n 2013-14, John B. Attanasio was Distinguished Visiting Fellow at New York University Law School. From 1998 to 2013, he served for three terms as Dean, the last five years as the inaugural Judge James Noel Dean. Previously, he was Dean of Saint Louis University School of Law, and Professor of Law and John M. Regan, Jr. Director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Since 1995, Attanasio has co-organized seven Summits between Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and other highest courts including the European Court of Justice, and the highest courts of Russia, Germany, and Italy. Three were co-organized with then Dean John Sexton of NYU Law School. Ten different U.S. Supreme Court Justices have participated in at least one of these Summits. In 1992, he organized the first visit of the Russian Constitutional Court to the United States and their first meeting with Justices of the U.S. Supreme Court.

From 2002-2012, Attanasio was Principal Investigator and Director of the Rule of Law Forum, which was funded by $3.2 million in federal grants. Under the auspices of the State Department, Attanasio organized twelve high-ranking delegations of 15- 25 members from China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia (2), Egypt, Brunei, Oman (2), Bahrain, Kyrgyzstan and Saudi Arabia for a week of meetings with high-ranking American leaders. Delegates met with four different U.S. Supreme Court Justices; sixteen different U.S. Senators; three Attorneys General; the U.S. Trade Representative; three Deputy Secretaries of State; White House Counsel; Presidents and Vice-Presidents of the New York and Dallas Federal Reserve Banks, the NYSE and NASDAQ; CEOs; and SMU professors.