Fordham University President Tania Tetlow is proud to announce the appointment of Joseph Landau as the 12th dean of Fordham Law School and the Paul Fuller Professor of Law. Landau, the associate dean of academic affairs at Fordham Law, was chosen after a national, eight-month search, chaired by Donna Rapaccioli, dean emerita of the Gabelli School of Business. His term begins July 1.
Landau has served as the associate dean of academic affairs since 2021. He has served on the faculty since 2010 and twice won Fordham Law School’s Teacher of the Year Award.
Matthew Diller, who has served as the dean of Fordham Law since 2015, announced last June that he plans to step down from the position. He will return to the law school faculty, where he previously served for 16 years.
“Dean Landau’s deep engagement in critical legal discussions go beyond scholarship to make an impact on the practice of law and its effects on society,” said Tania Tetlow, president of Fordham. “His leadership roles within and beyond Fordham demonstrate a deep commitment to the law and social justice, and to ensuring that Fordham Law students thrive as future leaders in the legal community.”
Landau said, “I am deeply honored and excited for the opportunity to lead Fordham Law School. Fordham Law has a unique role in legal education. We bring a tradition of excellence to our mission of service to the community and to the larger legal profession. Our superb academic program, distinguished and diverse faculty, vibrant scholarly community, talented students, and accomplished alumni are a source of inspiration. Matthew has been a tremendous dean, and I look forward to building on his remarkable legacy.”
Diller added, “It has been my privilege and honor to lead Fordham Law for the past nine years. I believe our school will be in great hands under Joe, who brings his brilliance, energy, and enthusiasm to Fordham Law every day. I’ve worked closely with him as a colleague and value his counsel and leadership across the law school. He understands the DNA of our school and has the vision to carry our mission forward in a changing world. He is well poised to lead Fordham into the next great era of legal education.”
Landau is an accomplished scholar who writes at the intersection of constitutional law and procedure. His articles have appeared in major law reviews, including the Columbia Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Vanderbilt Law Review, and Minnesota Law Review. He is also a prominent thought leader in the legal community who has had commentaries published in outlets such as The New York Times, The New Republic, and National Law Journal. He was honored with the Fordham Law Dean’s Distinguished Research Award in 2020–2021.
Landau’s tenure at Fordham has been marked by significant contributions to academic programming, strategic planning, and the advancement of social justice through law, particularly in the movement for the rights of LGBT immigrants. He is a former board chair of Immigration Equality and the Immigration Equality Action Fund, and he served on the NYC Bar Association’s LGBT Rights Committee. He was the recipient of Immigration Equality’s Global Vision Award in 2014, and in 2012, he was named one of the Best LGBT Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBT Bar Association. As associate dean for academic affairs, he has been a champion of Fordham’s values, a close collaborator with faculty and administrators, an advocate for students, and a booster of alumni.
Prior to joining the Fordham Law faculty, Landau was an associate at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where in addition to specializing in securities litigation he co-directed the firm’s pro bono practice group in immigration and international human rights.
Landau earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and his bachelor’s degree from Duke University, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude. Prior to law school, he was the assistant managing editor at The New Republic magazine. After law school, he clerked for Judge David Trager of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York and Judge Betty Binns Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
He is married to Joseph Fitzgerald, and they have two children.
