Fordham Law Names New Dean

Joseph “Joe” Landau—the new Dean of Fordham Law School—says he didn’t grow up dreaming of becoming a lawyer.

“I loved math, but I also loved debate and everyone said I would go into law,” he recalled. “I wasn’t so sure.” After graduating with highest honors at Duke University, he pursued journalism and worked as the assistant managing editor at The New Republic, where he wrote an article about same-sex sexual harassment, something that wasn’t considered against the law at the time. Shortly after, the issue was taken up by the U.S. Supreme Court.

“The legal issues I was writing about were more interesting to me than the journalism,” Landau said, prompting him to apply to law school. After graduating from Yale Law, Landau worked as an associate at the New York law firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, where he took on a large number of immigration clients pro bono. 

He took that passion for helping the underserved at a leading non-profit, where he worked on federal legislation to provide immigration protections for same sex couples before they could legally marry in the United States.

In 2010, Landau came to Fordham Law as a professor and used his expertise to teach civil procedure and constitutional law to students. His classes were so well-liked he was twice named Teacher of the Year. He led Fordham Law’s most recent strategic planning process, including helping launch the House System, which has achieved notable success in elevating the student experience. 

As associate dean for academic affairs, a role he has held since 2021, he has been a champion of students, a close collaborator with faculty and administrators, and a booster of alumni. 

On July 1, Landau will become the 12th dean of Fordham Law, the sixth largest law school in the United States. He was chosen after an eight-month national search.

“Fordham is an institution of choice, and my goal is to make us stronger locally, nationally, and globally,” he said. 

Landau will take over for Dean Matthew Diller, who is returning to the faculty after serving as dean for nine years. Diller offered warm congratulations to Landau, whom he has counted on as a trusted colleague, “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.”

Fordham President Tania Tetlow said in her announcement, “With an impressive scholarly record and professional background in corporate litigation, nonprofit board service, movement lawyering, and journalism, Dean Landau is well-positioned to lead our law school into the future. His 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.”

Besides his academic accomplishments, Landau is a well-respected writer and legal scholar whose 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 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.

“Fordham Law is unique for many reasons. First, we operate more fluidly across the divide between theory and practice than any other law school,” Landau said of Fordham Law. “Second, we have incredible colleagues, students, and alumni. We are a family. We love what we do but we also respect and look out for one another, and we enjoy each other’s company.” 

Landau, a native of Chevy Chase, Maryland, is also the former board chair of Immigration Equality and the Immigration Equality Action Fund. He also served on the New York City 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. 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. 

When he’s not working, Landau said he and his husband, Joe Fitzgerald, love to spend time with their two children, taking them to museums, visiting local playgrounds, and enjoying New York City pizza.