Jay Tidmarsh Named Clynes Professor of Law

Jay Tidmarsh, a professor of law at Notre Dame Law School, has been named the Judge James J. Clynes, Jr., Professor of Law.

“It’s humbling, and I’m deeply grateful to the University and for Judge Clynes’ generous gift,” said Tidmarsh, who joined the Law School faculty in 1989. “To hold a chair named in his honor means a great deal to me.”

Clynes earned his bachelor’s degree at the University of Notre Dame in 1945 and went on to obtain a J.D. at Cornell Law School.

“Jay is one of the Law School’s best-known scholars and most-beloved teachers,” said Nell Jessup Newton, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and professor of law at Notre Dame Law School. “I join Jay’s students and colleagues in offering my hearty congratulations.”

Tidmarsh teaches in the areas of civil procedure, complex civil litigation, evidence, federal courts, choice of law, products liability, and remedies. His research principally focuses on the benefits and costs of processes, such as class actions, used by courts to resolve mass disputes. He is the author or co-author of 12 books, including casebooks in the fields of civil procedure and complex litigation, as well as numerous articles in law reviews.

He earned his bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Notre Dame in 1979 and a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1982. A member of the Wisconsin Bar, he practiced as a trial attorney with the Torts Division of the U.S. Department of Justice from 1982 to 1989.

Three of Notre Dame Law School’s graduating classes have selected Tidmarsh as Distinguished Professor of the Year.

Tidmarsh credited students for playing a key part in his success.

“They always say you learn a lot more by teaching, and that is certainly true for me. The things students have asked me and said in class have spurred me on,” he said. “My students really deserve the recognition. This chair is something I share with them.”