Professor Frank Askin, who retired in May after 50 years at Rutgers Law School, has won the national Association of American Law Schools (AALS), Clinical Section’s William Pincus Award for outstanding service and commitment to clinical education. It is the AALS Clinical Section’s highest honor that can be bestowed on a clinical educator.

While at Rutgers, Askin was the director of the Constitutional Rights Clinic.

Askin shared the award with Professor Tom Geraghty, the longtime Northwestern Law School Clinical Director. He was recognized at the AALS Annual  Meeting in San Francisco, on  Jan 5, 2017. He also was honored with the Great Teacher Award from the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT)  at the SALT dinner in San Francisco on January 6, 2017 along with Professor Charles Ogletree from Harvard who will receive a SALT special lifetime achievement award. 

“I am overwhelmed to receive two prestigious awards at the AALS annual meeting - the Great Teacher Award from SALT and the Pincus Award for outstanding contributions to clinical legal education from the Clinical Law Section of AALS,” said Askin, from his home in Florida.

“Professor Frank Askin has had a long career dedicated to social justice and protecting the rights of the underserved. He was an early pioneer in law school clinical education, a model that has been expanded nationwide,” said Rutgers Law School Co-dean Ronald K. Chen. “It is fitting that he should be recognized for his commitment to clinical education. We are proud of him and of his legacy that endures here at Rutgers Law School.”

Jon Dubin, Dean of Clinical Education at Rutgers Law, said, “This is the 11th National Award won by a Rutgers Newark clinical educator since 2002—-to my knowledge, the most of any law school clinical program in the country in that period and now including all four of the major national clinical awards: AALS Clinical Section William Pincus outstanding service and commitment to clinical education; Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) outstanding accomplishments and advocacy for clinical faculty and clinical education; AALS Shanara Gilbert outstanding emerging junior clinician award; and CLEA best clinical case or project award.”

Askin has a long history with the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT). He was a founding member of the society, served on its founding board of governors and was a former treasurer. He also headed and coordinator the society’s involvement with the Alliance of Justice’s First Monday program.

In 2016, Askin was the recipient of the Rutgers Medal and the clinical wing of the law school was renamed after him and his wife Marilyn.