The University of Arizona in Tuscon

Former University of Arizona Law Dean Passes

Charles Ares, the former University of Arizona College of Law, dean has passed away.

Ares, who served as dean of the University of Arizona College of Law from 1966 to 1973, was 93, azcentral reports.

“The word transformative really applies to Chuck Ares,” Marc Miller, dean of the University of Arizona Law College, tells azcentral. “He was very much a presence in our community and was beloved.”

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

At the time of his death, Ares was a J. Byron McCormick Professor Emeritus and Special Advisor to the College. He also taught for five years at the New York University School of Law, according to the University of Arizona.

But his accomplishments span beyond the classroom. As dean of the University of Arizona Law College, Ares helped to modernize the law school and transform it into a nationally-renowned institution, azcentral reports.

In his early days, Ares clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas. In 1961, he began teaching at New York University School of Law and worked on the Vera Institute’s Manhattan Bail Project, which worked to create a replacement for the bail system which unfairly impacted low-income individuals. His work, ultimately, helped to adopt the Bail Reform Act of 1966.

A TEACHER AND LEADER

As dean of UA Law, Ares helped to modernize the law school to become a nationally-renown institution.

“Chuck came to the law school when it was very much stuck in the past,” Dale Danneman, a friend of Ares and fellow UA law school alum, tells azcentral. “He hired much younger professors and created a more dynamic educational system that was on the cutting edge of legal education.”

Additionally, those who knew Ares said he was an outstanding teacher as well.

“He didn’t just train students to be good lawyers, he taught them how to shape the law around them. It was an incredibly exciting time,” Miller tells azcentral.

Ares leaves behind his wife, Jean, four children, and grandchildren.

Sources: azcentral, University of Arizona.