{{short description|American academic}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Gillian Lester | image = Dean Gillian Lester 559 CC CROP.jpg | order = 15th Dean of Columbia Law School | term_start = January 1, 2015 | term_end = July 31, 2024 | predecessor = David Schizer | successor = Daniel Abebe | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1964|10|30}} | birth_place = Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = Eric Talley | education = University of British Columbia (BSc)<br>University of Toronto (LLB)<br>Stanford University (JSD) | website = {{URL|law.columbia.edu/faculty/gillian-lester|Official website}} }} '''Gillian L. L. Lester''' (born October 30, 1964) is a Canadian legal scholar who served as the 15th Dean of Columbia Law School.<ref name="Columbia Law School">[http://www.law.columbia.edu/fac/Gillian_Lester Dean Gillian Lester: Biography<!-- Bot generated title -->]</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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gillian Lester |url=https://www.law.columbia.edu/faculty/gillian-lester |access-date=2024-08-01 |website=www.law.columbia.edu |language=en}}</ref> Previously, Lester was acting dean of the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law<ref name="Berkeley Law">[https://www.law.berkeley.edu/article/gillian-lester-appointed-dean-of-columbia-law-school/ Gillian Lester Appointed Dean of Columbia Law School]</ref> where she had been a professor since 2006.<ref name="Women in Academia Report">[https://www.wiareport.com/2014/05/gillian-lester-appointed-the-15th-dean-of-columbia-law-school/ ''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.<ref name="Women in Academia Report"/>
Lester was the second female dean of Columbia Law School. Soon after taking the job, Lester told ''The Chronicle of Higher Education'' 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.<ref name="Chronicle">[http://chronicle.com/article/New-Dean-Asks-More-of-a/229253/ "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, and later moved to West Vancouver. She is the youngest of four children born to Richard Egerton Matheson Lester, a labor lawyer, and Lois (Jensen) Lester, a teacher.<ref name="Lester Obit">[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/vancouversun/obituary.aspx?pid=170489774/ 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, an LL.B. in 1990 from the University of Toronto, where she served as editor-in-chief of the ''University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review'',<ref name="University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review">{{Cite web |url=http://utflr.law.utoronto.ca/ |title=University of Toronto Faculty of Law Review |access-date=2015-10-22 |archive-date=2015-11-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151115010534/http://utflr.law.utoronto.ca/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> and a J.S.D. in 1998 from Stanford University.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sloan |first1=Karen |title=Stanford Class of 1998 Has Magic Formula for Producing Top Female Law Deans |url=https://www.law.com/therecorder/2018/04/26/stanford-class-of-1998-has-magic-formula-for-producing-top-women-law-deans/ |accessdate=August 10, 2018 |work=The Recorder at Law.com |date=April 26, 2018}}</ref>
==Academic career== Lester began her career in the legal academy in 1994 at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law. 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.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cohen |first1=Andrew |title=Gillian Lester Appointed Dean of Columbia Law School |url=https://www.law.berkeley.edu/article/gillian-lester-appointed-dean-of-columbia-law-school/ |website=University of California |publisher=Berkeley Law |accessdate=August 10, 2018 |date=April 23, 2014}}</ref> At Berkeley, Lester served as co-director of the Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security;<ref name="Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security">{{Cite web |url=https://www.law.berkeley.edu/centers/chief-justice-earl-warren-institute-on-law-and-social-policy/health-economic-and-family-security/ |title=Berkeley Center for Health, Economic and Family Security |access-date=2015-10-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906082156/https://www.law.berkeley.edu/centers/chief-justice-earl-warren-institute-on-law-and-social-policy/health-economic-and-family-security/ |archive-date=2015-09-06 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Associate Dean for the J.D. Program and Curricular Planning; and, from 2013 to 2014, Acting Dean.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Lagos |first1=Marisa |title=Lawyers David Boies, Ted Olson inspire UC Berkeley law grads |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/education/article/Lawyers-David-Boies-Ted-Olson-inspire-UC-5468532.php |accessdate=August 10, 2018 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=May 10, 2014}}</ref>
She has held external appointments as the Sidley Austin Visiting professor at Harvard Law School and the Sloan Fellow and visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center, as well as short-term visiting appointments at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law, the University of Chicago Law School, and Radzyner Law School at Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel.
She serves on the board of directors for Legal Aid Society of New York<ref name="LAS Board">{{Cite web |url=http://www.legal-aid.org/en/las/aboutus/officersandboardmembers.aspx/ |title=Legal Aid Society Board of Directors |access-date=2015-12-07 |archive-date=2015-12-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151206160652/http://www.legal-aid.org/en/las/aboutus/officersandboardmembers.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the International Society for Labour and Social Security Law. Lester is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Labor Law Research Network<ref name="LLRN advisory committee">[http://www.labourlawresearch.net/advisory-committee/ Members of the Advisory Committee, Labor Law Research Network]</ref> and the American Law Institute<ref name="ALI page">[https://www.ali.org/members/member/225972/ 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''.<ref name="Columbia Law Review">[http://columbialawreview.org/ Columbia Law Review]</ref>
==Scholarship and recognition== Lester is a nationally recognized authority in employment law and policy.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Klug |first1=Lisa Alcalay |title=Jury Rules Wal-Mart Must Pay $172 Million Over Meal Breaks |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/23/business/jury-rules-walmart-must-pay-172-million-over-meal-breaks.html |accessdate=August 10, 2018 |work=New York Times |date=December 23, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nevius |first1=C.W. |title=Levi's was ahead of its time on domestic partner benefits for employees |url=https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/nevius/article/Levi-s-was-ahead-of-its-time-on-domestic-partner-2516256.php |accessdate=August 10, 2018 |work=San Francisco Chronicle |date=July 6, 2006}}</ref> Her research has explored issues in the workplace and in public finance, distributive justice, and the design of social insurance programs.<ref name="Practising Law Profile">[http://www.pli.edu/Content/Faculty/Gillian_Lester/_/N-4oZ1z12g91?ID=PE455477/ 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.''<ref name="Employment Law">[http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/catalog/booktemplate/productdetail.jsp?prodId=10867/ ''Employment Law: Cases and Materials'' (Lexis Nexis, 2012)]</ref> She is also a member of the American Law Institute 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.<ref>{{Cite web|date=April 22, 2021|title=Honoring Excellence, Electing New Members|url=https://www.amacad.org/news/2021-member-announcement|website=American Academy of Arts & Sciences}}</ref>
==Personal life== Lester is married to Columbia Law School professor Eric Talley, with whom she has two children.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Jaksic|first1=Vesna|title=Law Schools Hiring Faculty Couples|url=https://www.law.com/almID/1202424426321/|accessdate=April 18, 2018|work=Law.com|date=September 11, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Akcaguner|first1=Yasemin|title=New Law School dean talks cross-country move, priorities|url=https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2014/05/01/new-law-school-dean-talks-cross-country-move-priorities/|accessdate=April 18, 2018|work=Columbia Spectator|date=August 21, 2017}}</ref>
==Selected works== '''Books''' *''Philosophical Foundations of Labour Law'', (Oxford U. Press, 2019) (with Hugh Collins and Virginia Mantouvalou)<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://global.oup.com/academic/product/philosophical-foundations-of-labour-law-9780198825272?cc=us&lang=en&|title=Philosophical Foundations of Labour Law|date=2019-02-12|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-882527-2|series=Philosophical Foundations of Law|location=Oxford, New York}}</ref> *''Employment Law: Cases and Materials'', Fifth Ed. (Lexis-Nexis, 2012) (with Steven L. Willborn, Steven J. Schwab & John F.Burton)<ref name="Lexis Nexis">[http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/catalog/booktemplate/productdetail.jsp?prodId=10867 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)<ref name="Lexis Nexis 2"> [http://www.lexisnexis.com/store/catalog/booktemplate/productdetail.jsp?prodId=10868 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)<ref name="Berkeley Center on Health, Economic & Family Security">[https://www.law.berkeley.edu/files/chefs/family_security_insurance_2010_Final_web.pdf Family Security Insurance: A New Foundation for Economic Security]</ref> *''Estreicher and Lester's Employment Law Stories'' (Foundation Press, 2010) (with Samuel Estreicher)<ref name="EL Stories">[https://www.amazon.com/Estreicher-Lesters-Employment-Law-Stories-ebook/dp/B003M8HFQ4/ Estreicher and Lester's Employment Law Stories (Foundation Press 2010)]</ref> *''Employment Law (Concepts and Insights)'' (Foundation Press, 2008) (with Samuel Estreicher)<ref name="EL Concepts">[https://www.amazon.com/Employment-Concepts-Insights-Samuel-Estreicher/dp/1587784793/ 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)<ref name="Harvard Press">[http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674489097 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== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://www.law.columbia.edu/fac/Gillian_Lester Gillian Lester faculty page at Columbia Law School] *[http://www.newyorklawjournal.com/id=1202722057015/Columbia-Dean-Promotes-Global-World-View?rss=rss_ny&slreturn=20150301112005 Columbia Dean Promotes Global World View] *[https://www.law.columbia.edu/media_inquiries/news_events/2015/may2015/graduation-2015 Dean Gillian Lester Urges Class of 2015 to Call Upon Their Courage and Moral Clarity] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002111342/http://www.law.columbia.edu/media_inquiries/news_events/2015/may2015/graduation-2015 |date=2015-10-02 }}
{{s-start}} {{s-aca}} {{s-bef | before = David Schizer }} {{s-ttl | title = Dean of Columbia Law School | years = January 1, 2015 – June 30, 2024 }} {{S-aft | after = Daniel Abebe }} {{s-end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lester, Gillian}} Category:1964 births Category:Living people Category:American academic administrators Category:Canadian women legal scholars Category:Deans of Columbia Law School Category:Deans of law schools in the United States Category:People from Maple Ridge, British Columbia Category:Stanford University alumni Category:University of British Columbia alumni Category:UC Berkeley School of Law faculty Category:University of Toronto Faculty of Law alumni Category:UCLA School of Law faculty Category:Women deans (academic) Category:American women legal scholars Category:20th-century American legal scholars Category:21st-century American legal scholars