Joanna Grossman, Ellen K. Solender Endowed Chair in Women and the Law, Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor, and Professor of Law at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law, and Kimberly Mutcherson, Professor of Law at Rutgers Law School, have been recognized with the 2026 Deborah L. Rhode Award.

This award honors the contributions, service, and leadership of Deborah Rhode by recognizing a current or new trailblazer in legal education and the legal profession. The award is presented annually by four Sections of the Association of American Law Schools in which Deborah Rhode made an indelible impact—the Section on Leadership, the Section on Pro Bono & Service Opportunities, the Section on Professional Responsibility, and the Section on Women in Legal Education.

The award recognizes a legal academic or lawyer whose work reflects the imagination, innovation, and transformative leadership that defined Deborah Rhode’s career. The recipient demonstrates extraordinary potential to make a lasting mark in legal education or the legal profession through work that introduces a novel perspective or issues a meaningful call to action.