Since earning a law degree and a Ph.D. in philosophy in the same year nearly three decades ago, Dennis Patterson, a professor at the School of Law–Camden, has kept a foot firmly in both disciplines. Four years ago, he co-founded the Institute for Law and Philosophy at Rutgers as a platform to explore the philosophical intricacies of legal theory and the law. An acclaimed teacher and prolific writer on subjects ranging from trade and commercial law to the philosophy of law, Patterson was recently named a Board of Governors Professor.

Focus: Four years ago, you co-founded the Institute for Law and Philosophy, a joint venture between the School of Law in Camden and the Department of Philosophy in New Brunswick. Describe the collaboration between the two units. What are the highlights?

Patterson: We have sponsored world-class conferences on topics as wide-ranging as law and the philosophy of mind, ethical theory, and excuse and justification in criminal law. Additionally, we have sponsored visiting professors and attracted some very bright and interesting students to the law school. Together with Professors Kim Ferzan and John Oberdiek, we have built a program that adds real value to the educational and professional lives of our students and colleagues.

Focus: What is the link between your principal interests: philosophy and commercial and trade law?

Patterson: To really get trade law, you have to understand it against a larger political narrative. If you look at the 20th century from the point of view of the conflict among democratic, communist, and fascist political movements, trade law has an important and under-theorized role to play in that story.

Focus: Do you think it’s important for your students to look at the law from a more abstract or philosophical perspective before becoming working lawyers? Why?

Patterson: I do not think that abstraction alone makes for better lawyers. Legal argument is a skill, one that can be enhanced with the tools of philosophy and an appreciation of the philosophical dimensions of law. There are multiple skills one needs to be a successful lawyer. Nothing is more important than the development of verbal and analytical skills.

Focus: Since you were a law student in the late 1970s, how has the teaching of law changed?

Patterson: The teaching of law has gotten to be a lot like the rest of academia – it’s more interdisciplinary, more complex, and as most law professors would say, less doctrinal. Rather than just discussing legal rules within their own context, we look at them within the social and political context as well. You cannot be a law professor today without knowing something about economics, philosophy, and a variety of social science theories.

Focus: In what ways does a rapidly changing world pose a challenge to law schools?

Patterson: One significant challenge is to determine how best to respond to the phenomenon of globalization. I think legal educators have a lot of trouble assimilating global change into the curriculum.

Focus: You spend much of your time away from Rutgers teaching at European universities? What’s the attraction?

Patterson: Over the last 20 years, I have taught a lot at European universities and developed quite a network of friends across Europe. I think the connection goes back to my graduate study years, when I concentrated on German philosophy and learned the language. And what can I say, I love all things Italian! I go to Italy once a year, mostly to the region north of Florence, and to cities like Bologna and Venice. One of my enthusiasms is wine, and the discovery of new wines and new places to eat.
 

Focus: Do you miss anything about the practice of law?

Patterson: Yes and no. I enjoy the intensity of writing for a specific occasion and, of course, I miss trial work. But academia is a more fulfilling, long-term endeavor.

Focus: What are the attractions of Rutgers for your work?

Patterson: This question is easy to answer. Ray Solomon has been the dean of our law school for a decade. In that time, the reputation of the school has grown exponentially. Without drawing attention to himself, Ray has engendered growth at the law school at every level. He makes my work possible, and I am grateful to him in more ways than I can imagine. But I must discuss the Rutgers law students. I have greatly enjoyed teaching this ever-evolving and diverse group of young people. I am proud to do whatever I can to make them the best they can be.