50 years in the conflicts vineyard: SYMposium in honor of Professor and Dean Emeritus Symeonides

25 years at Willamette Law and a lifetime of dedication to the legal community

By Sarah Bello

The affectionate phrase, “If you know Symeon…,” echoed throughout the day during a special SYMposium in honor of Professor and Dean Emeritus Symeon Symeonides held this spring.

Appreciative murmurs of agreement, laughter and shared memorable moments punctuated the event as fellow professors, alumni, friends and colleagues gathered to celebrate the man who has been called “the conflicts giant,” “the world’s leading expert on U.S. and comparative conflicts law,” and “the father of choice of law in the 21st century.”

While so many of his efforts have had broad reaching impact locally, nationally, and internationally, Symeon’s impact can also be felt on a personal level by students, faculty, staff and myself,” said former Willamette Law Dean Brian Gallini at the symposium. “He is rightfully known for the individual care and concern he offers to students, making himself available to answer questions both small and large.

After 50 years laboring in the “conflicts vineyard,” Symeonides will hang up his hat — though he doesn’t plan to give up his pen — when he retires from teaching in 2025.

With all the praise and accolades, one might presume Symeonides to be lofty or unreachable. But the long list of admirers taking part in the symposium said otherwise.

“He’s humble, he’s self-possessed, he’s kind, he’s gentle,” said Judge John DeGravelles, U.S. District Judge for the Middle District of Louisiana.

“In meetings, he never took over the room, but patiently listened to every voice,” said David Kenagy, former Willamette Law associate dean. “In the strict linguistic sense, he was both leader and servant.”

“If you know Symeon, you know it is his custom in life to stop whatever he is doing and to take the time to see others and try to find a way to serve and uplift them,” said Warren Binford, former Willamette Law professor. “Students first, faculty second, himself last.”

It felt as though the symposium participants could have continued their monologues much longer than the time provided, which seemed an appropriate, and yet likely still inadequate, way to show their esteem for the man who has written over 100 articles, including 30 years of annual surveys on conflicts law, and more than 30 books.

Professors from around the world and from prominent U.S. universities, such as Harvard, Yale, Pennsylvania, NYU and Michigan, lauded Symeonides’ contributions to the field as invaluable. Their papers will be published in a special issue of the Willamette Law Review, together with 30 other papers from foreign professors who could not be present at the event.

One of the speakers, Professor Kermit Roosevelt III, who is the chief reporter of the Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Laws, acknowledged that the rules Symeonides distilled from thousands of judicial decisions “are essentially what the [Third] Restatement adopted,” concluding: “I thank Symeon for teaching them to me.”

When asked if he is proud of the accolades, Symeonides responds:

I am gratified in realizing that I have earned the genuine affection of my peers, which, in the academic world, cannot be taken for granted. It is nice to be respected for your scholarship, but even nicer to be both respected and loved. At least, that’s how I felt during the symposium.