Paula Lustbader

Biography

Professor Paula Lustbader is best known in the Seattle Legal community for her passion and energy in her work as the co-founder and director of the Academic Resource Center and its Access Admissions program at Seattle University School of Law. Through her innovated work in providing instruction, support, and mentorship to law students from underrepresented groups, she has been instrumental in changing the face of the legal profession. In the 25 years since she started this work, she has touched the lives of over 800 law students who have then gone on to touch the lives of their communities. In 2006, Professor Lustbader was the co-recipient of the Washington State Bar Association Award for Excellence in Diversity. In 2010 she was awarded the Loren Miller Bar Association Presidents Award for her service in increasing the diversity of the profession.

She is a nationally recognized leader, scholar, and speaker on law school academic support programs, learning theory, teaching methods and diversity. In addition to being the past chair of both the Teaching Methods and Academic Support Sections of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), she has been a frequent program organizer and presenter at conferences sponsored by the AALS, the Law School Admission Council Institutes for Academic Support, the Institute for Law School Teaching, the Society of American Law Teachers, the Legal Writing Institute, the Teaching Professor and the Academy for Creative Teaching. She has made presentations on teaching in England, Switzerland, and Spain. Her work on faculty development focuses on teaching and thus is useful beyond the law school arena. Professor Lustbader has been teaching at the AALS New Faculty Institute since1999; served on the planning committee and as a facilitator for the New Faculty Institute at Seattle University from 2001-2007; served on the committee to establish a Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Seattle University; and served as a faculty consultant to that center.

In recent years, Professor Lustbader has begun to address issues of civility. She is the president and creator of Robert's Fund, www.robertsfund.org, a foundation created by her father in homage to his brother. Robert's Fund strives to promote consciousness, creativity, and community to foster civility in the professions. Professor Lustbader has spearheaded a variety of civility initiatives. In addition to sponsoring and facilitating conversations on civility with focus groups, as well as making presentations and providing consulting, the foundation has partnered with Seattle University School of Law to offer The Promise of Civility continuing education seminars in Seattle and Tuscany, Italy, for lawyers, judges, and mental health care workers. Plans are underway to expand offerings to other professions in the near future.