Mercer Law School Announces New Director of International Initiatives

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MACON – Mercer University School of Law announces the appointment of Dr. David Ritchie to the position of director of international initiatives. In this new position, he will help increase the visibility of Mercer Law's current international programs and offerings as well as implement a plan for growing offerings in this area of law.

Additionally, Dr. Ritchie will coordinate with international law faculty to ensure cohesion of the international law curriculum and guidance to students. Part of his role will include increasing opportunities for study abroad, student exchanges with foreign universities, international externships placements and general guidance for current and prospective students interested in practicing international law.

Dean and University Professor of Law and Ethical Formation Daisy Hurt Floyd said, “Under Dr. Ritchie's leadership, we look forward to expanding our students' opportunities for international experiences and ensuring that they are prepared to practice law in a global environment. We build upon a strong foundation and are excited about enhanced programs and experiences.”

Dr. Ritchie has been a professor at Mercer Law School since 2005 and specializes in philosophy of law and cultural, social and political philosophy. He is currently a Global Ethics Fellow at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs in New York. He has previously been a research associate at the Institute for Ethics, Law, and Armed Conflict at Oxford University, a visiting research fellow at the University of Buenos Aires, a visiting scholar at New York University and a Distinguished Fellow at the Macau University of Science and Technology. Dr. Ritchie has also been a visiting or consulting faculty member at several universities and institutes in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a founding member, and currently serves as senior scholar, at the Brazil Institute at Mercer (BRIM).

Dr. Ritchie has taught, lectured and published extensively around the world (Argentina, Brazil, China, England, Germany, India, Macau and Serbia). He is currently a jury member for Peace Projects, an initiative of the Journalists and Writers Foundation (in association with the United Nations Economic and Social Council), which is designed to support innovative conflict resolution and peacebuilding projects focused on preventing, managing and resolving violent conflict and promoting post-conflict peacebuilding. In 2012, Dr. Ritchie was on the international jury of PLURAL+, a joint initiative between the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations and the International Organization for Migration, which is a youth-produced video festival that encourages young people to explore migration, diversity and social inclusion. He has organized or hosted conferences, symposia and colloquia at Mercer, in Brazil and in China.

Dr. Ritchie's scholarship focuses on issues of comparative law, constitutional drafting, film theory (in the context of law and society), legal discourse and rhetoric, and peace studies/nonviolent action. He has published two books and more than two dozen articles in books, law reviews and other academic journals, and he serves on the editorial board of four peer reviewed academic journals. Additionally, he has previously served as chair of both the Section on Law & Humanities and the Section on Law & Interpretation of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS).

About Mercer Law School

Founded in 1873, the Mercer University Walter F. George School of Law is one of the oldest law schools in the United States and the first one in the state of Georgia accredited by the American Bar Association. Mercer Law School's educational philosophy is based on a broadly shared commitment to prepare students for the high-quality, general practice of law in a day-to-day learning environment that is both strongly supportive and consistently professional. Its innovative Woodruff Curriculum – which focuses on ethics and practical skills amid small class sizes – earned the Gambrell Professionalism Award from the ABA for its “depth of excellence.” With an enrollment of about 450 students, Mercer Law School is nationally recognized for its exceptional programs in legal writing, moot court, public service, and ethics and professionalism. For more information about Mercer Law School, visit www.law.mercer.edu or call (478) 301-5000.