Marc Andrew Fajer

It is with a heavy heart and profound sadness that we announce the death of Marc A. Fajer, who died on December 21, 2024, following complications from diabetes and kidney failure. Marc was 63 years old.

A distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Miami, Marc leaves behind a legacy of courage, advocacy, and profound impact on the legal community and beyond. Fajer's career was marked by his dedication to teaching, his commitment to social justice, and his groundbreaking work in creating a welcoming and inclusive environment at the University of Miami School of Law.

Fajer earned both his A.B. in 1982 and J.D. in 1985 from Stanford University. After graduating from law school, Fajer clerked for Judge Betty B. Fletcher of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then worked as an associate attorney at Heller, Ehrman, White & McAuliffe in Seattle.

He then joined the Miami Law faculty in 1988, and in an unprecedented move early in his career, he revealed his homosexuality in the law school's student newspaper, distributing the article to his students on the first day of class. This courageous act, at a time when HIV was on the rise and a positive diagnosis was often considered a death sentence, made him a haven for LGBTQ students and faculty.

At Miami Law, Marc taught a range of subjects, including property law, antitrust law, housing discrimination, and identity politics and law. He was also instrumental in starting the Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association in Miami, the predecessor to the law school’s current OUTLaw student organization for which he served as an advisor.

Marc was not only a teacher and mentor but also a creative force. He directed and produced several plays and musicals using faculty, staff, and students. These included "Fires in the Mirror: Crown Heights, Brooklyn and other Identities," "Macbeth," "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide ... When the Rainbow is Enuf," and "Side by Side by Sondheim." In 2013 he directed “8” which chronicled the historic constitutional challenge to California’s Proposition 8 and he staged a reading at the law school with 20 law school students, staff, faculty and alumni participating. An additional part of Marc’s theatrical repertoire included directing “A Streetcar Named Desire” in the Theater of the American South, and later, Off-Broadway, Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida”.

In 2018, the School of Law, in collaboration with the UM Alumni Association and OUTLaw, honored Fajer at its first LGBTQ Homecoming event. This attracted over 100 lawyers, faculty, and students and marked the unveiling of a new scholarship in his name for students involved in LGBTQ advocacy.

Fajer received the University’s Outstanding Teaching Award in 2005, and the Marc A. Fajer Scholarship Fund was created in 2019 at the University of Miami School of Law in recognition of his extraordinary service to the law school. His life and work will continue to inspire future generations of lawyers and advocates.

Marc is survived by his mother Ruby, his sister, Susan (Fajer) Albright, her husband Glenn, and their two adult children Grant and Samantha. He is also survived by his brother Eric, his wife Susan, and their adult children Hannah and Ellie, plus the broader community of friends, cohorts and colleagues whose lives he touched so deeply.,

If you would like to make a gift in memory of Marc Fajer, please consider a donation to the Marc A. Fajer Scholarship Fund.