February 17, 2004
Nelson Named American Bar Foundation Director
EVANSTON, Ill. --- Robert L. Nelson, a professor of sociology
at Northwestern University who has done extensive research on the
changing legal profession and award-winning work on discrimination
and the law, has been named the director of the American Bar Foundation
(ABF), effective Sept. 1, 2004.
Nelson, a senior research fellow and the Robert and Connie MacCrate
Chair in the Legal Profession at the American Bar Foundation, will
succeed Bryant G. Garth, who has served as ABF director for 14
years. Garth will remain at the ABF as a senior research fellow.
The recipient
of a J.D. and a Ph.D. in sociology from Northwestern, Nelson
also has a courtesy appointment at Northwestern University
School of Law. He is a former chair of the University’s sociology
department and the founding director of the Center for Legal Studies,
a joint enterprise of the AFB and Northwestern.
“Bob will be missed at the Center for Legal Studies --
where he has greatly influenced both undergraduate- and graduate-level
programs,” said David Van Zandt, dean of the School of Law. “But
we are thrilled that he has taken the job.”
“The
American Bar Foundation is the premier institution doing empirical
research on law in the United States, and Northwestern
has a number of faculty members who have ABF appointments. The
relationship between the ABF and Northwestern, which also is known
for its empirical research on law and legal institutions, is bound
to grow even stronger.“
During his directorship Nelson will retain his appointment at
Northwestern, work with students and teach up to a course a year
as his schedule allows.
“Bob is a fantastic choice by the ABF,” said Daniel
I. Linzer, dean, Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts
and Sciences at Northwestern. “He has a compelling vision
for how law and social sciences, research and education all combine.”
In 2000, Nelson’s book “Legalizing Gender Inequality:
U.S. Courts, Markets and Unequal pay for Women” (with William
Bridges) received the Distinguished Publication Award from the
American Sociological Association for best book in sociology; and
his latest book, which will be published soon, is titled “Urban
Lawyers: The New Social Structure of the Bar”(with John P.
Heinz, professor, Northwestern University School of Law, Rebecca
Sandefur and Edward O. Laumann).
Nelson’s
book on gender inequality offers a careful examination of data
on wage-setting practices from four landmark pay discrimination
cases. The book demonstrates that employing organizations tend
to pay lower wages to workers in predominately female jobs because
they have less power in organizational politics and because employment
practices tend to reflect male cultural advantages.
His forthcoming book tracks changes in the social structure of
the legal profession, including the large entry of women and minorities,
the effects of the increasingly competitive legal environment,
and the increasing political polarization within the bar.
Nelson’s numerous books and articles also include “Partners
with Power: The Social Transformation of the Large Law Firm.”
The American Bar Foundation is a nonprofit, independent national
research institute whose program of sociolegal research is conducted
by an interdisciplinary staff of 22 research fellows trained in
such diverse fields as law, sociology, psychology, political science,
economics, history and anthropology. |