Symeon C. Symeonides
Encyclopedia
Dr. Symeon C. Symeonides (born 1949) is the dean of the Willamette University College of Law
in Salem, Oregon
, United States. The Cyprus
-born legal scholar is also President of the American Society of Comparative Law. A graduate of Harvard Law School
, he previously taught at Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center
.
, Cyprus, in 1949. He then attended Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece
, where he studied law. In 1972 he graduated first in his class with the highest grade point average in the history of the school. He earned his degree in private law. The next year he received a degree in public law, graduating summa cum laude. Symeonides then moved to the United States and attended Harvard Law School
where he earned two degrees. He received an LL.M. in 1974 and a DJS in 1980. He is married to Haroula Symeonides.
and then associate professor at Louisiana State University Law Center
. In 1989, he became the Judge Albert Tate
Professor of Law at LSU, teaching there until 1999. While a professor he served as U.S. National Reporter to the International Congress of Comparative Law in 1994, and as Rapporteur Général in 1998. During his time at LSU he also served as a vice chancellor. Symeonides has also taught at Tulane University
, Loyola University New Orleans
, and his alma mater in Greece.
In March 1999, Symeon C. Symeonides was hired as the dean at Willamette University
’s law school located in Salem, Oregon
, and assumed the position in July. In 2002, he gave the lecture for private international law at the annual meeting
of the Hague Academy of International Law
. Held at the Peace Palace
in The Hague
, Netherlands
, he was the 18th American selected for the honor in the 78 years of the conference. In Europe
he has taught at Universite Paris V and Louvain-1a-Neuve.
Other legal work includes law reform for the Oregon Law Commission, Louisiana State Law Institute, and Puerto Rican Academy of Legislation and Jurisprudence. In 2006, he became president of the American Society of Comparative Law, an organization where he had previously served as Secretary. Symeonides is also a member of the American Law Institute
, Bartolus Society, and Order of the Coif
. He has served as president of the Association of American Law Schools
section on conflict of laws and as a member of the board of editors to the American Journal of Comparative Law. Symeonides resigned as dean at Willamette in February 2011, effective at the end of the academic year and was to be replaced by Peter Letsou.
Willamette University College of Law
Willamette University College of Law is a private law school located in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in 1842, Willamette University is the oldest university in the Western United States...
in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, United States. The Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
-born legal scholar is also President of the American Society of Comparative Law. A graduate of Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
, he previously taught at Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Paul M. Hebert Law Center
The Paul M. Hebert Law Center is a law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, part of the Louisiana State University System and located on the main campus of Louisiana State University....
.
Early years and education
Symeonides was born in LythrodontasLythrodontas
Lythrodontas is village located in the Nicosia District of Cyprus. It is 31 kilometres outside Nicosia.Lythrodontas is built on the foothill of the mountain region of Machairas and is covered by the green colour of the olive groves.7...
, Cyprus, in 1949. He then attended Aristotelian University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, where he studied law. In 1972 he graduated first in his class with the highest grade point average in the history of the school. He earned his degree in private law. The next year he received a degree in public law, graduating summa cum laude. Symeonides then moved to the United States and attended Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
where he earned two degrees. He received an LL.M. in 1974 and a DJS in 1980. He is married to Haroula Symeonides.
Legal career
While still finishing his legal education at Harvard Law, Symeon Symeonides began working as an assistant professorProfessor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
and then associate professor at Louisiana State University Law Center
Paul M. Hebert Law Center
The Paul M. Hebert Law Center is a law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, part of the Louisiana State University System and located on the main campus of Louisiana State University....
. In 1989, he became the Judge Albert Tate
Albert Tate, Jr.
Albert Tate Jr. was a long-serving Louisiana judge known for his leadership of the legal profession. A Democrat, Tate served on the Louisiana First and Third Circuit Courts of Appeal, the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans , and the Louisiana Supreme Court , also in New...
Professor of Law at LSU, teaching there until 1999. While a professor he served as U.S. National Reporter to the International Congress of Comparative Law in 1994, and as Rapporteur Général in 1998. During his time at LSU he also served as a vice chancellor. Symeonides has also taught at Tulane University
Tulane University
Tulane University is a private, nonsectarian research university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States...
, Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
, and his alma mater in Greece.
In March 1999, Symeon C. Symeonides was hired as the dean at Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
’s law school located in Salem, Oregon
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
, and assumed the position in July. In 2002, he gave the lecture for private international law at the annual meeting
Hague Conference on Private International Law
The Hague Conference on Private International Law is the preeminent organisation in the area of private international law....
of the Hague Academy of International Law
Hague Academy of International Law
The Hague Academy of International Law is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, The Netherlands...
. Held at the Peace Palace
Peace Palace
The Peace Palace is a building situated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is often called the seat of international law because it houses the International Court of Justice , the Permanent Court of Arbitration, the Hague Academy of International Law, and the extensive Peace Palace Library.In addition...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
, Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, he was the 18th American selected for the honor in the 78 years of the conference. In Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
he has taught at Universite Paris V and Louvain-1a-Neuve.
Other legal work includes law reform for the Oregon Law Commission, Louisiana State Law Institute, and Puerto Rican Academy of Legislation and Jurisprudence. In 2006, he became president of the American Society of Comparative Law, an organization where he had previously served as Secretary. Symeonides is also a member of the American Law Institute
American Law Institute
The American Law Institute was established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of American common law and its adaptation to changing social needs. The ALI drafts, approves, and publishes Restatements of the Law, Principles of the Law, model codes, and other proposals for law...
, Bartolus Society, and Order of the Coif
Order of the Coif
The Order of the Coif is an honor society for United States law school graduates. A student at an American law school who earns a Juris Doctor degree and graduates in the top 10 percent of his or her class is eligible for membership if the student's law school has a chapter of the...
. He has served as president of the Association of American Law Schools
Association of American Law Schools
The Association of American Law Schools is a non-profit organization of 170 law schools in the United States. Another 25 schools are "non-member fee paid" schools, which are not members but choose to pay AALS dues. Its purpose is to improve the legal profession through the improvement of legal...
section on conflict of laws and as a member of the board of editors to the American Journal of Comparative Law. Symeonides resigned as dean at Willamette in February 2011, effective at the end of the academic year and was to be replaced by Peter Letsou.
Published works
- Cases and Materials on Conflict of Laws: American, Comparative and International. 2nd Edition, West Group 2003.
- Conflict of Laws. 4th Edition, West Group 2004.
- Law and Justices in a Multistate World: Essays in Honor of Arthur T. von Mehren. Transnational Publishers 2002: editor.
- Private International law at the End of the 20th Century: Progress or Regress?. Kluwer Law International 1998: editor.
External links
- Dean Symeon C. Symeonides - Willamette Lawyer