Farringer shares vision for leadership, growth and the future of Belmont Law
This year, the College of Law is entering a new chapter with Deborah R. Farringer serving as the newest dean of Belmont Law, becoming the first female dean to serve the College.
Farringer joined Belmont as law faculty in 2013 and served as associate dean of academic affairs and professor of law since 2021 before being selected as the successor of former dean Alberto Gonzales.
Farringer, mother of three children (19-year-old boy-girl twins and a 16-year-old daughter), respected scholar in health law and dedicated Belmont Law faculty of more than a decade, discussed the future trajectory of the College of Law, her vision moving forward and highlights of her journey thus far in the Q&A below.
Belmont: What excites you most about becoming the new dean of the College of Law?
Farringer: I am so excited to step into the role of dean at the College of Law at this stage in the college’s development. Fifteen years from when we welcomed the first law students onto campus, we have been able to develop a strong identity and reputation for the type of legal professional you can expect from a Belmont Law student.
I am thrilled to be able to lead the College of Law at this time of forward momentum for the school. I am looking forward to telling the story about the success of our program, our students and our alumni to deans, professors, lawyers and judges across the country.
Belmont: What does it mean to you to be the first female dean of Belmont’s College of Law?
Farringer: Being selected as the next dean is such a huge honor. Belmont Law has been a leading law school across the country for its enrollment of women, so it is especially meaningful to be in the position to serve as an example for so many future female attorneys. I also feel especially privileged to join a growing number of women across the country who are becoming deans of law schools. Over 40% of law deans in U.S. law schools are women, which is quadruple the number of female deans in 2000. I am proud to join this group of impressive women across the country.
Belmont: What’s something people might not know about you?
Farringer: I am an avid runner and have completed over a dozen half marathons and four full marathons, including the Boston Marathon and the Country Music Marathon. My first three marathons were all prior to having kids. Watching my three children competing in cross country and track and developing their own love of running inspired me to run the Country Music Marathon last year for my first full marathon in over 20 years.
Belmont: What’s your vision for the College of Law moving forward?
As the next dean, I intend to focus on continued excellence, increased development and expanded reach.”
Continue Excellence
Farringer: I want to foster the already stellar reputation for excellence as seen through our students’ impressive bar exam pass rates, strong legal skills and steadfast professionalism.
Increase Development
Farringer: I would like to further develop our relationships with our alumni, the legal community and the state and local communities at large. Belmont Law often graduates the highest number of students who sit for the Tennessee Bar, which means that our alumni are making strong inroads into their legal and local communities. We want to further engage with alumni, employers, companies, judges and citizens to make a positive impact on our state and cities.
Expand Reach
Farringer: Lastly, I would love to bring the amazing story of our impressive students and alumni and what we have been able to achieve here at Belmont to more people across the country. We have developed an outstanding local and regional reputation, but I welcome the opportunity to show what Belmont Law students and graduates have to offer to professors, attorneys, judges and other professionals across the country and globe.
Belmont: Looking back, what’s the most meaningful contribution you’ve made to Belmont Law?
Farringer: This is a hard question to answer, as all of my contributions have been part of a team effort among the faculty and staff at the College of Law. I am most proud of two achievements: our health law certificate program and our global initiatives.
Health Law Certificate Program
As the director of health law studies, I have been fortunate to be able to lead the health law certificate program to its highest specialty ranking this year at No. 55. We have an excellent faculty that offera wide variety of courses, and our students have been two-time national champions of the Health Law Transactions Team, of which I am the coach. Our health law students are well-prepared and are making meaningful impacts on the health care legal practice in Nashville and beyond. This is all thanks to our faculty and staff.
Global Initiatives
Within my time as associate dean, we have launched two global programs. Four years ago, we launched our first Legal Globalization and Comparative Law course, offering students an opportunity to explore the impact of globalization on legal systems through case studies of different countries. Students have studied Australian and English law, traveling to Sydney, Australia and London, England. Currently, we are in the process of launching our first summer study abroad program at Queen’s University in Belfast, Northern Ireland. We are excited for these new global initiatives that provide students with diverse legal experiences.
Belmont: What sets Belmont Law’s program, students and alumni apart?
Farringer: Belmont Law students and alumni are an impressive bunch! Belmont Law prides itself on graduating practice-ready attorneys who make an instant impact in their legal community. That reputation has been earned by the work ethic and drive of our students to be curious, engage in their studies, participate in experiential learning and pro bono opportunities and do all they can to know the law. This dedication while in law school permeates their ethos as practitioners and when our students become alumni, they bring the values for professionalism and communal responsibility to their legal practice.
The Belmont Difference
In closing, Farringer reflected on Belmont’s distinct culture. Rather than encouraging a malicious sense of competition, Belmont fosters camaraderie among its students and alumni that motivates members to uplift, celebrate and empower each other to reach their full potential, in turn elevating the law program as a whole.
“I do think that maintenance of this culture is essential to the success of the law school. Dean Gonzales’ leadership fostered this culture and created a strong sense of what it means to be a Belmont Law student,” she shared.
“I feel lucky to have witnessed how to create and maintain this culture, first as a professor and then, for the past five years, as associate dean,” she added. “I think that continued and increased student and alumni engagement, ongoing programming and course work that champions professionalism and practical skills, and a focus on developing students as whole persons who are entering not a job but a profession will all help to protect and grow this distinction.”
As Belmont Law enters its next chapter, Farringer's vision is clear: build on a strong foundation, broaden the school's reach and continue cultivating practice-ready lawyers.
With deep institutional knowledge, a proven record of leadership and a passion for student success, she is poised to guide Belmont Law into its next era of impact.
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