University of Richmond Law School Dean Wendy Perdue to Step Down in 2026

Wendy Perdue, dean of the School of Law at the University of Richmond in Virginia, has announced she will retire from her role at the conclusion of the 2025-2026 academic year. She will remain on the faculty as a professor of law following a sabbatical.

Since assuming her role in 2011, the University of Richmond’s law school has expanded its academic offerings and student support services to include a first-year legal writing program, a professional identity program, and a post-graduate Bridge to Practice program to help graduates begin their law careers. Perdue’s leadership has helped the school secure new funding and expand its alumni network. She also oversaw a renovation to the law school building.

Before her current role, Perdue spent nearly 20 years as a professor with the Georgetown University Law Center. She held several leadership roles throughout her tenure, including associate dean for graduate programs, associate dean for the juris doctorate program, and associate dean for research. As a scholar, she focuses on civil procedure, conflict of laws, land use, and public health.

Perdue received her bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in Massachusetts and her juris doctorate from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.