Another Law School Dean Appointed President - Richard A. Bierschbach

The trend continues with more law deans being appointed as college and university presidents this year.

Wayne State University has elected its law school dean, Richard A. Bierschbach as its President, effective immediately, through June 3, 2030.

Prior to his tenure as dean at Wayne State Law School, he taught at Cardozo School of Law where he also served as Vice Dean.

Before joining academia, Bierschbach clerked for Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and Justice Sandra Day O’Connor of the U.S. Supreme Court. Between those clerkships, he was a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Solicitor General and an attorney-advisor in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, where he represented and advised executive branch agencies across the government on a wide range of legal issues.

Bierschbach worked in the New York offices of three international law firms—Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale), Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe—as a member of their Supreme Court and appellate litigation practices.

He earned his JD from the University of Michigan School of Law.

USC Appoints Beong-Soo Kim President After Service

Appointed interim president in June 2025,  former General Counsel Beong-Soo Kim was appointed to the post permanently this month. The Trustees conducted a competitive search before elevating Kim, noting that,  “Kim's career spans multiple sectors, including higher education, health care, legal practice and public service. Before becoming general counsel at USC, he served in senior roles at Kaiser Permanente, worked as a partner in an international law firm and served as a federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.”

Much attention has been focused lately on whether at this point in time in higher education, lawyers are particularly well-suited to the role as campus President.  The announcement suggests this might be the case at USC as one commentator noted, “The appointment comes after USC navigated a turbulent period that included the departure of former President Carol Folt and challenges related to campus protests and administrative controversies.”

Jennifer Mnookin Named President of Columbia University

University of Wisconsin Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin has been named the next President of Columbia University.

Mnookin had a successful 8-year tenure at UCLA prior to joining UW as the 30^th chancellor.

Prior to joining UCLA she taught at the University of Virginia School of Law and at Harvard Law School.

She received her J.D. from Yale Law School, and a Ph.D. in History and Social Study of Science and Technology from M.I.T.