University of Richmond law professor named a "rising star" in 2007 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards
February 9, 2007
A. Benjamin Spencer, an assistant professor at University of Richmond's School of Law, has been selected as the "Rising Star" recipient in the 2007 Virginia Outstanding Faculty Awards, sponsored by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia.
Spencer began teaching at Richmond's law school in 2004 and has received rave reviews from students and fellow faculty every semester since.
"It is no exaggeration to rate him as one of the fastest-rising university professors in the country, a person who has made an extraordinary name for himself in an astonishingly short period of time," said Rod Smolla, dean of the law school. "He has written a top-selling book, published in the most prestigious national law reviews, endeared himself to his students and been a generous contributor of service to the university and the community."
Spencer is a graduate of Harvard Law School. He also holds a master's of science with distinction in criminal justice policy from the London School of Economics, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar. As an undergraduate, he was valedictorian of his class at Morehouse College.
Before joining the faculty at Richmond, Spencer clerked for Judge Judith W. Rodgers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and worked as a litigation associate at the law firm Sherman and Sterling, also in Washington. He teaches civil procedure and complex litigation and has published a popular student study guide, "Acing Civil Procedure." Spencer also is the author of the forthcoming book "Civil Procedure: A Contemporary Approach," a course book that features an accompanying electronic version with hyperlinked text that connects students to supplementary legal materials.