The University of Idaho has successfully appointed Aviva Abramovsky, J.D. has their new dean of the College of Law. Professor Abramovsky will begin at University of Idaho on a part-time basis in late May and transition to full-time June 10. Presently, Professor Abramovsky is the William J. Magavern Faculty Scholar, Dean Emerita, and Professor of Law at the University at Buffalo School of Law. From 2017 to 2023, she served as the law school’s 19th permanent dean and was the first woman to hold the position. Under her leadership, Professor Abramovsky established the law school as a hub for legal education at all levels. In addition to the traditional JD program, four LLM programs, and a two-year degree for internationally trained attorneys, she oversaw the launch of an undergraduate program in law – one of just two in the nation - and a brand new Doctor of Juridical Science. Prior to her appointment as the dean of the UB School of Law, Professor Abramovsky served as the Kaufman Professor of Entrepreneurship and Innovation and an associate dean at Syracuse University College of Law, where she led the school’s internationalization efforts. She spearheaded a Master of Laws (LLM) and two-year Juris Doctor (JD) programs for foreign lawyers, launched a visiting scholars and researchers program, developed partnerships to enable a new international student exchange program, and created a legal English pre-matriculation program. A member of the American Law Institute and winner of the New York State Bar Association Professor David D. Siegel Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the study of New York law, Professor Abramovsky is an acknowledged expert in the fields of insurance law, commercial law, regulation of financial entities and legal ethics. She is the author of “Uniform Commercial Code, West’s McKinney’s Forms for New York,” as well as numerous other book chapters and articles in the fields of insurance and commercial law. Professor Abramovsky has served twice as an academic evaluator for the American Bar Association’s federal judiciary committees, once for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito and again for U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonya Sotomayor. She is the former chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Task Force on Autonomous Vehicles and the Law. Professor Abramovsky received her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania and her B.S. from Cornell University. Read more.