Karen Abrams Named the Next Dean of Duke Law School

Karen L. “Kerry” Abrams, an authority on immigration law and family law, has been chosen as the next dean of Duke Law School in Durham, North Carolina. She will take office on July 1.

In accepting her new position, Professor Abrams stated that “I am honored to have been chosen to lead such an outstanding law school. Duke Law School’s students are extremely talented and motivated, its faculty and staff are devoted teachers, researchers and professionals, and its alumni are passionate in their devotion to the school and their contributions to the legal profession and beyond. I can’t imagine a more exciting opportunity.”

Professor Abrams is the vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of law at the University of Virginia. She joined the faculty there in 2005. From 2002, to 2005, Professor Abrams taught at the New York University School of Law.

Professor Abrams is a graduate of Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania, where she majored in English literature. She earned a juris doctorate at Stanford Law School and then served as a clerk in the U.S. District Court for Eastern Louisiana.