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Ginny Greenberg - Director
University Relations
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Phone: (516) 463-6819
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University Relations

Date: Dec 20, 2006

DEAN AARON TWERSKI NAMED SPECIAL MASTER

Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein Appoints Dean Twerski as One of Two Special Masters to Oversee Thousands of Claims Filed by World Trade Center Workers

Hofstra University School of Law, Hempstead, NY: Hofstra Law School Dean Aaron Twerski was appointed by Federal Judge Alvin Hellerstein as one of two Special Masters to handle cases filed by workers who suffered respiratory illnesses as a result of cleaning up the World Trade Center site after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. He will be joined by Professor James A. Henderson Jr. of Cornell Law School.

The appointments were made in an effort to ensure the thousands of cases already filed are handled in a timely and efficient manner. Twerski and Henderson, who have worked together for years writing dozens of articles and publishing several textbooks, are experts in the field of mass torts. They will be responsible for organizing cases into categories to facilitate group settlements.

"It is quite an honor for me personally and for Hofstra Law School that I was selected for this appointment," said Dean Twerski. "Jim and I are inspired by this unique opportunity."

Aaron Twerski was appointed the seventh dean of Hofstra Law School in June 2005.

He is considered a preeminent authority in the areas of products liability and tort law. He was co-reporter for the American Law Institute's Restatement of the Law (Third) Torts: Products Liability, published in 1998. For his distinguished performance as a reporter, the ALI named him the R. Ammi Cutter Reporter. He is a prolific scholar, having published dozens of law review articles on torts and products liability law. Among his recent articles are those published in the Yale Law Journal, Cornell Law Review, New York University Law Review, Northwestern University Law Review, and the Georgetown Law Journal. He is also the author of the leading textbook, Products Liability: Problems and Process (4th ed. 2000) (with J. Henderson, Jr.). His expertise has been widely called upon by state and federal legislative bodies considering product liability and mass tort legislation, and he is a frequent lecturer to the practicing bar.

Prior to his appointment at Hofstra, he was a distinguished professor of law at Brooklyn Law School. Over the past 30 years, he has held the positions of professor, visiting professor and teaching fellow. Dean Twerski has true passion for both legal education and justice.

Hofstra Law School, founded in 1970, is accredited by the ABA and boasts an alumni body of nearly 9,000 graduates. The school is located on campus at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. In addition to its full-time juris doctor (J.D.) degree program, Hofstra Law School offers part-time day and evening J.D. programs as well as numerous graduate degree programs. For additional program information, please visit hofstra.edu/law.

Hotline:  Patti Desrochers (516) 463-4142

Related Link: Hofstra Law School