About the Dean

Jacob H. Rooksby was appointed Dean of the University of Richmond School of Law in 2026. He is an experienced academic, administrator, and attorney with a proven track record of leadership and innovation in higher education.

Prior to joining Richmond Law, Dean Rooksby served for eight years as Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, WA. There he focused on enhancing the school’s academic programs, modernizing its facilities, and integrating it more fully into the university and regional communities. Under his leadership, the law school achieved record enrollment growth and diversification, elevated outcomes for graduates, and strengthened partnerships with local and state legal professions.

Dean Rooksby’s scholarship focuses on intellectual property law and higher education law, addressing challenges central to universities’ missions in an evolving landscape. He is the author of The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), which explores the intersection of innovation and the public good. He also co-authored the 6th edition of The Law of Higher Education, the leading treatise in the field, and edited the Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (Edward Elgar, 2020).

Dean Rooksby’s deep connection to the legal profession informs his ability to build strategic relationships and navigate complex organizational challenges. He holds law licenses in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington and has practiced with leading law firms, including McGuireWoods LLP, Dentons Cohen & Grigsby P.C., and FIG. 1 Patents, PLLC. Rooksby is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

An Indiana native, Dean Rooksby earned his A.B., summa cum laude, in Hispanic Studies and Government from the College of William & Mary, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He holds J.D., M.Ed., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia and completed post-graduate training in higher education leadership at Harvard University in 2019.