Stanford Law Selects a New Dean

Mary Elizabeth Magill has been selected as the 13th dean of the Stanford University Law School. She will take office on September 1. She has been serving as vice dean and the Joseph Weintraub-Bank of America Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Magill’s research concentrates on administrative law and constitutional law, particularly the separation of powers. She is a former clerk for Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

Magill is a native of Fargo, North Dakota. A graduate of Yale University, Dean Magill earned her law degree at the University of Virginia where she was the articles editor of the Virginia Law Review. She joined the faculty at the University of Virginia School of Law in 1997.

John Etchemendy, provost at Stanford, stated when making the announcement that “everyone who knows Liz Magill is impressed by her creative and insightful approach to problems and her skill at engaging a community in their solution. At a time when law schools must adapt to fundamental changes in the legal profession, it is hard to imagine finding a more capable dean to lead the school and the legal academy into the future.”