Richmond Law’s new dean makes his commonwealth comeback

There is something special about returning to a familiar place in an entirely new way.

My first experience at Richmond Law came nearly 20 years before I became its dean in July. In 2007, after graduating from law school and moving to Richmond, I studied for the bar exam here. Each morning, I attended a bar review course taught by Professor Wade Berryhill and spent afternoons studying in the library. On my first afternoon, I settled into one of the library’s study carrels, not realizing that each was assigned to a Richmond Law student for all three years — and through the bar exam. I quickly learned how seriously students regarded “their” carrels!

Those assigned carrels are gone now, replaced by the abundant and inviting study spaces created during the building’s recent renovation. But walking into Richmond Law each day, I’m reminded how special it is to return to a place that played a memorable role in my own journey into the legal profession.

Much about Richmond Law feels familiar, but much has changed — and in wonderful ways. Most of all, I have been struck by the warmth, ambition, and genuine sense of community that animate this place.

My wife, Kelly, our three daughters, and I are excited for this new chapter. As I begin my tenure as dean, I feel both the privilege of joining an institution with a remarkable history and the excitement of imagining what comes next.

The future of Richmond Law will be shaped by all of us. I look forward to the conversations and collaborations ahead.