Law School Dean to serve second five-year term

Law School Dean David Levi has been reappointed to his second five-year term as dean, Provost Peter Lange announced Monday.

Levi joined the Duke School of Law faculty as both dean and professor of law in 2007, and he will continue to teach courses on legal history and ethics. Throughout his four years as dean, he has expanded the law school to increase opportunities for external relations and improving students’ practical skills. His new term will begin July 1.

“Dean Levi’s reappointment is an incredible thing for Duke Law School,” said Natalie Bedoya, Law ’10, in a press release Tuesday. “Having been fortunate enough to work closely with Dean Levi while a student at the Law School, I was able to see what an amazing leader and person he is. His approach is practical and no-nonsense, and he knows how to get to the heart of an issue and to, in that way, find the best solution.”

As dean, Levi has sponsored many initiatives. He developed two new LLM degrees—a Master of Law in Law and Entrepreneurship and a Master of Laws in Judicial Studies. The LLM in Judicial Studies is the only program at a major law school dedicated to educating judges. He has added several research centers, including the Duke Center for Judicial Studies and the Center for Law, Race and Politics.

So far in his tenure, Levi has also focused on preparing students with professional training, through externships, clinics and courtroom simulation courses. In the last four years, the law school has seen an increase in students accepting judicial clerkships and has seen an expanded faculty. Levi is responsible for more than 12 new faculty hires. This has increased the number of legal analysis and writing classes for first-year law students with smaller class sizes.

“Upon his arrival, he immediately threw himself into the difficult work of being dean and has not slowed down,” said James Coleman, John S. Bradway professor of law. “His experience as a lawyer and judge serve Duke well as law schools generally begin to respond to the demands of the legal profession for more practice-ready law graduates. I look forward to his continued leadership.”

Before coming to Duke, Levi worked in public service. Beginning in 2003, he served as chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California. He is also a member of the Standing Committee on the Rules of Practice and Procedure, an organization he chaired from 2003 to 2007.

Levi received a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and received his law degree from Stanford Law School in 1980.