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Elected & Ex Officio

Dean
A. Benjamin
Spencer

Location
Williamsburg, VA, USA
Affiliation
William & Mary Law School
Education
Morehouse College, B.A.
The London School of Economics, M.Sc.
Harvard Law School, J.D.

A. Benjamin Spencer is the Dean & Trustee Professor at William & Mary Law School.  Previously, Dean Spencer was the Bennett Boskey Visiting Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and the Justice Thurgood Marshall Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Virginia School of Law. He has also been a member of the faculty at the University of Richmond School of Law and Washington & Lee University School of Law. He specializes in federal civil procedure, teaching several courses on the topic as well as publishing several books and articles in the area.   He also sits on the National Conference of Bar Examiners Multistate Bar Exam Civil Procedure Drafting Committee as well as West Academic Publishing’s Law School Advisory Board. Dean Spencer has served as a member of the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules of the U.S. Judicial Conference.  He has also served as a member of the Virginia State Bar Council, the Board of Governors of the Virginia Bar Association, and the Board of Directors of the Association of Marshall Scholars. He has also served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Western District of Virginia and is currently an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps (Reserve). He is a graduate of Morehouse College, the London School of Economics (Marshall Scholar), and Harvard Law School.

Member News

Traynor on Liberty, Law, and Democracy

In his essay "Liberty, Law, and Democracy: Are There Grounds for Realistic Optimism?" Michael Traynor, former President of The American Law Institute, reflects on the challenges facing American democracy amid political polarization and institutional strain. He examines threats to the balance between liberty and law, citing dysfunction across the executive, legislative, and judicial branches, while drawing on historical context and recent scholarship to frame these concerns.

Despite his sober assessment, Traynor maintains a guarded optimism rooted in America’s resilience, civic traditions, and individual potential to effect change. He highlights positive actions within the legal community, nonprofit organizations, and among engaged citizens, while outlining five practical steps Americans can take to strengthen democracy: improving civic education, demanding accountability, fostering open debate, participating in elections and local governance, and resisting simplistic solutions.

Traynor concludes that democracy is “stubborn work,” incremental, imperfect, and ongoing, but expresses confidence that Americans have the resolve to preserve it.

Read the full article The New Nationalist

Michael Traynor is senior counsel at Cobalt LLP in Berkeley California. He served as ALI President from 2000 to 2008, and as Chair of the Council from 2008 to 2011. He is also a recipient of ALI's Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Traynor is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers, the California Academy of Appellate Lawyers, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.   He received the John P. Frank Outstanding Lawyer Award from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He is an honorary life trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and of Earthjustice and a past President (1973) of the Bar Association of San Francisco.