Legal Community Welcomes New Interim Dean with Enthusiasm and Optimism

Northwestern University Provost Kathleen Hagerty announced on May 28 that Professor and Associate Dean Zachary D. Clopton will lead the Law School beginning July 22. Distinguished alumni, faculty, students, and friends of the Law School continue to share their enthusiasm for Clopton’s appointment. Here’s what they’re saying:

As a proud alum of the Law School, I couldn’t be more excited to have Zach taking the helm as interim dean. Zach is a brilliant and strategic thinker who’s deeply committed to legal education and to Northwestern. I’m grateful that he’s agreed to take this on, and I’m thrilled that the school will be in such good hands.

– Kate Shaw (JD ’06), Professor of Law at Penn Carey Law School and co-host of Strict Scrutiny

Zach Clopton is an outstanding scholar, natural leader, and beloved teacher. The Law School will continue to excel under his leadership, and I am confident the students will find in Zach a dean who pushes them to see law as a calling to use their talent to make positive differences for their clients and our communities across the nation. The University has made a great choice in tapping Zach to lead the Law School.

– Hon. Michael Y. Scudder (JD ’98), U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

Zach was my professor at the Law School and has continued to be an invaluable mentor to this day. Like countless others, I’ve benefited tremendously from his first-rate teaching, his compassion, and his tireless commitment to helping Northwestern students succeed. Zach’s appointment is a win for the Law School and the legal community. I look forward to seeing the Law School’s inevitable successes under his leadership.

– Adam Sopko (JD ’21), Associate Professor at University of Colorado Law School

Northwestern Pritzker Law students are incredibly lucky to have someone as kind, caring, and supportive as Professor Clopton as their new Dean. Professor Clopton is beyond generous with his time, his advice, and his mentorship—his door is always open to students who need help or want to talk. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from Professor Clopton, and I know he will do amazing things for the Law School as the new Dean!

– Samy Abdelsalam (JD ’25), Senior Articles Editor of Northwestern University Law Review 

Zach Clopton is a brilliant educator, mentor, and scholar. Inside the classroom, Zach connects seemingly abstract procedural rules to the real-life consequences for litigants and has an aptitude for explaining the same concept in different ways. Outside of the classroom, Zach has always been happy to provide guidance. Even as an alumna, I have been lucky to benefit from Zach’s graciousness. He has helped me with my scholarship, teaching, and future career steps. More broadly, Zach has been integral to fostering a community of collaboration and achievement. I am excited that Northwestern Pritzker Law gets to experience Zach’s care and commitment as Interim Dean.

– Taylor Nchako (JD ’23), Climate & Clean Energy Fellow at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law 

Professor Clopton has been an invaluable professor and mentor to me and countless other students at the Law School.  He does everything he can to set us up for success as students, future attorneys, and humans. His kindness and support for his students make him the ideal leader and ambassador for our Law School. I’m excited to have Professor Clopton lead us during my final year!

– Isabel Weber (JD Candidate ’26) 

I’ve had the privilege of learning from Professor Clopton in both my Master’s program and JD studies. I can attest that he embodies the combination of intellectual rigor and genuine care for student development. In Legal & Regulatory Process and Civil Procedure, he didn’t just teach us the law, he challenged us to think critically about how legal systems function and how they can serve the common good. He equipped us with the analytical tools to become thoughtful advocates. Professor Clopton has been an invaluable resource not only to me but to many students across various programs who have sought his guidance. When I once asked him about his remarkable success, his response was characteristically humble, emphasizing the fundamental value of hard work and curiosity. The Northwestern Pritzker Law community is extraordinarily fortunate to have a leader who combines scholarly excellence with such a deep commitment to equipping the next generation of lawyers. His appointment as Dean ensures that our institution will continue to produce graduates who are not only skilled practitioners but principled advocates.

– Emerald U. Egwim (MSL ’24), (JD-MBA Candidate ’27)

Zach Clopton will be an outstanding interim Dean for the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. I first learned about Zach from a friend and colleague from the civil procedure world, when I was looking for new law clerks. This colleague told me, in no uncertain terms, that there was literally no one on the market that year who could hold a candle to Zach. Impressed, I scheduled an interview with him. And how right my colleague was! Our conversation was wide ranging, showing Zach’s comfort with a wide range of subjects. Zach’s demeanor, as all who know him can attest, is both respectful and probing. He sees right to the heart of any subject, and then, like only the best teachers, is able to reveal that insight to his interlocutor. Over the year he clerked for me, he displayed this intellectual versatility time and again. And after he left the Seventh Circuit, our friendship only deepened. I was honored beyond words when Zach and Katie asked me to officiate at their wedding. Since then, Zach’s academic career has gone through a meteoric rise, first at the University of Chicago Law School, next at Cornell, and for the past few years at Northwestern. We have co-authored one article. And now, looking at this new role, I am confident that Zach will meet the challenges of this day. He has the people skills to rally the faculty around him; the students sing his praises and will continue to do so; and the administration will be delighted to work with such a clear-thinking, helpful part of the team. Northwestern Pritzker School of Law is fortunate to have Zach Clopton as the Interim Dean.

– Hon. Diane L. Wood (Ret.) U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.