unparalleled.

As we embark on this journey, we must remember the profound impact NLS graduates can have on every sector of our society. They can become litigators, public servants, non-profit founders, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. They could serve as Cabinet officials, City Council members, environmentalists, attorneys general, and jurists. To name a few. The potential of our graduates is limitless, and it is our collective responsibility to nurture and guide them to make a difference worldwide! This collective responsibility should unite us all in our commitment to the institution’s goals.