Law school shaken by professor's death

An outspoken voice for human rights fell silent and a treasured scholar was lost to the University's law school when professor Joan Fitzpatrick unexpectedly passed away.

The School of Law informed the UW community about Fitzpatrick's death late last week.

"This is a profound loss, not just for her family or for us as a law school, but for the world," said Mary Hotchkiss, the law school's assistant dean for academic services. "Even a week later, it's still incredibly overwhelming. She was a brilliant scholar and a passionate teacher, and she cared intensely about her students, her teaching and issues of refugee rights and immigration law."

A family friend found Fitzpatrick's body in her home May 16.

During her time at the University, Fitzpatrick, 52, was known as one of the nation's preeminent scholars in the field of international-human-rights law. She wrote six books and more than 100 papers and articles on the topic. Besides teaching at the UW, Fitzpatrick traveled to Oxford during the summers to participate in its internationally renowned seminars on human rights, and engaged in many other academic and social activities.

"She married her interest in international law with advocacy in the United States and abroad," said Anita Ramasastry, an assistant professor at the law school who has worked closely with Fitzpatrick. "She's been involved very directly with Amnesty International and the Center for Justice and Accountability that litigates for human rights in the United States. Most recently, she was looking at new federal legislation like the Patriot Act and its impact on immigrants."

Devin Theriot-Orr, a third-year law student and president of the UW's Student Bar Association, said his work with Fitzpatrick was an inspirational experience.

"She had case law at her fingertips from this century and the last, and she understood international and domestic law in a way I can only hope to," he said. "In the spring of 2002, another student and I were working on an international-human-rights case, and we talked it over many times with professor Fitzpatrick.

"We would often spend a long time struggling over how to phrase something, but she could sum it up perfectly when we explained it to her. We'd just be furiously taking down notes ... everything would sound so simple when we were in her office."

Earlier this month, Fitzpatrick went on medical leave to recover from a broken tailbone she suffered after she was struck by a car while crossing a street.

Friends and family members said she struggled with depression in the months leading up to her death, which UW officials and family members said appeared to be a suicide.

The news of Fitzpatrick's passing has fueled dialog within the law school concerning the pressures associated with legal work and scholarship. Andrew Benjamin, a UW alumnus with degrees in law and psychology, spoke to students and faculty Thursday about the psychological problems commonly faced by people in the legal profession.

"Lawyers have a very high rate of alcoholism, substance abuse and depression," said Theriot-Orr. "Law school is especially stressful. The first-year schedule seems like it's designed to make people feel inferior. I think you can become a very good lawyer without having your spirit crushed."

Hotchkiss said Fitzpatrick invested a tremendous amount of energy into her work.

"She worked so hard, it literally seemed as if she never slept," she said. "There's a lot of glorification of overwork in our profession, and if there's one thing I've taken away from this, it's the importance of keeping a balance in one's life."

Fitzpatrick graduated from Rice University in 1972 with a degree in history and went on to graduate from law schools at Harvard and Oxford. In 1984, she joined the UW law school's faculty. She served as the associate dean for academic affairs from 1993-1994 and claimed the Jeffrey and Susan Brotman Endowed Professorship in 2000.

Among other honors, she received the Horowitz Lecturer Award, the Spencer Short Award for Excellence in Scholarship and two Professor of the Year awards from the law school.

A memorial service for Fitzpatrick will be held June 3 from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Center for Urban Horticulture. The law school has invited Fitzpatrick's friends, students and colleagues to contribute their memories for a book to be given to her family. Submissions for the book may be sent to the Office of the Dean, 1100 N.E. Campus Parkway or via e-mail to lalarsen@ u.washington.edu.