Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law

At Villanova Law, you can personalize your education with a concentration or focus area of study tailored to your unique interests. These specialized options are designed to build your knowledge and experience in topics such as Business Law, Intellectual Property Law, Health Care Law, Litigation and Dispute Resolution, Public Interest, Sports Law and more.

Learn more about how these options can provide you with the skills needed to excel in today’s legal field: https://www.villanova.edu/university/law/academics/areas-study.html

Won Kidane, professor of law and director of the International Entrepreneurship Program in South Africa, brought extensive experience in international arbitration and litigation to his role and to building the international law curriculum at Villanova Law. In addition to the opportunity to shape the new program, he was drawn to the Law School’s emphasis on faculty research and “dynamic community of scholars.”

Read more about Kidane’s experience and research in his Faculty Scholars feature: https://bit.ly/4fxaMLm

There’s still some summer left to join us at one of our law alumni events:
🗓️ AUGUST 5: Minority Alumni Society Summer Social
🗓️ AUGUST 11: Law and Literature CLE: “An Enemy of the People”
🗓️ AUGUST 20: Delaware Summer Social
🗓️ SEPTEMBER 1: Cybersecurity and Fraud Protection Webinar
🗓️ SEPTEMBER 9: Villanova Law at the Phillies
Learn more about these events on our website: https://www.villanova.edu/university/law/about/alumni/events-reunion.html

Ana Santos Rutschman is a professor of law, faculty director of the Health Innovation Lab and director of International Programs at Villanova Law. As a health law scholar, her research is frequently included in top academic and medical publications. Her philosophy that “a university can’t be a campus unto itself” is evident in her work at Villanova Law, where she’s enhanced health law programming by launching the Health Innovation Lab and regularly bringing experts in the field to speak on campus. Read more about Rutschman in her Faculty Scholars feature: bit.ly/44MGYnH

This spring, two Villanova Law alums were honored at the Judge Advocates Association and Judge Advocates Foundation Awards Dinner. Colonel Elizabeth Hernandez ’04 received the Major General William K. Suter Distinguished Judicial Service Award, and Captain Andrew Moore ’16 received the Outstanding Defense Appellate Advocacy Award for the Army. During their separate times at Villanova Law, they both happened to be students of Steven Chanenson, professor of law and faculty director of the David F. and Constance B. Girard-diCarlo Center for Ethics, Integrity and Compliance. Read more about the awards: https://bit.ly/4h33zUs

Villanova Law’s Duane Morris LLP Legal Writing Program immerses students in three semesters of legal writing courses. This unique approach provides the skills employers seek to write everything from a client-advising email to a legal brief. Our students develop additional legal writing skills through required upper-level writing courses and opportunities to work on national journals. Learn more about the Legal Writing Program: https://www.villanova.edu/university/law/academics/legal-writing.html

Brenner Fissell, professor of law, focuses his research on substantive criminal law and is regularly featured in leading law reviews and journals. At Villanova Law, he’s part of a community focused on legal scholarship, which he says has a common focus when it comes to faculty research: “Whatever you’re doing, do it with excellence.” Read more about Fissell’s research in his Faculty Scholars feature: bit.ly/4b5jj5n

Rooted in our Augustinian Catholic mission, Villanova Law encourages students to explore pro bono and public interest law to strengthen a lifelong commitment to advancing justice. Spanning a variety of areas of civil and criminal legal practice, including health law, family law, consumer protection, employment law and criminal defense, public service can be a full-time career, or pro bono service can be incorporated into other professional work. Learn more about our commitment to public service and all the ways you can pursue this calling at Villanova Law: https://www.villanova.edu/university/law/experience/public-interest.html

In the latest edition of Villanova Magazine, Michael Moreland, University Professor of Law and Religion and director of the Eleanor H. McCullen Center for Law, Religion and Public Policy, discussed the reignited interest in St. John Henry Newman, a prominent 19th-century English theologian, philosopher and educator, who was recently named a Doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV. Read more: https://www.villanova.edu/vu/magazine/spring-2026/nova-worthy/newmans-legacy-lives-on.html

Last month, Villanova Law alumni celebrated Reunion 2026. The weekend featured events to reconnect, rediscover and reunite with classmates and the campus.