South Texas College of Law Houston’s Dean Emeritus James J. “Jim” Alfini is a man of many talents. The professor of law is an expert on judicial ethics and considered one of the architects of dispute resolution.
Alfini has enjoyed a lengthy, highly acclaimed career in legal education, and he is still actively engaged in the profession after his retirement from the faculty in 2018. He serves as a senior fellow in the Frank Evans Center for Dispute Resolution at South Texas College of Law Houston, which recently honored him at a reception for his vital role in launching and building the successful dispute resolution program at the law school.
“How wonderful it is when you find yourself working with incredibly competent, talented people who are also tremendously kind, and that is what you have in Jim Alfini,” said South Texas Law’s Interim President and Dean Jeff Rensberger at the reception.
Alfini remains active in the American Bar Association as a member of the House of Delegates, representing the dispute resolution section. He has served as chair of the dispute resolution section at both the ABA and the Association of American Law Schools.
Many articles and publications in dispute resolution and judicial ethics bear Alfini’s name, including two co-authored books published by Lexis Publishing: Judicial Conduct and Ethics and Mediation Theory and Practice.
This distinguished legal professional does not readily credit himself with any of these attributes or accomplishments. Instead, Alfini prefers to talk about his talent at connecting people as his superpower.
“I am very good at introducing people to all the right people they need to know,” he said. While many colleagues and mentees have been the beneficiary of his connectedness — and they agree with this self-assessment — they also add words like “brilliant,” “pioneering,” and “most of all…kind.”
According to Debra Berman, current director of the Frank Evans Center for Dispute Resolution, Alfini’s professional acumen, along with his vast network of contacts, played a critical role in the development and success of the center.
“Jim Alfini’s name is synonymous with dispute resolution across the country,” Berman said. “His reputation certainly elevated the national status of this center and our standing as a premier institution for practical dispute resolution education.”
The former dean also played a big part in Berman’s career as a trusted mentor and colleague. “Dean Alfini truly helped shape my career for what it is today,” she said. “He has been my biggest supporter in this work, and his enthusiasm, positivity, warmth, and unique sense of humor have made our jobs here at South Texas Law incredibly special.”
Looking back on his early days as dean, Alfini fondly recalled the strengths and spirit of the law school that inspired him when he first took the helm. “When I arrived as dean in 2003, there were already some great things happening at South Texas Law,” he said. “There was such a great faculty and staff, and they were beginning to have a good dispute resolution program, a winning advocacy program, and development of courses in transactional law. I tried to help nurture these programs and support the people who oversaw them.”
Born and raised in New York to parents who were first-generation Americans, Alfini was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1965 after finishing his undergraduate studies at Columbia University. After serving in the Army, he took the LSAT on a whim. “Another guy in my unit was studying for it, so I thought I would give it a try,” he said.
Immediately after earning his J.D. at Northwestern University School of Law in 1972, Alfini became a legal aid lawyer. He went on to work with the American Judicature Society, a group dedicated to judicial and court reform. “I met with so many prominent judges and lawyers through that experience,” he said. “It was rewarding work.”
Alfini was based in Chicago for several years, and he and his family enjoyed living there. “We had fallen in love with Chicago,” he said. “Wherever we went, it was always our second home.”
His career path took the family to Florida, where he was a faculty member and director of education and research at the Florida Dispute Resolution Center, a joint program of Florida State University College of Law and the Supreme Court of Florida. He served on the original Mediation and Arbitration Rules Committee of the Supreme Court of Florida and chaired the Standards Subcommittee.
From 1991-97, Alfini served as dean of the Northern Illinois University College of Law, where he was also a professor teaching Constitutional Law, Professional Responsibility, Mediation, and related courses. He stepped down as dean in 1997 and continued to teach.
Leaving Chicago’s brutal winters behind to live and work in a warmer climate piqued the Alfinis’ interest. “As a former dean, I was an appealing candidate to search committees and received inquiries from time to time,” he said. “We considered a few offers from law schools in warmer climates, and I felt that South Texas Law was the best opportunity.”
When Alfini reflects on the work he has done, he is proud of all of it. “But I am especially proud of the difference I could make at South Texas Law,” he said. “Coming to this school was definitely the right thing to do. It was, and continues to be, a special place with a collegial, collaborative atmosphere. The faculty is committed to teaching, academic enterprise, and innovation. And I was impressed by how much students are valued in this culture of caring for one another.”
Alfini and his wife returned to the Chicago area after his retirement, but he seems to be making everywhere his office. He attends conferences and meetings across the U.S., contributing to the world of legal education, scholarship, and dispute resolution. The man of many talents is still working to connect people and has no plans to slow down.
Original source can be found here.