WS Chronicle

Wake Forest University School of Law Dean Blake D. Morant is among the 24 legal educators and one legal education public policy advocate that The National Jurist has named to its 2012 list of the most influential people in legal education.

The magazine requested nominations from every law school in the nation, and received more than 85. Its editorial team narrowed the list down to 50 and then asked 350 people in legal education, including every law school dean, to rate each nominee based on how much they influenced them in the past 12 months.

The final list includes law school deans and professors, with one exception — Kyle McEntee, co-founder of Law School Transparency, a non-profit organization.

Other honorees include some of the more controversial figures in legal education, including Paul Campos and Brian Tamanaha.

“It was surprising to see both the agitators and the establishment on the list,” said Jack Crittenden, editor-in-chief of the National Jurist. “The list is a who’s who of the people who have shaped the discussion over the past year, which has been a challenging and pivotal year. While some have shaped discussion through traditional means, others have stirred the pot more. But even though there has been much criticism about their means, it is clear that those who spoke up about legal education were heard.”

The finalists will be published in order of influence in the January issue of National Jurist, due on stands at the start of January.