Rutgers Focus - Chen nominated as New Jersey Public Advocate by Gov. Corzine

Issue Date: Jan 23, 2006

Chen nominated as New Jersey Public Advocate by Gov. Corzine

By Janet Donohue

Ronald K. Chen, associate dean for academic affairs at the School of Law-Newark, has been nominated by Gov. Jon Corzine as public advocate of New Jersey. Chen received his Juris Doctor degree with high honors in 1983 from the School of Law-Newark, where he was editor-in-chief of the Rutgers Law Review and the Saul Tischler Scholar. After graduation from law school, he clerked for the Hon. Leonard I. Garth, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Before joining the Rutgers faculty in 1987, he was associated with the New York law firm of Cravath, Swaine & Moore. He has been associate dean since 1995.

“Ron has long been a leader in public interest advocacy in New Jersey. In the position of public advocate, he will have the tremendous opportunity to rebuild the department of public advocate and thereby help ensure that all people of the state are given full and equal access to the law,” said law school Dean Stuart L. Deutsch. “Sadly, for us, this new position means that Ron will be leaving Rutgers law school when the nomination is confirmed. For more than 18 years, he has been an inspiring teacher, a first-rate administrator and a wonderful colleague, and we will miss him greatly.”

This article was published in the Jan 23, 2006 edition of the Rutgers Focus and is available online at http://urwebsrv.rutgers.edu/focus/article/link/1719/