UC Law SF Launches Search Process for Next Chancellor & Dean

• The College Board of Directors formed a search committee to select a new chancellor & dean to lead UC Law San Francisco
• David Faigman, who has served as chancellor & dean since 2016, is not seeking reappointment when his current term ends in June 2027.
• The seven-member committee will finalize the details of the search process and position description while working to ensure a smooth transition for the College.

The UC Law San Francisco Board of Directors on Friday appointed a search committee to start the process of finding a new chancellor and dean to shape the future of the College.

Current Chancellor & Dean David Faigman, who joined the faculty in 1987, became acting chancellor & dean in January 2016. He was formally appointed later that year and reappointed to a new five-year term in 2022. His current term ends June 30, 2027. After nearly a decade at the helm, Faigman, 68, has announced he will not seek another term.

When his term ends in 2027, Faigman will be the third-longest-serving chancellor and dean in the history of the College. The other two were David Snodgrass (23 years) and Mary Kay Kane (13 years), both of whom are remembered as being transformative leaders.

During his time at the helm, and together with an extraordinary senior leadership team, Faigman oversaw the construction of two new buildings (the Cotchett Law Center and the Academe at 198 McAllister), the renovation of a third (Mary Kay Kane Hall), and the ongoing seismic retrofit and complete renovation of The Tower at 100 McAllister. Additionally, Faigman oversaw a broadening of the curriculum, which included expansion of clinical opportunities and research and programmatic centers. And in partnership with his Office of Advancement, the College saw record amounts of donations from alumni, which have increased substantially the number of scholarships available.

“With strong incoming class and bar exam metrics, our first comprehensive fundraising campaign, and an outstanding curriculum led by top faculty, UC Law SF has an impressive trajectory of positive momentum. I’m confident that this process will result in a leader who will build on our successes and produce even greater opportunities for our students and graduates,” Faigman said.

“I’ve enjoyed tremendously the opportunity to serve as dean. I started my career here and this will forever be my home,” he said.

Faigman noted that he looks forward to returning to scholarship and teaching and the chance to turn back to his half-completed book on constitutional history that he had started before assuming the deanship.

The seven-member committee will finalize the details of the search process and position description while working to ensure a smooth transition for the College. Courtney Greene Power ’01, who chairs UC Law SF’s Board of Directors, will also chair the search committee. The committee will engage with College stakeholders as part of the search process.

Members of the search committee include:

• Board of Directors Chair Courtney Greene Power ’01 (committee chair)
• Board Vice Chair Albert Zecher
• Director Andrew Houston ’07
• Director Joshua Perttula ’98
• Ben Depoorter, Max Radin Distinguished Professor of Law
• Jodi Short, Mary Kay Kane Distinguished Professor of Law
• Gail Silverstein, associate dean for experiential learning, co-director of public interest and the Social Justice Center, and clinical professor

The board chair appointed the committee’s board members, while the Faculty Executive Committee elected the three faculty members, in accordance with the procedures outlined in the board’s standing orders.