U.S. Justice Department's Ronald Weich Named Dean of Law School
April 25, 2012
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
University of Baltimore President Robert L. Bogomolny has named Ronald Weich, the assistant attorney general for legislative affairs in the U.S. Department of Justice and former chief counsel to both U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Senator Edward M. Kennedy, as the new dean of the University's School of Law. Weich, a longtime federal official with expertise in criminal justice and legislative process, will begin his tenure as dean in July. The University of Baltimore School of Law is the sixth largest public law school in the country, with more than 1,100 students at its midtown campus.
"Ron Weich is the right person to continue the growth and transformation of the UB School of Law," Bogomolny said in announcing Weich's appointment. "During this time of considerable transition in legal education and the legal profession, it is important to have leadership with integrity and vision. Ron Weich embodies those qualities. I look forward to working with him, and I know our students, faculty, staff and alumni will be energized by his arrival."
"UB is a law school with tremendous strengths and endless potential," Weich said. "I'm honored to be selected as dean, and I can't wait to join this vital institution."
Weich was appointed to his current Justice Department position by President Barack Obama in March 2009 and confirmed by the Senate the following month. In this role, he develops and implements strategies to advance the department's legislative priorities, coordinates the department's response to congressional oversight and guides nominees through the Senate confirmation process.
Prior to his work at the Justice Department, Weich served as chief counsel to Senator Reid from 2007-09 and in a similar capacity when Reid was minority leader in 2005-06. As principal legal adviser to the Democratic leader, Weich helped to manage Senate floor activity on Judiciary Committee bills and judicial nominations and coordinated related activities of the Democratic caucus. Weich played a key staff role in enactment of the 2007 ethics reform law, the 2008 amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and other significant legislation.
As Senator Kennedy's chief counsel (1995-97), general counsel (1992-95) and counsel (1990-92), Weich advised the senior senator from Massachusetts on civil and criminal justice issues, drug control policy, patient safety legislation, constitutional amendments and other matters.
From 1997-2004 Weich was an attorney in private practice at Zuckerman Spaeder, a Washington, D.C.-based law firm with a highly regarded Baltimore office. Earlier in his career, he served as special counsel to the U.S. Sentencing Commission and as an assistant district attorney in Manhattan.
Weich earned a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1983. He also holds a B.A. from Columbia University, which he received in 1980.
Among Weich's numerous professional affiliations, he has been a member of the advisory board of the Federal Sentencing Reporter, a trustee of the Vera Institute of Justice, a trustee of the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law and vice chair of government relations of the American Bar Association's Criminal Justice Section. He was named one of the 50 most influential congressional staff members by Roll Call (2007-09) and one of the 105 most influential lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal (1994). He has published numerous articles on federal sentencing and other criminal law topics.
PreLaw magazine recently ranked the UB School of Law among the top "Best Value" law schools; UB's clinical program was ranked 23rd in the most recent U.S. News & World Report rankings. In 2013, the school will move into the new John and Frances Angelos Law Center, a state-of-the-art facility that will set national standards in sustainable architecture for law school facilities and provide a forward-thinking model for delivering legal education in the 21st century.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the College of Public Affairs, the Merrick School of Business, the School of Law and the Yale Gordon College of Arts and Sciences.