FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Dean Margaret Sova McCabe of the University of Arkansas School of Law has appointed Laurent Sacharoff to serve as associate dean for research and faculty development.

"Laurent is a top-notch faculty member who follows his colleagues' scholarship and its role in the national conversation on legal issues," McCabe said. "In his associate dean role, he will support our school's culture of scholarship while increasing our faculty's national reputation."

Sacharoff joins the senior administrative leadership team, where he will work with Will Foster, associate dean for academic affairs; Tamla Lewis, associate dean for administration; Jim Miller, senior associate dean for students; and Susannah Pollvogt associate dean for student success.

"I am delighted to support and promote our faculty's excellent research," Sacharoff said. "Of course, many of my colleagues already contribute to the national discussion in cutting-edge areas such as policing, nationwide injunctions, Islamophobia, cryptocurrencies and food law — making my job promoting them far easier." 

Sacharoff joined the University of Arkansas faculty in 2010. Prior to academia, he served as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society in Brooklyn, New York, was the pro bono fellow handling prison litigation at the Sullivan and Cromwell law firm and clerked for the Hon. John S. Martin Jr. in the Southern District of New York.

His research interests include criminal law and procedure, computer law, and encryption. His scholarship has appeared in the Texas Law Review, Fordham Law Review, and Washington University Law Review. His work has been cited by the First and Seventh Circuit Courts of Appeals and in commentaries such as LaFave's Criminal Procedure and The New Wingmore: A Treatise on Evidence.

Sacharoff teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, and cybercrime. He was named outstanding law school professor of the year for 2015, and in 2016, the Arkansas Alumni Association honored him with the university-wide Rising Teaching Award.

He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from Princeton University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School, where he was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar. 

As associate dean for research and faculty development, Sacharoff will mentor junior faculty colleagues and provide support for intellectual growth across the school. He will organize and promote scholarly professional programs such as the law school's lunch-hour presentations and faculty exchange opportunities. 

He replaces professor Brian Gallini, who returns to full-time faculty after five years as associate dean. Sacharoff said he plans to continue the excellent work of his predecessor in fostering an intellectual environment at the law school with new and diverse speakers from some of the nation's top law schools.