In 1993, when Dr. Hall was appointed Dean of the Northeastern University School of Law, he made history by being the first African-American to hold the position. He was appointed Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Northeastern in July of 1998 and served in that capacity until July of 2002.

In a December 1995 Wall Street Journal article on the Northeastern School of Law, Harvard Law Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr. referred to Dr. Hall as “one of the most important leaders in legal education today.” During his tenure as the chief academic officer for Northeastern, Dr. Hall oversaw significant growth in the University’s external research funding, retention rate and overall academic standing. Born in Savannah, Georgia, Dr. Hall holds a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University, where he was named an “all American” for his athletic and scholarly accomplishments. After graduating from Kansas State, he played professional basketball in Italy.

Dr. Hall holds both a doctorate of juridical science and an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School and received his juris doctorate from the University of Oklahoma, where he also earned a master’s degree in human relations. Having taught law for more than 20 years in the law schools of the University of Mississippi and the University of Oklahoma, in addition to Northeastern, Dr. Hall has developed a unique perspective with regard to legal education and the ethical standards of the profession. Working to bridge the often-alienated worlds of law and the inner city, he was instrumental in the formation of Northeastern’s Urban Law and Public Policy Institute, which brought community activists, government representatives and academicians together to develop solutions to urban dilemmas.

Dr. Hall’s publications include works on civil rights, the U.S. Constitution and race, legal education, and social justice. He has authored a book on the intersection of law and spirituality, entitled The Spiritual Revitalization of the Legal Profession: A Search for Sacred Rivers, and lectures nationally on topics of social justice, leadership, diversity and spiritual values in professional life.

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