Dentons, the global law firm, today named Nicholas W. Allard as Senior Counsel in the Firm’s Public Policy and Regulation practice. Allard, who is currently the dean of Brooklyn Law School and will continue in that role, will be based out of Dentons’ New York and Washington, DC offices focusing on legislative, regulatory and administrative legal matters in the fields of telecommunications, information technology, health, energy, environmental law and higher education.
Throughout his career, Allard has been an outspoken voice on the changing nature of legal education and the importance of integrating public policy counsel with traditional legal work. Since being appointed dean of Brooklyn Law School in 2012, he has instituted a number of innovative changes that have reverberated throughout the legal profession and challenged the traditional approach to legal training.
“Nick’s global perspective on the changing nexus of law and public policy will be a tremendous asset to our clients and we are delighted to welcome him to our team,” said Mike McNamara, US managing partner of Dentons. “His deep background as a legal educator and practicing lawyer bring a remarkable perspective to the Firm and I look forward to his leadership as we continue to build the law firm of the future at Dentons.”
In addition to serving as chair of a preeminent Washington public policy practice at a major law firm, Allard’s distinguished public service roles include administrative assistant and chief of staff to the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, and staff counsel to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, where he served as legal counsel to the late Senator Edward Kennedy.
“The broad spectrum of policy changes taking place on a national and local level around the country are impacting businesses in multiple sectors,” said Gordon D. Giffin, chair of Dentons’ US Public Policy and Regulation practice. “Nick’s insight and understanding of the intersection of law and public policy bring a critical skill set to our team as we continue to expand around the globe.”
Prior to joining Dentons, Allard was a partner at a national law firm and taught for several years as an adjunct professor at both George Mason University Law School and the Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. He is a frequent guest lecturer on university and college campuses, a sought after resource for editors, reporters and talk show hosts on matters of law, business, policy and higher education, and holds several major alumni leadership positions at Princeton University, Oxford University and the Rhodes Scholarship Trust.
“Dentons’ vision for the future of legal services on global scale captures the essence of where our industry is headed and I am very excited to be joining their team,” Allard said. “I am confident that working with the team at Dentons will make me a better law school dean and, in turn, a better lawyer.”
Allard received his JD from Yale Law School and holds a BA from Princeton University. He is a Rhodes Scholar and holds a MA, PPE from Oxford University.
Source: www.dentons.com
