William J. Maier, Jr. Dean Emeritus
Robert M. Steptoe and James D. Steptoe Professor of Property Law Emeritus
Education
- B.A., West Virginia University, 1964
- J.D., West Virginia University, 1967
Biography
John W. Fisher, II, who served as the 15th Dean of West VirginIa University College of Law from 1998 to 2008, has been called “the state’s foremost authority in the field of property law,” by the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
A Moorefield, West Virginia native, Fisher received a B.A. in History from WVU in 1964, and a J.D. from the College of Law in 1967. He clerked for The Honorable Robert E. Maxwell (‘49) upon graduation, then spent three years as a lecturer at the College of Law prior to his joining the faculty as a full-time assistant professor in 1971. During the 1980s, he served a four-year term as WVU Chief of Staff and advisor to the Office of the President under E. Gordon Gee.
Fisher retired from the WVU College of Law in 2014.
Publications
- The Evolution of Restrictive Covenants, 100 W.Va. Law Rev. (1997-98)
- Creditors of a Joint Tenant: Is There a Lien After Death? 99 W.Va. Law Rev. 637 (1997)
- The Scope of Title Examination In West Virginia: Can Reasonable Minds Differ? 98 W.Va. Law Rev. 449 (1996). Cited as the authority for the Court’s decision in McClung Investments, Inc. v. Green Valley Community Public Service District 485 SE 2d 434 at 437 (W.Va. 1997)
Professional Experience
- Dean, April 2, 1998 – 2008
- Interim Dean, July 1, 1997- April 2, 1998
- Professor of Law, 1977-2014
- Associate Professor of Law, 1968-77
