Waggoner, Lawrence W.

Lawrence Waggoner is considered a leading figure in law reform in the field of wills, trusts, and future interests. Interestingly enough, Waggoner did not begin his law career after he graduated from Michigan Law in 1963. Instead, he pursued a doctorate degree at University of Oxford as a Fulbright Scholar and served as a captain in the U.S. Army from 1966-1968. Waggoner then had a short stint teaching at the University of Virginia School of Law but eventually returned to the University of Michigan in 1974. At Michigan, he cultivated a long and successful career not only as a professor of law, but also as an authoritative figure in trust and estate law.

Waggoner held many influential positions outside the classroom as well. He served as the director of research and the chief reporter for the Joint Editorial Board for Uniform Trust and Estate Acts, adviser for the Restatement (Third) of Trusts, reporter for the Restatement (Third) of Property, Wills, and Other Donative Transfers, reporter for the Uniform Probate Code which he completed the revisions for in 2008. In recognition of his accomplishments, Waggoner received professional accolades by his peers. He is a life member of the American Law Institute, an academic fellow of the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel, an academician of the International Academy of Estate and Trust Law, and a life fellow of the Michigan State Bar Foundation.

After teaching law for 44 years, 38 of which were at Michigan Law, Professor Lawrence Waggoner retired at the beginning of 2012.