At Delaware Supreme Court Session, Justice Karen L. Valihura Revealed Next Chapter at Wilmington University
Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura announced today during a special session of the Delaware Supreme Court that she will join Wilmington University’s Farnan School of Law faculty as Distinguished Professor of Corporate Law and founding director of the University’s new Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute.
Justice Valihura brings to Wilmington University a distinguished career on Delaware’s highest court, decades of experience in private practice, and a strong record of service to the legal profession. For students, her appointment offers a meaningful opportunity to learn the law from someone who has shaped, practiced, and applied it at the highest levels. Her addition to the faculty strengthens the law school’s connection to the bench and bar, giving students a closer view of how legal judgment is developed and how the law works in the real world.
“I am excited to join the distinguished faculty at the Farnan School of Law, where I will be able to combine my love of the law with my desire to help educate and mentor the next generation of lawyers,” says Justice Valihura. “As head of the new institute, I look forward to drawing on Delaware’s abundant corporate law resources to bring together lawyers, academics and corporate governance professionals for cutting-edge programming designed to advance both academic and practical instruction.”
Justice Valihura has served on the Delaware Supreme Court since 2014 and announced in January that she will not seek reappointment when her term ends in July 2026. She became the second woman to serve on the Delaware Supreme Court and, in 2019, became the first woman to serve as interim Chief Justice during a period of transition on the Court. Before her appointment, Justice Valihura spent 25 years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she was a corporate litigator and then a litigation partner. Her career has included substantial work in corporate and commercial law, as well as leadership in areas involving access to justice, legal technology, and the administration of justice.
“Justice Valihura’s career reflects the best of Delaware’s legal profession.
— Farnan School of Law Dean Jan R. Jurden
“Justice Valihura’s decision to join the faculty of the Farnan School of Law and lead the new Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute is significant for our University, our students and Delaware’s legal community,” says Wilmington University President Dr. LaVerne Harmon. “At this point in her career, I believe Justice Valihura could have continued her service to the legal profession in many ways. Choosing to teach at Wilmington University and help build the institute reflects the strength of the Farnan School of Law, its accomplished faculty and its promising students, while advancing our mission to provide meaningful, career-focused education.”
“Justice Valihura’s career reflects the best of Delaware’s legal profession,” says Farnan School of Law Dean Jan R. Jurden. “She is someone I have long admired for the seriousness and care she brings to the law, and for her belief in the humanity at the center of it. That perspective will matter in the classroom, where students are learning legal doctrine and beginning to understand the responsibility that comes with becoming a lawyer.”
The Wilmington University Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute will be based in Delaware’s corporate law and judicial community, giving students direct access to the lawyers, judges, business leaders, regulators and policymakers who help shape the field. It will offer practical instruction, bring people together to discuss emerging legal issues and create programming that connects the law school with the public and private sectors. With the Farnan School of Law and the University’s Convocation Center that is expected to open in late 2026, the institute will be positioned to host programs for the local legal community as well as larger conferences with broader reach.
Justice Valihura earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She also served as a law clerk to Judge Robert E. Cowen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
Delaware Supreme Court Justice Karen L. Valihura announced today during a special session of the Delaware Supreme Court that she will join Wilmington University’s Farnan School of Law faculty as Distinguished Professor of Corporate Law and founding director of the University’s new Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute.
Justice Valihura brings to Wilmington University a distinguished career on Delaware’s highest court, decades of experience in private practice, and a strong record of service to the legal profession. For students, her appointment offers a meaningful opportunity to learn the law from someone who has shaped, practiced, and applied it at the highest levels. Her addition to the faculty strengthens the law school’s connection to the bench and bar, giving students a closer view of how legal judgment is developed and how the law works in the real world.
“I am excited to join the distinguished faculty at the Farnan School of Law, where I will be able to combine my love of the law with my desire to help educate and mentor the next generation of lawyers,” says Justice Valihura. “As head of the new institute, I look forward to drawing on Delaware’s abundant corporate law resources to bring together lawyers, academics and corporate governance professionals for cutting-edge programming designed to advance both academic and practical instruction.”
Justice Valihura has served on the Delaware Supreme Court since 2014 and announced in January that she will not seek reappointment when her term ends in July 2026. She became the second woman to serve on the Delaware Supreme Court and, in 2019, became the first woman to serve as interim Chief Justice during a period of transition on the Court. Before her appointment, Justice Valihura spent 25 years at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP, where she was a corporate litigator and then a litigation partner. Her career has included substantial work in corporate and commercial law, as well as leadership in areas involving access to justice, legal technology, and the administration of justice.
“Justice Valihura’s career reflects the best of Delaware’s legal profession.
— Farnan School of Law Dean Jan R. Jurden
“Justice Valihura’s decision to join the faculty of the Farnan School of Law and lead the new Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute is significant for our University, our students and Delaware’s legal community,” says Wilmington University President Dr. LaVerne Harmon. “At this point in her career, I believe Justice Valihura could have continued her service to the legal profession in many ways. Choosing to teach at Wilmington University and help build the institute reflects the strength of the Farnan School of Law, its accomplished faculty and its promising students, while advancing our mission to provide meaningful, career-focused education.”
“Justice Valihura’s career reflects the best of Delaware’s legal profession,” says Farnan School of Law Dean Jan R. Jurden. “She is someone I have long admired for the seriousness and care she brings to the law, and for her belief in the humanity at the center of it. That perspective will matter in the classroom, where students are learning legal doctrine and beginning to understand the responsibility that comes with becoming a lawyer.”
The Wilmington University Corporate Law, Governance and Practice Institute will be based in Delaware’s corporate law and judicial community, giving students direct access to the lawyers, judges, business leaders, regulators and policymakers who help shape the field. It will offer practical instruction, bring people together to discuss emerging legal issues and create programming that connects the law school with the public and private sectors. With the Farnan School of Law and the University’s Convocation Center that is expected to open in late 2026, the institute will be positioned to host programs for the local legal community as well as larger conferences with broader reach.
Justice Valihura earned her bachelor’s degree from Washington & Jefferson College and her law degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School. She also served as a law clerk to Judge Robert E. Cowen of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
