A wonderful gathering for the Ayer Chair lecture

On Wednesday, March 4, we had a special lunchtime presentation at the UC Davis School of Law -- a lecture by Professor Bill Dodge marking his appointment as the John D. Ayer Chair in Business Law. Professor Dodge is the very first faculty member to hold this new chair honoring Jack Ayer, one of our distinguished emeriti professors. (Jack attended the lecture). 

For more than three decades at UC Davis, Professor Ayer taught bankruptcy and commercial law. After beginning his professional life as a newspaper reporter, he obtained a J.D. from the University of Louisville and a master of laws from Yale. He joined the UC Davis faculty in 1969 and served as a mentor to many leading bankruptcy lawyers and judges. One former student, Scott McNutt, class of ’82, organized the effort to create the Ayer chair. (Scott attended the lecture). 

It was special to have a chair holder, the person for whom the chair was named, and the principal fundraiser for the chair all together. 

Professor Bill Dodge, Professor Emeritus Jack Ayer and Scott McNutt '82

Professors Ayer and Dodge have  lots in common. They both are past recipients of the law school’s Distinguished Teaching Award. Both have Yale roots. Professor Dodge earned his bachelor’s and law degrees there on the way to becoming an expert in international business transactions, international law, and international dispute resolution. 

Professor Dodge is a most worthy holder of the Ayer chair.  Besides many other achievements and accolades, Professor Dodge currently is a member of the State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Law, and an adviser to the ALI’s Restatement (Third) of the Conflict of Laws .  He co-authored the casebook  Transnational Business Problems, and co-edited the book International Law in the U.S. Supreme Court: Continuity and Change, which won the American Society of International Law’s 2012 certificate of merit. He has many other publications, including his forthcoming Harvard Law Review article "The New Presumption Against Extraterritoriality."

Last but not least, Professor Dodge clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry A. Blackmun. His lecture on Wednesday was titled "Extraterritorial Regulation of Business: From Securities to Bankruptcy and Beyond."

After the amazing lecture, we had a delicious lunch on a patio on a gorgeous Davis day.  What could be better?

(Photos by Jose Alfonso Perez)