Published: Feb. 3, 2003

Six finalists have been named for the position of dean of the School of Law at the University of Colorado at Boulder, according to Daniel Sher, dean of the College of Music and chair of the search committee.

The finalists for the position are: Mary Anne Bobinski, University of Houston Law Center; David H. Getches, University of Colorado at Boulder School of Law; John Y. Gotanda, Villanova University School of Law; Robert E. Hirshon, firm of Drummond, Woodsum and MacMahon in Portland, Maine; Marc L. Miller, Emory University School of Law; and David E. Skaggs, executive director, Center for Democracy and Citizenship Program at the Council for Excellence in Government and counsel to the Washington, D.C., law firm of Hogan and Hartson.

Each of the finalists will visit the campus for interviews during February and March.Ìý The post is expected to be filled by July 1.

Following is additional information on the candidates:

Mary Anne Bobinski has been with the University of Houston Law Center since 1989. She currently serves as the director of the Health Law & Policy Institute and also served as the senior associate dean for academic affairs. Most of Professor Bobinski's teaching has been in health law and her scholarship and publications also have focused on this area. Bobinski received her master's degree in law from Harvard Law School. She received her law degree and bachelor's degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

David Getches has been with the CU-Boulder School of Law since 1987. This semester he is serving as a visiting professor at the University of Michigan School of Law. Prior to his tenure at the CU law school, Professor Getches served as executive director of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources and also served in 1996 as a special consultant to the secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior. His scholarly interests focus primarily on American Indian law, natural resources and environmental law. Getches received his law degree from the University of Southern California and his bachelor's degree from Occidental College in Los Angeles.

John Gotanda has been with the Villanova University School of Law since 1994. He currently serves as director of the J.D./M.B.A. program and also is co-faculty supervisor of the Judicial Externship Program. His scholarly interests focus on damages in international law and international commercial arbitration. Gotanda received his bachelor's degree from the University of Hawaii and his law degree from the University of Hawaii School of Law.

Robert Hirshon is an internationally known lawyer, writer and speaker. He has served as president of the American Bar Association, the Maine State Bar Association and the Maine Bar Foundation. He currently is with the firm of Drummond, Woodsum and MacMahon, P.A., in Portland, Maine. He has served as an adjunct professor of law with the University of Maine Law School, teaching courses in negotiations and trial practice. Hirshon received his bachelor's degree and law degree from the University of Michigan.

Marc Miller has been with Emory University since 1988. He has served as visiting associate professor at Duke Law School and a visiting scholar at Stanford Law School. Most of his teaching has been in criminal law and procedure, and sentencing reform has been a major focus of his scholarship. Miller received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School and his bachelor's degree from Pomona College in Claremont, Calif.

David Skaggs is the executive director of the Center for Democracy and Citizenship Program at the Council for Excellence in Government and also serves as counsel to the Washington-based law firm of Hogan and Hartson. He taught from 1999 to 2002 as an adjunct professor at CU-Boulder. Skaggs previously served 12 years in Congress as the U.S. representative from the 2nd Congressional District of Colorado and three terms in the Colorado House, the last two as Minority Leader. He received his bachelor's degree from Wesleyan University in Connecticut, studied law one year at the University of Virginia and completed his master's degree in law at Yale Law School.

Harold Bruff, current dean of the School of Law, will complete his seventh year in that position in June. Bruff announced his resignation last summer, citing his eagerness to resume teaching and writing and to spend more time with his family. He will remain at CU-Boulder as a law professor.

The CU-Boulder School of Law was established in 1892 and is a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools, organized in 1901. For more information call (303) 492-7203 or visit the Web site at .