After former president Gene Nichol announced his resignation last month, the Board of Visitors called upon Taylor Reveley, then Dean of the Marshall-Wythe School of Law, to head the College until a new president could found. But Reveley also had to be replaced at the law school for the interim period, a job that fell to Lynda Butler ’73.

p. Butler received her undergraduate degree from the College and her J.D. at the University of Virginia. She practiced law for several years in Washington, D.C., and joined the law school faculty in 1979. She has served as vice dean since 2000 and is also the Chancellor Professor of Law.

p. She said that vice deans are often called upon to fill in when a dean is called up.

p. “It’s unusual to have such short notice,” she said in an e-mail. “So, frankly, it was quite a surprise.”

p. Butler said that she continues to teach a one-credit tutorial on environmental law and that Reveley continues to teach a course on citizen lawyers. She added that she is working closely with Reveley on a plan for the law school.

p. “Taylor and I have worked together for a long time and I share his vision for the Law School,” she said. “My plan is to maintain the school’s forward momentum.”

p. Butler said that overall, law students and faculty have supported the College in regard to Nichol’s resignation.

p. She added that she looks forward to Reveley’s administration.
“For my part, I’m heartened, but not surprised, by … Reveley’s efforts to reach out to the William and Mary community and learn about [the school’s] concerns during this transition,” she said. “He is a thoughtful and judicious person, well suited to helping the College move forward.”

p. Butler will serve as interim law dean until a new College president is selected and Reveley returns to the law school. Reveley has previously stated he expects the search to last several years.