American March at the Faculty (3): Prof. Stephen J. Ware’s Lectures
As part of the American March at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Gdańsk, we had the honour of hosting Prof. Stephen J. Ware, Frank Edwards Tyler Distinguished Professor of Law from the University of Kansas, USA.
On 25 March 2025, Prof. Ware delivered two in-person lectures to diverse student audiences. The first, “Selecting and Retaining Judges,” explored the structure of judicial appointments and retention processes in both state and federal courts in the United States, providing a nuanced perspective on judicial independence and public accountability. This lecture was part of a class conducted for Polish law students and was kindly hosted by Dr Maria Lewandowicz (Department of History of Law), to whom we extend our warm thanks for the invitation and support.
The second lecture, “Alternative Dispute Resolution in the USA and Central Eastern Europe: Comparative Analysis,” was co-hosted with Assoc. Prof. Dr. Habil. Nataliia Mushak (University of Gdańsk) and delivered to international students enrolled in the School of International and Advanced Problems of Private Law. It offered a comparative perspective on arbitration and mediation systems across different jurisdictions.
Prof. Ware is a globally recognized authority in the fields of arbitration, commercial law, contracts, and judicial systems. He has testified before the U.S. Congress, authored multiple books and nearly 50 law review articles, and his work has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court. He is also an arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association and an elected member of the American Law Institute.
During his visit, Prof. Ware also met with Prof. Wojciech Zalewski, Dean of the Faculty, and Prof. Marcin Michał Wiszowaty, Vice Dean for International Cooperation and Development, to explore potential avenues of cooperation between the Faculty of Law and Administration at UG and the University of Kansas School of Law. Their discussion focused on mutual academic interests, possible exchange opportunities, and future collaborative projects.
To round off his stay in Gdańsk, Prof. Ware was treated to a student-led walking tour through the city’s over 1,000-year-old historic centre — a special moment of cross-cultural dialogue. We offer our sincere thanks to Dr Maria Lewandowicz for accompanying the group on this walk and to our students for their hospitality, curiosity, and excellent representation of the University of Gdańsk.
We are deeply grateful to Prof. Ware for sharing his expertise and enriching the academic experience of both Polish and international students. His visit marked a fitting conclusion to our American March series.
