University Professor of Law Emeritus and Dean Emeritus
Rayman Solomon
Camden Campus
Campus Office
856-225-6570

Rayman L. Solomon served as the Dean of the Law School in Camden for 16 years and as Provost of Rutgers-Camden from 2014-2015. In June, 2015 he became University Professor and Dean Emeritus and returned to the Law School. While dean, he hired many of the current faculty, expanded the clinical and pro bono programs, redesigned the curriculum, and oversaw an addition and renovation of the existing law school building.

  • Biography
  • Publications
  • Courses Taught
  • Expertise
Biography

Rayman L. Solomon retired and became University Professor and Dean Emeritus on July 1, 2023.  Prior to that he served as the first Provost of Rutgers – Camden from January 1, 2014 – June 30, 2015.  Before becoming Provost he served as Dean of the Law School for 16 years.  During his tenure as Dean of the School of Law the School hired over one-third of the current faculty, significantly expanded the clinical and pro bono programs, and extensively redesigned the curriculum.  Among the innovations was creating many classes that combined clinical and writing experiences and doctrinal and trial advocacy or transactional skills.  The deanship also saw the strengthening of the student experience, as two additional journals were established.  The increased emphasis on alumni activity led to the successful completion of two capital campaigns and the involvement of more alumni in the life of the School.  Perhaps most importantly, a beautiful 50,000 square foot addition to the existing Law School building and a major renovation of the original building has been completed.  The increased high-quality space including a new student lounge, The Clark Commons, and Faculty Lounge, has finally given the students, staff, faculty, and alumni a layout that matches their quality.

Prior to coming to Rutgers-Camden as Dean and Professor of Law on July 1, 1998, Dean Solomon was Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Curriculum at Northwestern University School of Law (1989-1998). Before that he was Associate Director and a Research Fellow at the American Bar Foundation (1980-1989). While there he was also the editor of the American Bar Foundation Research Journal (now Law & Social Inquiry). Dean Solomon graduated with a B.A. from Wesleyan University (1968) and has a J.D. (1976) and a Ph.D. (1986) in American Legal History from the University of Chicago. He served as Director of the Seventh Circuit History Project (1976-1978) and published A History of the United States Court of Appeals, 1891 - 1941 (Government Printing Office, 1981). Dean Solomon served as a law clerk to the Honorable George Edwards, Chief Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (1978-1979). He also was a Bigelow Fellow at the University of Chicago where he taught legal research and writing (1979-1980).Dean Solomon's areas of research are the history of the American legal profession, the history of judicial ethics, and federal court history. He is co-editor of two books: In the Interest of Children: Advocacy, Law Reform and Public Policy and Lawyers' Ideals and Lawyers' Practices: Professionalism and The Transformation of the American Legal Profession. In the former he contributed 'Goss v. Lopez: The Principle of the Thing,', and in the latter 'Five Crises or One: The Concept of Legal Professionalism, 1925-1960,' He has also published 'The Politics of Appointment and the Federal Court's Role in Regulating America: U.S. Courts of Appeals Judgeships from T.R. to F.D.R.' in the American Bar Foundation Research Journal, and 'The Seventh Circuit's Role in Enforcement of Prohibition: Regulating the Regulators,' in Law, Alcohol, and Order: Perspectives on National Prohibition. Dean Solomon taught American Legal History, Law and Inequality, and Trusts and Estates.

Publications

Books:

The History of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, 1891 - 1941 (Seventh Circuit, 1981).

Five Crises or One: The Concept of Legal Professionalism, 1925-1960, in Robert Nelson, David Trubek, and Rayman Solomon, eds.,

Lawyers' Ideals and Lawyers' Practices: Professionalism and The Transformation of the American Legal Profession (Ithaca, N.Y.: Cornell University Press, 1992).

Articles:

The Elaine Massacre: A Case Study in the Dialogue Between Law and History. In: Zhang B., Man T.Y., Lin J. (eds) A Dialogue Between Law and History. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9685-8_10 (2021).

Fom Classroom to Courtroom: A Tribute to Jack M. Sabatino, 32 Rutgers Law Journal vii-ix (2001).

Antonin Scalia, in Leonard W. Levy, ed., Supplement to the Encyclopedia of the American Constitution (New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., 1992).

Seven Entries on the New Deal, Courts of Appeals, and the Senate's Role in Supreme Court Appointments, in Kermit Hall, ed. The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court of the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1992).

The Seventh Circuit's Role in Enforcement of Prohibition: Regulating the Regulators, in David E. Kyvig, ed., Law, Alcohol, and Order: Perspectives on National Prohibition (Washington, D.C.: Greenwood Press, 1985).

Goss v. Lopez: The Principle of the Thing, pp. 449-508, in Robert Mnookin, ed., In the Interest of Children:Advocacy, Law Reform and Public Policy (New York: W. H. Freeman & Co., 1985)(with Frank Zimring).

The Politics of Appointment and the Federal Court's Role in Regulating America: U.S. Courts of Appeals Judgeships from T.R. to F.D.R. 1984 American Bar Foundation Research Journal, pp. 285-343.

U.S. Courts of Appeals and Their Judges: Howard's Courts of Appeals in the Federal Judicial System, Review Essay, 1983 American Bar Foundation Research Journal, pp. 761 - 70.

Expertise
  • Estates & Trusts
  • Consumer Protection
  • Legal History