Army Reserve Capt. Benjamin Spencer is renowned for his pioneering role as dean of the nation’s first law school, a testament to his exceptional leadership and legal acumen.
But there are other numbers that highlight his remarkable life and achievements.
Job Title:
Appellate Attorney
Hometown:
Hampton, Virginia
Unit:
Government Appellate Division
There’s nine, the number of children he and his wife, Marlette, raise together. And then there’s 40, his age when, as a tenured professor at a prestigious law school, he joined the Army Reserve, enduring the challenges of basic training alongside younger recruits.
“He held off for years from joining,” Marlette said later. “But the dream. I knew the dream was in him.” That dream of service thrives as Capt. Spencer balances his duties as a Judge Advocate General’s Corps officer with his role at William & Mary Law School and family responsibilities.
Family of Firsts
Coming from a lineage of soldiers—son, grandson, and great-grandson of military veterans—Spencer grew up with a deep respect for duty and service.
His family also set a standard of excellence: His grandfather taught as a professor at the University of Notre Dame, and his father rose to chief judge in the Eastern District of Virginia, leaving a legacy of judicial integrity.
From his father, Spencer gained a passion for justice. “He had this righteousness about the public's interest and justice … That's how he was as a judge [later]. People knew he was going to be fair,” Spencer said. “I had that instilled in me that there are rules and we have laws. We have a society that depends on people following those laws.”
At Harvard Law School, Spencer sharpened his skills, serving as articles editor of the Harvard Law Review and earning multiple awards for legal writing, among other distinctions.
Rising Star
His achievements multiplied as he built a career in law, spanning private practice and academia.
He served as an associate at Shearman & Sterling in Washington, D.C., taught at the University of Richmond School of Law, directed the Francis Lewis Law Center, acted as associate dean for research at Washington and Lee University, and joined the faculty at the University of Virginia School of Law.
“Everybody that raised me or influenced me, they were serving others. ... I couldn't look at myself if I wasn’t trying to do something to help other people, or use my talent for that purpose,” Spencer said. By the time he reached William & Mary, he had earned a national reputation as an authority in civil procedure and federal courts.
In 2007, he received the Virginia State Council of Higher Education "Rising Star" award, honoring the state’s most promising junior faculty member across all fields—the first law professor to claim it. He authored two widely adopted books on civil procedure.
“His resume is ridiculous. Ridiculous!” Marlette told an interviewer in 2020.
'That's How I Got the Bug'
His family’s focus on service remained a guiding force. “Everybody that raised me or influenced me, they were serving others,” Spencer said. “I couldn’t look at myself if I wasn’t trying to do something to help other people, or use my talent for that purpose.”
He mentored students and colleagues, took on pro bono appellate work for the government, and, while at U.Va.—home to the Army JAG school—observed officers training each morning. “That’s how I got the bug,” he said.
Spencer swore his oath to the Army Reserve in late 2015, preparing physically for over a year—shedding 27 pounds—before basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia. Now a JAG officer in the Government Appellate Division, he argues appeals, upholding Army standards with precision.
'Lifting as We Climb'
Spencer shuns personal praise, whether for his military service or academic milestones. “I'm not really into stories about myself,” he told an interviewer in 2020. Rather, he sees his role as setting a standard of excellence through dedication and skill.
First Priority
His family remains his cornerstone. “He puts his family first,” Marlette told an interviewer in 2020.
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“He works, puts his heart and soul into his job and comes home, walks through the door, doesn't change his clothes … washes his hands and goes into the kitchen to start cooking.”
(Adapted from an article by Army Reserve Master Sgt. Michel Sauret published July 31, 2020. Video by Spc. Maria Elena Casneiro, Calvin Reimold and Master Sgt. Michel Sauret.)