Celebrating our faculty

As another school year comes to an end, the students, faculty, and staff of Richmond Law bid farewell to four professors who have made an immense impact on the law school in their collective 108 years of service. Professors Ron Bacigal, Ann Hodges, and John Pagan will retire, while Professor Bill Fisher will explore a new path on the faculty of another law school.

Professor Bacigal retires after 47 years at Richmond Law. In 1971, Professor Bacigal joined the law school as an instructor, and became an assistant professor of law in 1972 and a tenured professor in 1973. Widely regarded as the leading authority on Virginia criminal law and procedure, Professor Bacigal is the author of over a dozen books and almost 50 articles on these subjects.

Professor Ann Hodges retires after 30 years at Richmond Law. In 1988, she joined the faculty as an assistant professor, and became the third tenured female faculty member in 1994. In addition to her expertise and extensive scholarship in labor and employment law, feminist legal theory, and nonprofit organizations, she is the co-founder of the Legal Information Network for Cancer (CancerLINC).

Professor John Pagan retires after 21 years at Richmond Law, including serving six years as dean. He is known for his teaching and writing in the areas of legal history, constitutional law, and sexuality and the law. Professor Pagan’s 2003 book, Anne Orthwood’s Bastard: Sex and Law in Early Virginia, won the American Historical Association’s James A. Rawley Prize in Atlantic History.

Professor Bill Fisher will leave the law school after teaching for 10 years to pursue a new venture at the University of Nebraska School of Law, where he will serve as a visiting faculty member. A former partner at Pillsbury Winthrop, Professor Fisher is an expert in the areas of securities regulation and corporate law, with scholarship including a caselaw book on corporate governance.

“Ron, Ann, John, and Bill are standout examples of the type of exceptional faculty who make the Richmond Law experience so special,” said Dean Wendy Perdue. “I’m so grateful for the immense time and talent that all four of them have given to the school. From criminal law to labor and employment, from constitutional to corporate law, these faculty have made an impact on generations of students.”