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L. Song Richardson

New UC-Irvine Dean Is Only Woman Of Color To Lead A Top Law School

UC-Irvine has appointed L. Song Richardson as the new dean of its law school.
Richardson will be the only woman of color to lead a top 30 U.S. News & World Report ranked law school.
“It’s rare to find an elite law school with a world-class faculty that excels at both teaching and scholarship, a creative and multi-disciplinary approach to legal education and a commitment to creating and disseminating knowledge that improves lives and communities around the world,” Richardson says in a statement.
The Los Angeles Times reports that Richardson was named interim dean following the departure of Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Chemerinsky began his new position as dean of UC-Berkeley’s law school in July.
An accomplished background
Richardson served as senior associate dean for academic affairs at UCI Law from 2016 to 2017. She holds a JD from Yale Law School and an AB in psychology from Harvard University. Richardson also teaches and writes in the fields of criminal law, criminal procedure, and law and social sciences. According to UCI, Richardson is also the 2011 recipient of the Association of American Law Schools’ Derrick Bell Award, which “recognizes a junior faculty member’s extraordinary contributions to legal education, the legal system or social justice through mentoring, teaching or scholarship.”
Gary Singer, senior vice president and general counsel of RSI Holding and a UCI Foundation trustee, is pleased with the hire. “Song Richardson is the perfect person to take UCI Law into its new era. The greater community will benefit from her expertise and dedication to public service — which is at the very core of UCI Law’s mission — and her inspirational leadership will continue to inspire future generations of attorneys.”
Sources: UC Irvine, Los Angeles Times