07/12/2023
WELCOME DEAN D. BENJAMIN BARROS
Dear Stetson Law Community,
This week, Dean D. Benjamin Barros officially joins us as Dean of Stetson University College of Law. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to Dean Barros.
As he begins in this role, he brings years of effective leadership experience and a long list of successes that align well with the values, strategic initiatives, and aspirations most critical to Stetson Law as a community and to our presence on the national stage.
He most recently served for eight years as Dean of the University of Toledo College of Law. While at Toledo, Dean Barros championed initiatives that led to significant improvement in enrollment, bar success, graduate employment, and fundraising.
As he begins in his new role, Dean Barros brings a vision rooted in promoting student success and long-term sustainability as an institution. He hopes to collaborate with members of the Stetson Law community to bolster the college’s already stellar national reputation in advocacy, legal writing, and other areas. He is passionate about growing bar passage, graduate employment, and other critical measures of student success. He looks forward to promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and in the legal community.
"It’s such a joy to finally be joining this vibrant campus community," Dean Barros said. "I am looking forward to meeting every student, faculty member, and staff member – and to seeing those of you I have already had the pleasure of meeting. I am excited to learn from each of you about how we can continue to thrive as a community, as an institution, and as a profession."
Dean Barros’ leadership within the legal profession includes two terms as a member of the Association of American Law Schools Executive Committee and serving as Chair of the Supreme Court Task Force on the Ohio Bar Exam.
A nationally recognized Property Law expert, he has authored a popular Property textbook, is a former Chair of the AALS Section on Property Law and is a former President of the Association for Law, Property, and Society. He looks forward to teaching Property Law in the spring 2024 semester.
Before joining the legal academy, Dean Barros practiced as a litigator at two prominent firms in New York City. He holds a bachelor’s degree in philosophy from Colgate University, a master’s degree in philosophy from the University of Maryland, and a law degree from Fordham University School of Law, as a member of Order of the Coif.
As a community, we are thrilled Dean Barros will be joining us as our new leader, and we look forward to seeing him on our beautiful campus.
