The founder of law and economics at George Mason University School of Law passed away. GMUSL was an average law school that had just been taken over by the state of Virginia. In 1986, Henry Manne came over to take over as its dean. He already had a reputation as a leading law and economics scholar at Emory Law School, where he had a group dedicated to the subject. By 2001, GMUSL was a tier-one law school. It has placed its students at the leading law firms in the United States, clerkships at every level of courts state and federal (including the US Supreme Court), and even has landed a few academics here and there (including my superstar classmate Jon Klick and superstar co-alumnus Josh Blackman)
From the ground up, he built up the law school at George Mason. He had just retired when I was admitted to study there, but his legacy was everywhere. Indeed, anyone who has graduated from GMUSL since the late 80s owes their legal training to Henry Manne and his vision. His vision was one of excellence. He brought a rigor not only in terms of the methodology but also the academic standards.
I personally owe my legal trajectory to GMUSL, and his legacy is felt by me everyday, In the area of insider trading his work is still considered the leading work on the subject.
I met Manne once in Toronto at a law and economics and conference, and I immediately sensed a real depth of character of warmth of personality. He shall be missed.
