Dear NYLS Community,
I am pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Michael Pastor as our inaugural Dean for Technology Law Programs. Professor Pastor adds this new administrative responsibility to his current portfolio which includes serving as the Director of the Tricarico Institute for the Business of Law and In-House Counsel, as well as the Co-Director of the Innovation Center for Law and Technology along with Professor Seve Falati ’08. He currently teaches the In-House Counsel Experience Seminar and Drafting Contracts: Technology Transactions. He is also the faculty advisor to several student organizations including the Privacy Law Association, the Employment and Labor Law Student Association, and the Latin American Law Student Association.
The evolution of digital and other technologies in recent years has been extraordinary, and we are entering a new era of explosive AI innovation. The need for lawyers to guide the development and growth of the industry from legal and regulatory perspectives, and to promote the ethical use of technology itself, has never been greater. Dean Pastor’s prior experience as New York City government’s chief technology lawyer, along with his current leadership roles, all of which have a heavy emphasis on technology law in practice, make him uniquely suited for the position.
Dean Pastor will advise the faculty and administration on developments in the practice of technology law and coordinate related program opportunities for NYLS students. He will develop an annual plan, in collaboration with me and Senior Associate Dean Matt Gewolb, focused on student recruitment and retention, student counseling and engagement in technology and privacy law, and fundraising for program development. He will continue to serve on the Curriculum Committee, as well the AI Task Force working closely with Deans Kim Hawkins and Heidi Brown, provide strategic advice on the development and coordination of the School’s technology course offerings, offer perspectives on integrating aspects of technology law across the curriculum, and help establish a new integrated Data and AI Law Project. He will also serve as a resource for the Faculty Appointments Committee to draw on as they seek to identify scholars and practitioners for recruitment to NYLS to research and teach in the area of technology law, which remains a top priority in our faculty hiring efforts.
Dean Pastor was appointed as the inaugural Director of the Tricarico Institute four years ago, where he has built a best-in-class national program. Institute Founder and Trustee Jim Tricarico ’77 is highly supportive of Dean Pastor’s appointment and said “Michael brings an extraordinary level of knowledge, expertise, and tactical strategy to everything he undertakes. He has created a groundbreaking in-house counsel program that has inspired and empowered countless students to reach new levels of excellence. His new role will allow him to offer his vast knowledge on law and technology, and broaden his impact within the Tricarico Institute, the Innovation Center, and across the Law School.”
In addition to his role leading the Institute, Dean Pastor was appointed as Co-Director of the Innovation Center for Law and Technology last year. Previously, he served as the General Counsel of the New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) and the New York City Cyber Command (NYC3). In those roles, he was lead counsel for New York City for all technology law matters, including those related to cybersecurity and broadband connectivity. He was also the Deputy Commissioner for Legal Affairs and Franchises at DoITT, where he acted as the lead executive on the City’s relationships with major telecommunications providers, including overseeing the LinkNYC program and initiatives tied to the roll-out of 5G wireless networks. Prior to these roles, he spent nearly 10 years in senior roles at the New York City Law Department. He started his legal career as a law clerk in the U.S. District Court for Maryland and as an Associate at Morrison and Foerster. He has published pieces in the New York Daily News and New York Law Journal on highly critical and forward-thinking topics such as cybersecurity and abortion access, and effective ways for in-house counsel to utilize artificial intelligence, and will continue to produce thought leadership pieces going forward. He also sat down recently for an in-depth interview on his work supporting in-house legal and technology careers on the podcast Lawyers Who Learn with host David Schnurman ’06, CEO of Lawline. On April 4, he will host the Fourth Annual Tribeca Cybersecurity Summit at NYLS.
Please join me in congratulating Dean Pastor and working with him to make NYLS the leading institution for lawyers and leaders shaping the use of technology in the global economy.
-Dean Crowell