Dear Pace Law School Faculty, Staff, and Students,
I am delighted to announce the appointment of David Yassky as the new Dean of Pace Law School, effective April 1, 2014. David was chosen from a high-quality group of candidates after an exhaustive search.
I am very grateful to Michelle Simon for her leadership as Dean these past seven years. She has skillfully managed Pace Law School in this difficult period with intelligence and grace. Under her guidance the Law School remains a great source of pride for all of us.
A graduate of Yale Law School and Princeton University, David most recently served for four years in the Bloomberg administration as Chair of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission. David is credited with implementing a number of initiatives to improve service for taxi passengers, raise living standards for taxi drivers, and streamline the TLC's administrative operations. David also served for eight years in the New York City Council, representing the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg. He sponsored innovative legislation establishing new penalties for firearms trafficking, authorizing whistleblower suits against fraudulent City contractors, creating zoning incentives for affordable housing, establishing tax credits for film and TV production, and promoting the use of fuel-efficient hybrid cars as taxicabs.
Before election to the Council, David had a distinguished legal career in government service, private practice, and academia. In the 1990s, he served under then-Representative Chuck Schumer as Chief Counsel to the House Subcommittee on Crime, helping to enact the Brady Law, the Assault Weapons Ban, and the Violence Against Women Act, and practiced law representing major corporations and financial institutions on acquisitions and securities offerings.
In 1998, David joined the faculty of Brooklyn Law School, specializing in administrative law and constitutional law. His scholarship on the Bill of Rights has been published in leading law reviews and has been cited widely in academic journals and judicial opinions. He has also taught at NYU Law School, and has published more than 20 op-ed articles in New York daily newspapers.
David earned his A.B. at Princeton University, and his J.D. at Yale Law School, where he served as Articles Editor of the Yale Law Journal and was awarded the Potter Stewart Prize for best moot court argument.
David's enthusiasm, judgment, leadership, and management skills make him the right person to lead the Law School to new heights. Please join me in welcoming him to the Pace Community.
Sincerely yours,
Stephen J. Friedman