Prof. Scharffs and Prof. Lee's appointment to a Law School professorship

Dean Rasband recently announced two new appointments to Law School professorships. Thomas R. Lee is now the Rex J. & maureen E. Rawlingson Professor of Law and Brett G. Scharffs is the Francis R. Kirkham Professor of Law.

“I congratulate both Professor Lee and Professor Scharffs and express appreciation for their many contributions to the law school,” Rasband said.

Professor Lee uses his expertise in trademark law as a member of the International Trademark Association and as a member of the Editorial Board of The Trademark Reporter. He argued trademark infringement cases in federal district courts and appellate courts throughout the country.

Professor Lee was the Associate Dean for Faculty and Curriculum at the BYU Law School for the 2008-09 school year. He teaches courses in Intellectual Property Law and Civil Procedure while serving on the Advisory Committee to the Utah Supreme Court on the Utah Rules of Civil Procedure. He has published numerous law review articles and represented the State of Utah in litigation challenging the 2000 census.

Professor Lee joined BYU Law School in 1997. Before coming to BYU, he clerked for Judge J. Harvie Wilkinson III, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 1991-92 and Justice Clarence Thomas, United States Supreme Court, 1994-95.

Professor Scharffs is the associate director of the International Center for Law and Religion Studies. His scholarly interests include law and religion, corporate law, international business law and philosophy of law.

Professor Scharffs clerked for the Honorable David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals, D.C. Circuit, and worked as a legal assistant to the honorable George H. Aldrich at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague. Before teaching at BYU, he worked as an attorney for the New York law firm, Sullivan & Cromwell. Before coming to BYU Law School he taught at Yale University and the George Washington University law School. He is currently serving as a program chair of the Law and Religion section of the American Association of Law Schools.

Posted: September 28, 2009