Parham H. Williams, dean of Chapman University School of Law, announced his upcoming retirement from the position. He will continue as dean for the upcoming academic year while a search for a new dean is conducted. Williams, also a professor who holds the Donald P. Kennedy Chair in Law at Chapman, was named dean and vice-president of the law school in 1997. He was previously the vice-president and dean of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. from 1985-1996 and the dean of the University of Mississippi School of Law from 1971 to 1985.
Former chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Hal Stratton has joined Dykema Gossett as a partner in its Washington, D.C. office. Appointed by President George W. Bush in 2002 to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission, Stratton resigned last month, reportedly on his own accord, citing a desire to pursue other interests. Stratton, former Attorney General of New Mexico, will focus on product safety issues, regulatory matters and international trade and regulation, with particular emphasis in multi-district litigation, American Indian law, gaming, energy and environmental law. Stratton, 55, has a law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Based in Detroit, Dykema Gossett has about 335 attorneys, with about 15 attorneys practicing in Washington.
