Remembering Dean Emeritus Gerry McLaughlin

Loyola Law School mourns the loss of Professor Gerald T. McLaughlin, who passed away on Sunday, April 12, 2015.


McLaughlin joined Loyola as its 14^th dean on January 1, 1991 and served in that capacity until March 1, 1999. But his mark on the institution extended far beyond he tenure as its leader. He wrote the book on Loyola Law School: In 2000, he published Loyola Law School: A Sense of Purpose and a Sense of Mission. The tome is a comprehensive history of the school at which McLaughlin himself played a pivotal role for nearly 20 years.

Memorial Reception:

• Thursday, April 16, 2015 from 5-8 pm at Vittorio Ristorante, 16646 Marquez Ave, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
• All friends of Gerry are welcome. Please RSVP with number of attendees to gerrymclaughlinmemorial@gmail.com. 

Leaving an academic legacy of service and substance, McLaughlin instituted the 40-hour pro bono requirement for students and the joint JD-MBA degree. He encouraged the law reviews to raise their profiles by publishing symposia on a wide variety of legal topics. He was integral to the founding of the Cancer Legal Resource Center, which earned him the prestigious Cancer Vanguard Award in 2013. And through it all, he was a renowned commercial law expert, lecturing and writing extensively in the field of letters of credit. 

“Gerry McLaughlin was a true renaissance man,” said Dean Victor Gold. “In addition to serving as Loyola's dean, Gerry was a novelist, legal scholar, teacher and historian. Gerry's wife was seriously ill for most of the years he served as dean – years when his children were still young. Gerry never faltered, courageously carrying the burdens of both his office and the family he loved.” 

McLaughlin orchestrated the construction of the current parking garage, which for the first time allowed all faculty, students and staff to park on campus. McLaughlin’s other campus expansion initiatives included purchase of the building now known as Founders Hall and the land that would eventually house the Girardi Advocacy Center.

Prior to joining Loyola, McLaughlin was an associate dean and professor at Brooklyn law School. Previously, he taught at the law schools at the University of Connecticut, Fordham and Georgetown. Before entering academia, McLaughlin worked in the New York office of Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP.

McLaughlin earned his bachelor’s degree summa cum laude from Fordham College and his LLB from NYU Law School, where he was a Root Tilden Scholar and managing editor of the law review.

Remembrances of Dean McLaughlin are welcome below: