UC Irvine announces newest dean for its law school, the third since 2009

UC Irvine recently announced the appointment of its newest dean, Austen Parrish, for its young but growing law school.

Parrish, a professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law who has served as its dean since 2014, will officially succeed former UCI law school dean L. Song Richardson on Aug. 3. Richardson left for a presidency at Colorado College in July 2021.

“Since it first enrolled students in 2009, UCI Law has been recognized as the finest young law school in the nation, one of the top public law schools overall and a model for combining academic excellence with service to the community,” said university Chancellor Howard Gillman in a statement announcing Parrish’s appointment.

“With his clear vision, proven leadership and stellar accomplishments, Austen Parrish is the right person to guide UCI Law to greater heights, and we are excited he will be joining UCI.”

Parrish specializes in transnational law and transnational litigation with expertise in legal and policy issues related to the extraterritorial application of domestic law, according to the university.

In an interview Wednesday, Parrish said he initially heard about the deanship last fall and was interested in UCI’s law school, which he said has an amazing reputation for a school that welcomed its inaugural class just 13 years ago.

“Not many schools are able to attract so early on in its history,” said Parrish, whose current law school was founded in 1842.

He said he knew a number of people at UC Irvine, including Richardson, inaugural dean Erwin Chemerinsky and interim dean Bryant Garth.

Austen Parrish will be the third dean of UC Irvine’s school of law. He will begin his time at the university in August.

(Courtesy of Indiana University)

Irvine also happens to be where much of his wife Leslie’s family lives.

“It seemed like an alignment of both professional and personal,” said Parrish. “I applied when they opened [the position] up and a number of people had nominated me. The search committee reached out and I was invited for semifinalist interviews in January. Then, I was invited for campus visits and, in late March, the provost offered me the position, with us finalizing the details by early April.”

University provost and executive vice chancellor Hal Stern described Parrish in the statement announcing his appointment as “distinctly suited” to leading the school’s students, staff and faculty.

While Parrish plans to be in California by July, he has already begun to meet with UCI staff and faculty.

He said some of his plans for the future of the law school will need time to clarify, but he is excited for strategic planning to take place this fall.

“I think a lot of what we’re going to do in the short term is sort of revitalize some of the core commitments and programs that the school has already launched with some additional excitement and energy as we start this next phase of UCI law school’s growth,” said Parrish.

“That needs to have some conversations, but they have some fabulous programs ...It’s taking many of the things that they’re strong on and how we can take some programs and make a unique program for students and strengthen the student academic experience while they’re there.”

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