I am pleased to announce that Professor Robert Dinerstein has agreed to serve as Acting Dean of the Washington College of Law (WCL), beginning August 1, 2020. Professor Dinerstein is a longstanding leader in the WCL community, having served on the faculty since 1983.

Robert Dinerstein is professor of law and director of the Disability Rights Law Clinic. He specializes in clinical legal education and disability law, particularly mental disabilities law. He previously served as WCL’s associate dean for academic affairs (1997-2004), associate dean for experiential education (2012-2018), and director of the law school’s #2 ranked Clinical Program (1988-96 and 2008-2018).

Prior to joining WCL, Professor Dinerstein worked as a trial attorney in the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section. He litigated federal court cases on the rights of people with psychosocial disabilities, people with intellectual disabilities, and juveniles. He is a former member of the D.C. Bar Board of Governors and served on President Bill Clinton’s President’s Committee for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities from 1994-2000. Professor Dinerstein received his A.B. from Cornell University and his JD from Yale Law School.

Dean Camille Nelson will be working closely with Professor Dinerstein in the coming weeks to facilitate the transition. I am grateful to Dean Nelson for her tireless leadership and collaboration, and we all wish her well in her new endeavors.

I want to thank the WCL faculty for their thoughtful contributions to the selection of the acting dean. The next step in the search for a permanent successor to Dean Nelson will be the formation of the search committee, which will commence shortly.

Please join me in thanking Bob for his dedication to WCL and the AU community and welcoming him to this important role.