Nick Allard (1974)

Nick Allard is the founding Randall C. Berg, Jr. Dean of Jacksonville University’s new College of Law in Florida. He previously served as President and Dean of Brooklyn Law School in New York. Throughout his career in government service, as a senior partner in some of the world’s most respected law firms, and as an innovator in higher education, he has been deeply involved in addressing the impact of new technology on society, law, and policy. He is best known as an expert in public policy advocacy and ethical effective government relations by lawyers. Allard’s expertise is reflected in his extensive writings, teaching, and as a frequent speaker and commentator. He is particularly interested in historical comparisons with our contemporary age of digital and biomedical discovery. 

After graduating from Princeton University’s School of Public Policy and International Affairs, and before earning his J.D. from Yale Law School, Allard came to Merton College as a Rhodes Scholar in 1974. At Merton, where he read PPE, his tutors included the iconic John Lucas, Vijay Joshi, Zbignew Pelczinski, and Sir Alastair Buchan. At Merton Allard played rugby, was Captain of Boats and rowed in the First Eight for two years and earned a Half Blue as Goalie of the Oxford University Ice Hockey team. He is a Bodley Fellow, President and Trustee of the North American based Merton College Charitable Corporation, an elected Member of the Merton Society, appointed to Merton’s Development Committee, and elected as the North American representative on the Rhodes Trust Global Alumni Advisory Board.