Jean's
insightful and cutting-edge scholarship earned the deep
respect of colleagues around these halls, and across the
country. Her knowledge and passion for teaching earned
the esteem of the thousands of students whose lives she
influenced.
The
entire Arizona Law community feels her loss.
In
the days since Jean's passing, after a battle with
cancer, tributes have poured in to the College and
appeared online among the academic communities in her
multiple fields of contracts, bankruptcy, and commercial
law. One tribute among contracts professors described
her as "a giant in our field."
With
Wisconsin Law Professors Stewart Macaulay, William C.
Whitford, and John Kidwell, Jean co-authored Contracts: Law in Action, Vol I and Vol II. She
wrote more than 50 law review articles and contributed
chapters to the seminal books in her field.
She
was a leader in the academic community. In 2013 Jean was
inducted as a fellow into the American College of Bankruptcy, and she
was the 2013 recipient of the Distinguished Service
Award from the National Association of Consumer Bankruptcy
Attorneys, where she served on the board of
directors.
Around
the country, Jean's colleagues are remembering her in
online tributes. The following are just a sampling from
the memories shared on Credit Slips: A Discussion on Credit,
Finance, and Bankruptcy.
"I
had great respect for Jean Braucher. She was strong,
willing to take on hard conceptual problems that others
had papered over and determined to counter conventional
wisdom with carefully collected data. Jean fought hard
for policies that would help people who were often
overlooked in the legal system, and her voice will be
sorely missed."
-- US
Senator Elizabeth Warren
"I
had read her articles long before meeting her, and
continued to look for her scholarly work during my
career as a law professor, and later as a bankruptcy
judge. Her scholarly work was extremely helpful in
teaching and in practice. Her voice and
perspective will be missed. I didn't know Jean
well on a personal level, but she always greeted me so
warmly, and I suspect that she was a wonderfully caring
person."
--Judge Paulette Del
US Bankruptcy
Court
Western District of
Tennessee
"Jean
was so patient with me when I barely understood
bankruptcy issues, and she guided my reporting on some
of the most important stories I've written here. This
just breaks my heart. Reporters need people like
her."
-- Katy
Stech
Wall Street
Journal
Long active in legal reform
efforts, she was a Vice President and board member for
the National Consumer Bankruptcy Rights
Center. She was a
member of, and advisor to, the American Law Institute,
serving on committees, working groups, and as a delegate
to the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform
State Laws. For more than five years she served on the
American Bar Association Committee on the Law
of Cyberspace, and
co-chaired a subgroup charged with developing sound
strategies for electronic consumer protection
disclosures.
An
Admired and Gifted Teacher
"My
relationship with Professor Braucher began with terror
on the first day of law school when I walked into her
Contracts class two minutes late. Soon after -- when I
was buried under reading assignments I could barely
understand but she always clearly explained -- I
progressed from terror to begrudging respect. But by my
third year, I voluntarily signed up for her flagship
Mortgage Class and Clinic. By my graduation, we were
colleagues and friends. Jean Braucher was a caring and
attentive teacher, a renowned scholar, and a wonderful
human. She will be terribly missed. "
-- Raina
Wagner
('12)
Associate, K&L Gates,
Seattle
Jean
joined the college in 1998 as the Roger C. Henderson
Professor of Law. She established herself as an academic
professional committed to the success of her students in
first-year contracts, bankruptcy, and the Mortgage
Clinic.
Students
often remark that her style of teaching contract
remedies before teaching formation seemed a little out
of place at first, but that in the end it worked in the
most brilliant way.
"Jean
Braucher was a truly unique and remarkable woman in so
many ways. One of those ways was her inspiring
dedication to her students' success. I was fortunate to
have been able to benefit from her wisdom and guidance
during my time at Arizona Law. She went above and beyond
the call of duty in helping me secure a clerkship after
graduation -- meeting with me over drinks to discuss
interviewing techniques, my future career plans and how
best to achieve them, and even went so far as to
research my interviewing judge's cases to glean whatever
bits of information she could that might give me an
edge. I feel blessed to have known her for even so brief
a time; she was an extraordinarily kind, funny, and
supportive professor, mentor, and friend and I, for one,
will miss her dearly."
-- Kaitlin
Shaw
('13)
Law Clerk, Hon. Judge
Joseph Howard
Arizona Court of
Appeals
Jean
was the founding director of the Mortgage Clinic at Arizona Law. After the
College of Law received a grant from the Arizona
Attorney General's Office -- which came from a
settlement by loan providers -- she partnered with Southern Arizona
Legal Aid (SALA) to offer the resources of law
students in mortgage restructuring and, if needed, in
bankruptcy. This clinic offered students a direct
application of bankruptcy and loan modification
principles.
Jean's
passionate commitment to her students rang out this fall
when she taught her final class in contracts.
"It
only took having Jean Braucher for Contracts as a
first-year law student to realize she had an outstanding
legal mind and was acutely aware of the real-world
implications of the law. That realization was then
reinforced while taking Bankruptcy from her and
participating in the Mortgage Clinic for which she was
an advisor. She was genuinely concerned about her
students and actively involved in our educational
experience. I will always be impressed by her
appreciation of the practical effect of bankruptcy and
contract law on the lives of the
underprivileged/uneducated. She took every opportunity
to lead us in discussing how greater protections and
access to justice can be made available to all. She will
be missed by everyone who had the privilege of calling
her Professor Braucher."
-- Brad
Terry
('13)
Law Clerk, Hon. Brenda
Moody Whinery ('85)
US Bankruptcy
Court
Before
coming to Arizona, Jean served a professor at the
University of Cincinnati College of Law (1987-1998) and
the University of Puget Sound (now Seattle University
School of Law) (1982-1987) and had been a visiting
faculty member at Cornell University Law School, the
University of Texas School of Law, Boston College Law
School, and the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.
She taught internationally in summer law programs in
Portugal and Greece.
A
Lifetime of Service to Community and
Colleagues
At
Arizona Law, Jean was a leader. Over the years, she
chaired the college's Executive, Faculty Development,
Appointments, and Admissions Committees.
"I
served on two faculties with Jean, and found her to be a
wonderful colleague: supportive, generous with her time,
and hardworking. She had an unfailingly wry sense of
humor and was almost always the smartest person in the
room. I miss her already."
-- Gabriel
"Jack" Chin
Professor of Law, UC
Davis
She
chaired the University Committee on Academic Freedom and
Tenure in 2005, having served on that committee since
2003. In 2008, she received the Bell Award for Faculty
Service, recognizing these and many other efforts.
Jean
was also active in the legal and local community. She
was the President of ACLU-Arizona during the early 2000s and
advised the ACLU student organization at Arizona Law, as
well as the Arizona Law Review.
Celebrating
Jean's Life
These
few paragraphs cannot capture either Jean's
accomplishments or the spirit with which she undertook
them.
We
are currently talking with Jean's family and national
colleagues about a time to honor her life's
work.
In
the meantime, you may send notes of condolence to Jean's
family via:
The
Family of Jean Braucher
c/o
Arizona Law
PO
Box 210176
Tucson,
AZ 85721
We
will forward notes to her husband, David Wohl, and their
two grown children.
As
we reflect on a profound loss to our extended community,
the academy, and the profession, we also celebrate
Jean's intellect, commitment, and courage.
She
will be missed.
