Gillian L. L. Lester (born October 30, 1964) is a Canadian legal scholar who served as the 15th Dean of

Columbia Law School Columbia Law School (CLS) is the Law school in the United States, law school of Columbia University, a Private university, private Ivy League university in New York City. The school was founded in 1858 as the Columbia College Law School. The un ...

.Dean Gillian Lester: Biography
/ref> She joined Columbia Law School on January 1, 2015, as Dean and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Law, where she is now Dean Emerita and Alphonse Fletcher Jr. Professor of Law. Previously, Lester was acting dean of the

University of California, Berkeley, School of Law The University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Berkeley Law) is the law school of the University of California, Berkeley. The school was commonly referred to as "Boalt Hall" for many years, although it was never the official name. This cam ...

Gillian Lester Appointed Dean of Columbia Law School
/ref> where she had been a professor since 2006.''Women in Academia Report'' (May 2, 2014)
/ref> Before that, she was a full professor at the School of Law of the University of California, Los Angeles. Lester was the second female dean of Columbia Law School. Soon after taking the job, Lester told ''

The Chronicle of Higher Education ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' is an American newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty and student affairs professionals, including staff members and administrators. A subscription ...

'' she wanted to tweak the curriculum to turn more Columbia law students into "global actors" and "entrepreneurs" who could build careers in both the private and public sectors."New Dean Asks More of a Successful Law School," ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' (April 13, 2015)
/ref>

Early life and education

Lester was born in Maple Ridge,

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, and later moved to

West Vancouver West Vancouver is a district municipality in the province of British Columbia, Canada. A member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District, West Vancouver is situated on the north shore of Burrard Inlet to the northwest of the city ...

. She is the youngest of four children born to Richard Egerton Matheson Lester, a labor lawyer, and Lois (Jensen) Lester, a teacher.Richard Egerton Matheson Lester Obituary, The Vancouver Sun (March 26, 2014)
/ref> She earned a B.Sc. in 1986 from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, an LL.B. in 1990 from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

, where she served as editor-in-chief of the ''

University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review The ''University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review'' is a law review at the University of Toronto University of Toronto Faculty of Law, Faculty of Law, run by law students at the Faculty and publishing scholarly work by law students from any instit ...

'', and a J.S.D. in 1998 from

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

Academic career

Lester began her career in the legal academy in 1994 at the

University of California, Los Angeles School of Law The University of California, Los Angeles School of Law (commonly known as UCLA School of Law or UCLA Law) is the law school of the University of California, Los Angeles. History Founded in 1949, the UCLA School of Law is the third oldest of t ...

. She became a full professor in 1999. She joined the Berkeley law faculty in 2006 and in 2014 became the Alexander F. and May T. Morrison Professor of Law and the Werner and Mimi Wolfen Research Professor. At Berkeley, Lester served as co-director of the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security; Associate Dean for the J.D. Program and Curricular Planning; and, from 2013 to 2014, Acting Dean. She has held external appointments as the Sidley Austin Visiting Professor at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

and the Sloan Fellow and Visiting Professor at

Georgetown University Law Center Georgetown University Law Center is the Law school in the United States, law school of Georgetown University, a Private university, private research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It was established in 1870 and is the largest law ...

, as well as short-term visiting appointments at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, the

University of Chicago Law School The University of Chicago Law School is the Law school in the United States, law school of the University of Chicago, a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. It employs more than 180 full-time and part-time facul ...

, and Radzyner Law School at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel. She serves on the board of directors for

Legal Aid Society The Legal Aid Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid provider based in New York City. Founded in 1876, it is the oldest and largest provider of legal aid in the United States. Its attorneys provide representation on criminal and civil mat ...

of New York and the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law. Lester is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Labor Law Research NetworkMembers of the Advisory Committee, Labor Law Research Network
/ref> and the

American Law Institute The American Law Institute (ALI) is a research and advocacy group of judges, lawyers, and legal scholars limited to 3,000 elected members and established in 1923 to promote the clarification and simplification of United States common law and i ...

The American Law Institute, Members
/ref> and was an Advisor for the American Law Institute Restatement 3d Employment Law. She is also on the advisory board of the ''

Columbia Law Review The ''Columbia Law Review'' is a law review edited and published by students at Columbia Law School. The journal publishes scholarly articles, essays, and student notes. It was established in 1901 by Joseph E. Corrigan and John M. Woolsey, who s ...

''.Columbia Law Review
/ref>

Scholarship and recognition

Lester is a nationally recognized authority in employment law and policy. Her research has explored issues in the workplace and in public finance, distributive justice, and the design of social insurance programs.Faculty Profile, Practising Law Institute
/ref> She is the author of numerous books and articles, including one of the leading casebooks on employment law, ''Employment Law Cases and Materials.''''Employment Law: Cases and Materials'' (Lexis Nexis, 2012)
/ref> She is also a member of the

and was an adviser to the ALI Restatement of Employment Law. In April 2021, Lester was elected a member of the

American Academy of Arts & Sciences The American Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Academy) is one of the oldest learned societies in the United States. It was founded in 1780 during the American Revolution by John Adams, John Hancock, James Bowdoin, Andrew Oliver, and other F ...

Personal life

Lester is married to Columbia Law School professor Eric Talley, with whom she has two children.

Selected works

Books *''Philosophical Foundations of Labour Law'', (Oxford U. Press, 2019) (with Hugh Collins and Virginia Mantouvalou) *''Employment Law: Cases and Materials'', Fifth Ed. (Lexis-Nexis, 2012) (with Steven L. Willborn, Steven J. Schwab & John F.Burton)Employment Law: Cases and Materials, Fifth Ed. (Lexis-Nexis, 2012)
/ref> *''Employment Law: Selected Federal and State Statutes'' (Lexis-Nexis, 2012) (with Steven L. Willborn, Steven J. Schwab & John F.Burton)Employment Law: Selected Federal and State Statutes (Lexis-Nexis, 2012)
/ref> *''Family Security Insurance: A New Foundation for Economic Security'' (Workplace Flexibility and the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security, 2010)Family Security Insurance: A New Foundation for Economic Security
/ref> *''Estreicher and Lester's Employment Law Stories'' (Foundation Press, 2010) (with Samuel Estreicher)Estreicher and Lester's Employment Law Stories (Foundation Press 2010)
/ref> *''Employment Law (Concepts and Insights)'' (Foundation Press, 2008) (with Samuel Estreicher)Employment Law (Concepts and Insights), (Foundation Press 2010)
/ref> *''Jumping The Queue: An Inquiry Into The Legal Treatment Of Students With Disabilities'' (Harvard Press, 1997) (with Mark Kelman)Jumping The Queue: An Inquiry Into The Legal Treatment Of Students With Disabilities (Harvard Press, 1997)
/ref> Articles and chapters *"Age Discrimination and Labour Law in the United States," in Mia Ronnmar & Ann Numhauser-Henning (eds.), ''Age Discrimination In Labour Law'' (Kluwer Law International, 2015). *"Keep Government Out of My Medicare": The Search for Popular Support of Taxes and Social Spending, in Michael Sherraden and Marion Crain (eds.) ''Working And Living In The Shadow Of Economic Fragility'' (Oxford U. Press, 2013) *"Can Joe the Plumber Support Redistribution? Law, Social Preferences, and Sustainable Policy Design, in ''Tax Law Review'' (2011) *"Beyond Collective Bargaining: Modern Unions and Social Solidarity," in Brian Langille and Guy Davidov (eds.), ''The Idea of Labor Law'' (Cambridge University Press, 2011) *"Restrictive Covenants and Choice of Laws: An American Perspective," in ''Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal'' (2010) *"A Defense of Paid Family Leave" in ''Harvard Journal of Law & Gender'' (2005) *"Unemployment Insurance and Wealth Redistribution" in ''UCLA Law Review'' (2001) *"Careers and Contingency" in ''Stanford Law Review'' (1998)

References

External links

Gillian Lester faculty page at Columbia Law SchoolColumbia Dean Promotes Global World ViewDean Gillian Lester Urges Class of 2015 to Call Upon Their Courage and Moral Clarity
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Gillian 1964 births Living people American academic administrators Canadian women academics Deans of Columbia Law School Deans of law schools in the United States People from Maple Ridge, British Columbia Stanford University alumni University of British Columbia alumni UC Berkeley School of Law faculty University of Toronto Faculty of Law alumni UCLA School of Law faculty Women deans (academic) American women legal scholars American legal scholars