A Penn Law School emeritus professor known as one of the nation's leading legal ethicists died last week.
Geoffrey C. Hazard, Jr., who worked as a trustee professor at Penn Law from 1994 to 2009, died on Jan. 11 at the age of 88. He was an expert in civil procedure, judicial administration, and legal ethics.
In 2009, he left Penn to teach at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law, but continued to lead various courses at Penn on federal procedure until he retired in 2013.
“Professor Hazard was a true giant in American law,” Penn Law Dean Ted Ruger said in a statement published by Penn Law.
Hazard graduated from Swarthmore College in 1953 and went on to earn his LL.B. from Columbia Law School.
Prior to his tenure at Penn, he taught at Yale University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California, Berkeley. From 1984 to 1999, Hazard served as the director of the American Law Institute, a Philadelphia-based organization, which according to its website, is dedicated to "producing scholarly work to clarify, modernize, and improve the law."
Hazard also co-authored many prominent treatises and casebooks on civil procedure, including “Civil Procedure” and “Pleading and Procedure: Cases and Materials.”
According to the Philadelphia Business Journal, Hazard received seven honorary degrees, as well as numerous other awards, including the American Bar Association's Michael Franck Award in Professional Responsibility and the International Insolvency Institute Gold Award.
Penn Law Professor Stephen B. Burbank told the Philadelphia Business Journal that Hazard was "a gifted scholar, teacher, institutional leader, and citizen."
"[He was] a lawyer of immense and various talents and interests," Burbank said.
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