Faculty Focus: Vice Dean for Academic Affairs and Professor of Law Jill Gross

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A life-long New Yorker, Professor Jill Gross started her career in “BigLaw” before falling in love with teaching and transitioning to a career in academia. Twenty-six years later, Professor Gross has taught generations of students at Haub Law and taken on the role of Vice Dean for Academic Affairs. She also recently authored The Federal Arbitration Act: Successes, Failures, and a Roadmap for Reform. Learn more about Professor Gross in this Q&A.

I understand that you were not always planning on a career as a lawyer or law professor, can you tell us a bit about how it evolved?

I am a life-long New Yorker who went straight from college to law school. In college at Cornell University’s School of Arts & Sciences, I designed my own major in Western European Studies. I loved the cross-disciplinary learning about the politics of Western European countries, European culture and art history, and French and German language and literature. I came very close to pursuing a Master’s Degree in French Studies, but ultimately I chose a more pragmatic career path and went to law school.

From Law School you went into private practice, how did you end up in academia?

When I first arrived at law school, I did not really know what kind of law I wanted to practice. During law school, based largely on poor assumptions I made at the time, I convinced myself I did not want to practice in the securities law field, and I did not want to teach law. However, in the category of “never say never,” I ended up practicing securities law both at my first job at a “BigLaw” firm and at a boutique white collar criminal defense firm in Manhattan. And while at the white-collar firm, I was offered an opportunity to teach Legal Writing at Cardozo Law School, and I fell in love with teaching. My favorite moments of every single week were preparing to teach students and then teaching them and watching them learn. I then set my mind to pivoting to a full-time career in law academia. That’s when I sought out a position at Pace Law School, first as an adjunct professor co-directing what is now known as the Investor Rights Clinic. I then was fortunate enough to be offered a full-time teaching position. And the rest is history.

Your research interests and areas of expertise include Dispute Resolution, Professional Responsibility and Legal Ethics, Securities Law, and more – what is it about those areas that hold your interest?

These seemingly disconnected areas of law actually tie together what I did in private practice. I represented defendants in securities enforcement proceedings based on alleged misconduct in connection with investments, and also represented respondents in related securities arbitrations. Every day, my practice required an intimate understanding of the relevant securities laws, the intricacies of the dispute resolution processes, and the ethical boundaries. When I teach these courses, I can draw extensively on lessons from practice.

You recently authored a book, The Federal Arbitration Act: Successes, Failures, and a Roadmap for Reform – how was that process and what inspired you to write on this subject?

I have been interested in the Federal Arbitration Act since I first was exposed to arbitration, and learned firsthand how lawyers use arbitration clauses in contracts without fully understanding the statutory limits of the Act. While Congress’ original purpose in passing the Act is laudable, the statute is in dire need of reform to address the many problems that have arisen in the century since its passage. The book gathers together dozens of scholars each of whom makes a discrete recommendation to amend one particular aspect of the statute, thus providing Congress with a roadmap for reform. Celebrating the one-hundredth anniversary of the passage of the Act seemed like an ideal opportunity to gather diverse perspectives on how to approach the next century.

Where do you see the future of ADR headed?

ADR is just getting more and more popular, as the delays and costs of litigating a case from beginning to end grow. However, scholars need to keep process designers accountable by studying whether these emerging, innovative processes ensure that disputants have access to both procedural and substantive justice. So future ADR scholarship should empirically explore the fairness of these processes and test the hypothesis that they are indeed faster and cheaper for disputants.

You are Vice Dean for Academic Affairs at Haub Law – what does that role entail?

In my role as Vice Dean, I am responsible for the integrity of the academic program for all students. I live by the mantra that I make all decisions so as to put all students in the best possible position to succeed in law school, on the bar exam, and in practice. Among other responsibilities, I plan course offerings, develop new courses, set the schedule, assign the teachers, maintain and monitor compliance with ABA and New York State standards for legal education, trouble-shoot problems that arise for both students and faculty related to their classes, provide professional development support for all faculty, assist Dean Anderson in developing special programs, and oversee our Academic Success team. The role is all-encompassing and touches all areas of law school operations. While it can be an overwhelming role at times, I love impacting students’ law school experience and putting them in a position to succeed every day.

What course is your favorite to teach and why?

I love teaching both Professional Responsibility and Survey of Dispute Resolution Processes. In both classes, I can draw heavily from my practice experience as a private lawyer and as an arbitrator to give the students perspective and to teach both doctrine and practice.

In 2024, you traveled to Vienna as part of the Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot – what was that experience like?

My experiences at the 31st Vis Moot deepened my perspective on international commercial arbitration. I observed Haub Law’s outstanding student team compete in a few of its rounds, and I served as an arbitrator for other rounds. I had the opportunity to see firsthand the wonderful mentorship, coaching and nonstop cheerleading of our team and I also participated in the meeting of the Verein to debrief this year’s competition and discuss planning for next year. I also attended the festive Opening Ceremonies and several lectures. Not only did I learn about international commercial arbitration while in Vienna, I also availed myself of the opportunity to learn about foreign perspectives on the broader field of international conflict resolution. I also had the opportunity to sight see and visit a museum as well. When I returned to campus, I shared my experiences of one exhibit I saw relevant to peace-making with my Survey of Dispute Resolution Processes class.

I have learned from my students that the world is full of wonderful, curious and ambitious people who have many different dreams and life goals, and many different avenues to achieve those goals. Every path is individual, yet the objective is often the same: to lead a fulfilling life and career.

As a professor you are tasked with teaching students, but what have you also learned from them in return?

I have learned from my students that the world is full of wonderful, curious and ambitious people who have many different dreams and life goals, and many different avenues to achieve those goals. Every path is individual, yet the objective is often the same: to lead a fulfilling life and career.

Did you have a mentor when you started in your career in academia and if so, how did that positively impact your journey?

Professor Barbara Black (now retired) became my mentor when I joined Haub Law back in the Fall of 1999. She helped me become a better teacher, and she taught me how to write law review articles that were impactful and made a difference in the field of securities arbitration. She even agreed to co-author with me, which helped give my academic career a huge boost. I would not be where I am today if it were not for Professor Black.

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Aside from law, how do you spend your spare time?

In my spare time, I love to do word and math puzzles (Wordle, Spelling Bee, KenKen, Connections, Quartiles), watch hockey games, walk in nature, and travel to beautiful places. I recently traveled with my entire family to Alaska, and had a fabulous trip exploring and viewing truly breathtaking terrain: snow-capped mountains, glaciers, seas, valleys, glacial lakes, waterfalls, and forest.