The A. Leo Levin Award for Excellence in an Introductory Course

Jacques deLisle is the Stephen A. Cozen Professor of Law, a professor of political science and the co-director of the Center for Asian Law. He is an expert on contemporary Chinese law and politics, including issues such as legal reform, the international status of Taiwan and US-China relations. This year, he taught Torts and International Law.

One student said, “Professor deLisle was extremely knowledgeable about the subject and very enthusiastic about teaching it.” Another said, “Professor deLisle effectively clarifies and elucidates general principles of the law as well as nuances through very engaging class discussion. He presents interesting and humorous hypotheticals, and his enthusiasm for the material is contagious.”

The Robert A. Gorman Award for Excellence in Teaching

Jean Galbraith is an assistant professor of law and a scholar of US foreign relations law and public international law. Her work focuses on the allocation of legal authority among US governmental actors and between domestic actors and international regimes. This year, she taught Contracts, Foreign Relations Law and International Legal Regimes.

One student said, “Professor Galbraith created a class that was intellectually stimulating and enlightening. She taught me how to think about subjects and interwove readings and materials in a way that clarified each one further.” Another said, “Professor Galbraith is excellent at really challenging students to think through their ideas, and pushing them to be able to provide a thorough explanation of their idea. This allows students to really engage with the material and realize its ambiguities and nuances. She is also hilarious, which helps.”

The Adjunct Teaching Award

Casey Cogut, L’73, is a lecturer in law and a member of the Penn Law Class of 1973. He is senior M&A counsel at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP. For many years, he has been a leader of STB’s M&A and private equity practices. This year, he taught Transactional Lawyering.

One student said, “Professor Cogut knows this stuff inside out. He provides interest context from his own practice and picks pretty interesting assignments.” Another said, “Casey definitely stimulates interest in the material as he has practiced in the M&A space for decades and has been a part of many huge deals.”

The LLM Teaching Award

Jill Fisch is the Perry Golkin Professor of Law and co-director of the Institute for Law & Economics. She is an internationally known scholar whose work focuses on the intersection of business and law, including the role of regulation and litigation in addressing limitations in the disciplinary power of the capital markets. This year, she taught Corporations, the Strategic Equity Seminar and the Global Research Seminar on Comparative Corporate Governance & Financial Regulation.

One student said, “Professor Fisch is very good at stimulating interests in this subject. She asks sharp questions and gives inspiring answers. It it also a great experience to learn from other students’ answers and questions.” Another said, “Fisch is incredibly brilliant that you hang onto her every word. I loved this class so much. It was incredibly challenging and there was so much material, but I definitely got my money’s worth.”

The Harvey Levin Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence

By democratic vote, the Penn Law 2016 graduating class selected David Rudovsky, senior fellow, to receive this award for Teaching Excellence. Mr. Rudovsky is one of the nation’s leading civil rights and criminal defense attorneys and practices public interest law with the firm of Kairys, Rudovsky, Messing & Feinberg. This year, he taught Evidence and Constitutional Criminal Procedure.

One student said, “An expert in every sense—it is hard not to appreciate Professor Rudovsky’s commitment to the course.” Another said, “Professor Rudovsky is just great. He’s friendly, accessible outside of class, willing to talk about life, the law, and new lawyers’ places in an evolving legal world.”