Law School Honors Jonathan Entin's Second Retirement

Jonathan Entin Speaking at retirement reception
Jonathan Entin Speaking at his retirement reception

After nearly four decades of teaching at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, Jonathan Entin, the David L. Brennan Professor Emeritus of Law, is set to retire a second time, this time from his position as faculty advisor of the Law Review. Dozens of alumni, faculty, staff and students celebrated Entin’s 20 years as advisor to the Law Review at a surprise retirement reception at the law school on April 13. 

In his opening remarks at the event, Co-Dean Michael Scharf announced the establishment of an endowment fund named in Entin’s honor that will recognize the Law Review Note of the year with a monetary award, with additional funding to be used to support the journal as determined by its executive board.

Michele Connell and Jonathan Entin

“Squire Patton Boggs Global Managing Partner Michele Connell got the giving started with a $10,000 commitment,” said Scharf. “We then had a matching anonymous donor pledge $12,500. To date, we have over $26,000 committed to this fund and hope many more Law Review alums will contribute to this effort.”

During his time at the law school, Entin has taught a wide array of courses and served for nearly eight years as the law school’s associate dean for academic affairs. Entin was honored when he retired the first time seven years ago by tributes from faculty and alumni in a special volume of the Law Review. 

But instead of leaving, Entin continued as Law Review Advisor for seven more years. The advisory role involves teaching the Law Review seminar and overseeing the Note-writing process for each student. This year-long endeavor is a large undertaking, with student notes ranging anywhere from 18-60 single-spaced pages with hundreds of footnotes.  

“Writing such a long paper can be daunting, but the way Entin teaches the seminar makes the process manageable and rewarding,” says Meritt Salathe. “He clearly cares about students and manages to guide 16-20 second-year law students through the note-writing process, meeting with all of them individually, reviewing and commenting on multiple drafts, staying abreast of the topics we selected and inspiring our curiosity about our topics. Professor Entin is passionate about writing and legal scholarship, and it is clear that he truly enjoys helping students develop their note topics and drafts. His feedback on my drafts helped shape my note into something I am proud to publish.”

In addition to guiding students in their writing, Professor Entin also served as an advocate for the Law Review with administration and assisted with the applications for outside funding for the Law Review Symposium. He also met with the editor in chief on a weekly basis to serve as a sounding board for their questions. “When I have been faced with difficult decisions, Entin has encouraged me to find the answer from within by asking questions rather than guiding me toward the choice that he would make. This helped me find my footing as a leader early on and taught me to trust my judgment,” says Salathe, the current editor in chief.

Throughout his time at the law school, Entin has received ten teaching awards, including the Distinguished Teacher Award of the Law Alumni Association. Five graduating classes have honored him as Teacher of the Year, and two other classes selected him as Administrator of the Year. He also received the Federal Bar Association’s first national award for Excellence in Civics Education.

Kennedy Dickson, another member of Law Review, was eager to share her own formative  experiences with Entin, “In addition to working with him for two years on Law Review, I was lucky enough to take his research and writing seminar focused on public interest law. Like the note writing process for Law Review, this class focused on writing legal scholarship. I loved working with Entin on another writing piece. His passion for figuring out the answers to tough legal questions is something that I will cherish.”

“I will always think fondly of my time with Professor Entin. I will take his charge to always find the “courage” to believe in myself and my abilities."