Giving back: Keating embodies service to others

Teacher, author, churchman, coach, family man -- law dean wears many hats and helps countless people

Law School Dean Daniel L. Keating, J.D., has efficiency down to a science. But even for the "whiz kid" who became a highly motivated and successful professional, the deanship at the School of Law has proved the ultimate challenge.

Daniel L. Keating, J.D., far left, talks with law students at one of the weekly breakfast meetings he has instituted to allow students ongoing opportunities to meet with administrators. The students are (from left) Julia Mariani, Arash Samadani and Elizabeth Pejeau. Katherine Goldwasser, J.D., professor of law and associate dean for Student Affairs, right, joins in the discussion.

"Up to this point, I have relied on efficiency and my ability to do a lot of things quickly, but still thoroughly," Keating said. "Being dean was definitely not in my plans. Even for me, it seemed more than I could do and still be the husband and father of a young family that I want to be." Keating succeeded Dorsey D. Ellis Jr., J.D., as dean on July 1, but at his own request a national search for a regular-term dean continues. "I look upon this time as an amazing learning experience, while I strive to live up to the tremendous challenges and responsibilities of being dean," he added.

When it comes to professional achievement, community service and family commitment, Keating, 36, a devoted husband and father of three, seemingly either has done or is doing it all.

A tenured law faculty member after five years at the law school, Keating then served as an associate dean for five years while maintaining a full teaching load. He is the author of a treatise on bankruptcy and employment law, co-author of a casebook on commercial transactions and author of a casebook on sales (completed two years ahead of the publisher's deadline). He also has written numerous in-depth articles on legal issues related to bankruptcy or sales, as well as teachers' manuals and faculty resource guides.

Cutting to the core

A sampling of Daniel Keating's prolific writing includes casebooks and teachers' manuals.

"Dan's casebook on sales in its first year out is probably the best-selling sales casebook in the country," said Ronald Mann, J.D., assistant professor of law at the University of Michigan. "He has an extremely lucid writing style and includes excellent problems that draw on his years of experience in teaching the course." Mann is one of four co-authors of the casebook on commercial transactions. This volume includes a section that Keating then expanded into his casebook on sales.

A gifted teacher, Keating was named Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1989-90 by the law students, and his classes consistently are ranked by students at 4.5 or higher on a scale of 5. He not only enjoys elucidating complex legal issues but also takes a personal interest in each student. As dean, Keating said he will strive to maintain this natural rapport with students through his open-door policy, the weekly breakfast meetings he has instituted with students and his ongoing efforts to encourage community service.

"One of my goals is getting students to see that part of their responsibility as a professional is giving back to the community in which they practice," he said.

Third-year law student Tara Casey, president of the Student Bar Association, noted: "Dean Keating is an innovator, bringing fresh ideas to the table and reaching out for student input. The students respect his visionary perspectives regarding pro bono and community volunteerism. He truly views lawyering as a service, not just a profession; likewise, he believes those skills must be developed and nurtured in law school."

Keating's own community service ranges from coaching his 10-year-old daughter Amy's soccer team to visiting an elderly woman each week at an inner-city nursing home. He regularly attends soccer games of his 7-year-old daughter, Emily, and 5-year-old son, Matthew. Additionally, he directs the Sunday School program at Our Lady of Lourdes' Catholic Church along with his wife, Jane; he serves on the Catholic Legal Assistance Ministry Board; and he's a member of a St. Louis archdiocesan panel examining pay scales for Catholic grade-school teachers.

Daniel Keating, who coaches his 10-year-old daughter Amy's soccer team, offers pointers to team members during a recent game. The team's record is 5-1-1.

Combining a brilliant intellect with an easy-going personality, Keating is a master of accomplishing the most in a lifestyle where minutes matter. His home is a five-minute walk from the law school -- a journey he takes at a brisk pace, supplementing his standard 5 a.m. workout. But when pressed, Keating has been known to shave that walk down to a three-minute run.

For someone who had the choice between two all-expense paid scholarships to college, graduated at the top of his class from Monmouth College in 1983 and in the top 5 percent of his class at the University of Chicago Law School in 1986, Keating has maintained some of that "whiz kid" persona. He first earned the nickname at age 15, when he was writing award-winning sports stories on the Cubs and White Sox for Chicago's Daily Southtown Economist newspaper. By 16, he was laying out many of the sports pages. "I really had a great deal going," says Keating, who originally considered a career in journalism.

Keating continued this accelerated pace in his chosen career, when after two years of private practice at the First National Bank of Chicago, he began teaching at Washington University at age 26 and became the youngest associate law dean in the nation at 31. While the age range of deans of other "top 30" law schools is 42 to 67, Keating brings experience in the trenches, including numerous leadership roles on law school committees.

Keating has been heavily recruited for visiting professorships by other leading law schools, but he has remained firm in his commitment to Washington University. His innate leadership ability comes at a critical time in the law school, with the new, state-of-the-art Anheuser-Busch Hall in full operation and the $20 million Building for a New Century campaign complete. Capitalizing on this momentum, Keating is working with faculty and key alumni to set the next goals for the school, as it continues its ascent among the nation's top law schools.

Tackling challenges

Keating has tackled his new role head-on, making key faculty appointments to several administrative positions, organizing an upcoming public interest discussion series with headliners such as Ralph Nader and Judge Leon Higginbotham and bolstering professional staffing for Career Services and graduate and joint-degree programs.

"Dan has shown a remarkable ability to 'connect' with all segments of the law school community," said Susan Appleton, J.D., associate dean and one of Keating's appointees. "Everyone feels included. This approach and Dan's energy mean we can accomplish great things during this transitional time."