Six Vanderbilt Law professors – Rebecca Allensworth, Ingrid Brunk, Brian Fitzpatrick, Francesca Procaccini, Matthew Shaw, and Kevin Stack, as well as adjunct professor Arjun Sethi – were honored with Hall-Hartman Awards for Outstanding Teaching from the Vanderbilt Bar Association.
Hall-Hartman Awards are based on a student poll administered by the VBA. The annual awards, which recognize excellent teaching of both first-year and upper-level classes, are given to one professor in each of Vanderbilt’s three first-year sections and to two professors who taught upper-level courses, with separate categories for large classes with 30 students or more and classes with fewer than 30 students. There was a tie in the award for upper-level course with 30 students or fewer.
These awards are a longstanding Vanderbilt tradition recognizing faculty whose teaching is deemed outstanding in each first-year student section and for large and small upper-level elective courses. The awards are named in honor of former professors Donald J. Hall and Paul Hartman, both of whom spent their academic careers at Vanderbilt and were revered for their teaching.
“Our law faculty pride themselves on exceptional teaching, which makes these awards highly coveted,” said Dean Chris Guthrie.
Kevin Stack, who holds the Lee S. and Charles A. Speir Chair in Law, was recognized for first-year teaching by Section A. He teaches Regulatory State for first-year students and Election Law. Professor Stack has previously received Hall-Hartman Awards for both first-year and upper-level teaching.
Rebecca Allensworth, the Associate Dean for Research who holds the David Daniels Allen Distinguished Chair of Law, was recognized for first-year teaching by Section B. She teaches Contracts for first-year students, as well as Antitrust Law and Antitrust Law for Big Tech. Professor Allensworth has previously received Hall-Hartman Awards for both first-year and upper-level teaching.
Ingrid Brunk, who holds the Helen Strong Curry Chair in International Law, was recognized for first-year teaching by Section C. She teaches Civil Procedure for first-year students, as well as Public International Law. Professor Brunk has previously received Hall-Hartman Awards for both first-year and upper-level teaching.
Matthew Shaw, Assistant Professor of Law, was recognized for his upper-level class, Constitutional Law I. He also teaches Education Law and the Race and the Law Seminar.
Brian Fitzpatrick, who holds the Milton R. Underwood Chair in Free Enterprise, was recognized for his upper-level class Federal Courts and the Federal System. He also teaches Complex Litigation and the Textualism / Originalism Seminar. Professor Fitzpatrick has previously received a Hall-Hartman Award for first-year teaching.
Francesca Procaccini, Assistant Professor of Law, was recognized for her upper-level First Amendment Seminar. She also teaches Civil Procedure and the Judicial Review Seminar.
Arjun Sethi was honored for outstanding teaching as an adjunct professor of law for his short course Policing in the Twenty-First Century: Law Enforcement, Technology, and Surveillance.
