Philip Werner Amram (1900 – 1990) was an American lawyer and legal scholar.

Education

Amram received a Bachelor of Arts degree in liberal arts from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

in 1920, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture from

Pennsylvania State College The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a public state-related land-grant research university with campuses and facilities throughout Pennsylvania. Founded in 1855 as the Farmers' High School of Pennsylvania, Penn State became ...

in 1922, and a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Chi ...

from the

University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and olde ...

in 1927, where he served as editor-in-chief of the ''

University of Pennsylvania Law Review The ''University of Pennsylvania Law Review'' is a law review published by an organization of second and third year J.D. students at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. It is the oldest law journal in the United States, having been publishe ...

.''

Career

Amram worked as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania Law School from 1929 to 1942. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he served as special assistant to the

United States attorney general The United States attorney general (AG) is the head of the United States Department of Justice, and is the chief law enforcement officer of the federal government of the United States. The attorney general serves as the principal advisor to the p ...

. He was an expert on international private law and served as the chairman of the United States delegation to the 1972 Hague Conference on International Private Law. He also served as president of La Fondation de l'Ecole Francaise Internationale and was a legal adviser to the French Embassy. He was awarded numerous honors, including commander of the

French Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

and L'Ordre des Palmes Academiques. While serving as editor-in-chief of the ''University of Pennsylvania Law Review'', Amram threatened to resign his post when the law school dean attempted to bar Sadie Alexander from becoming the first African-American woman elected to the board of editors. The dean relented, and Alexander was permitted to join the law review. Amram's primary area of expertise was in legal disputes between private citizens of different countries. He was also an expert on Pennsylvania Law, and authored numerous books on the topic, including ''Amram's Pennsylvania Common Pleas Practice'' (1970), ''New Federal Rules in Pennsylvania'' (1938) and ''Goodrich-Amram Pennsylvania Procedural Rules Service'' (published annually from 1940 through 1980). The Philip Werner Amram Award was established in his honor in 1990.Daniel Casciato
''ACBA Members Recall Bench-Bar Memories''
The Lawyers Journal, June 15, 2001

Personal life

His father was

David Werner Amram David Werner Amram (May 16, 1866 – June 27, 1939) was a prominent lawyer and legal scholar, as well as an early American Zionist. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1887, and an LL.B. ...

, a prominent lawyer and early American

Zionist Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is known in Je ...

. His son

David Amram David Werner Amram III (born November 17, 1930) is an American composer, arranger, and conductor of orchestral, chamber, and choral works, many with jazz flavorings.

is a noted composer, musician and writer.

References

University of Pennsylvania Law School alumni 1900 births 1990 deaths Recipients of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences alumni American legal scholars {{US-legal-academic-bio-stub