Zachary D. Clopton Named Interim Dean of Northwestern Pritzker Law 

Professor Zachary D. Clopton has been appointed interim dean of Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law for two years beginning July 22, 2025. The announcement was made by Northwestern Provost Kathleen Hagerty, who praised Clopton as “a thoughtful and distinguished legal scholar” with deep institutional knowledge and national recognition in civil litigation. 

Clopton joined the Northwestern Pritzker Law faculty in 2019 and currently serves as Associate Dean for Research and Intellectual Life and is a Professor of Law. Along with his appointment as the Law School’s dean, he will also hold the Daniel Hale Williams Professorship.  

“Northwestern Pritzker Law is home to brilliant faculty, passionate students, devoted staff, and an inspiring alumni network,” Clopton said. “I am honored to serve as dean and to help steward this remarkable institution.” 

Clopton is a nationally recognized scholar of civil procedure. Just since last year, he has placed articles in the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, Virginia Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Cornell Law Review, and Northwestern University Law Review. In 2023, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Clopton to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules, a testament to his national impact on the procedural rules that govern federal courts. 

Known for his collaborative leadership style and wide-ranging scholarly work, Clopton brings a dynamic vision to the dean’s office. At the Law School, Clopton has taught hundreds of students in civil procedure, international litigation, and other courses. In addition to his academic research, he has collaborated on significant litigation with clinical faculty on topics ranging from civil rights to environmental law to international human rights. He also has spearheaded amicus briefs to the Supreme Court and other federal courts in cases related to federal jurisdiction and restitution for Nazi-looted art. 

Clopton is a graduate of Yale, Harvard, and Cambridge, where he studied international relations as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. He clerked for Judge Diane P. Wood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and he worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago and as an associate in the national security group at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C. Clopton also served as a law professor at Cornell and the Public Law Fellow at the University of Chicago. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and serves as the Reporter for the Seventh Circuit Pattern Jury Instructions Committee. Clopton and his wife, Katherine Kinzler – a professor and vice provost at the University of Chicago – have three children, and they live in Chicago. 

Clopton succeeds Dean Hari M. Osofsky, who led the Law School since 2021 and recently announced she is stepping down to lead initiatives on behalf of the University. 

With Clopton at the helm, Northwestern Pritzker Law enters its next chapter with confidence—and a continued commitment to scholarly excellence and public service. “Zach is well-positioned to carry the leadership of the Law School forward,” Provost Hagerty said. “I am confident he will lead the Law School with integrity and purpose.” 

Faculty Members of the Northwestern Pritzker Law Community Share Their Enthusiasm 

“Zach Clopton is widely recognized as one of the most important young scholars in the nation. Indeed, his recent appointment to the very prestigious position as the academic member of the Federal Rules Advisory Committee is a tribute to his national recognition. He is one of the most prominent scholars on our faculty. Both his experience in important administrative positions at the school and his commitment to scholarly excellence make him the perfect choice. In my 52 years at Northwestern, I have never seen a colleague better suited to lead the law school.”

– Martin H. Redish, Louis and Harriet Ancel Professor of Law and Public Policy

“Zach Clopton does it all – he’s a brilliant scholar and a terrific colleague. You can see that combination just by looking at his recent publications. In addition to other publications, he has co-authored three major law review articles in the past year with colleagues at the Law School. Always available to give advice to students, both JDs and JD/PhDs, he has also been a faculty leader in making Northwestern Pritzker Law thrive and grow by serving as Appointments Chair and more recently as Associate Dean of Research and Intellectual Life. He is also a careful and thoughtful listener, so he has come to know Northwestern well in the six years since we lured him to join us from Cornell. The Law School will be in excellent hands with Zach Clopton as Interim Dean.”

– Shari Seidman Diamond, Howard J. Trienens Professor of Law and Professor of Psychology

“I cannot imagine a person better situated than Zach Clopton to lead the Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law on the next leg of its journey to becoming a top five school.  Zach has a well-deserved national reputation as a scholar of courts and procedure, publishing in top journals and collaborating with leading figures in the field. He’s a much beloved teacher and colleague who can unite the law school community as we continue to build on the many successes of our prior dean, Hari Osofsky.  He has served with distinction as the academic member of the Supreme Court’s Civil Rules Advisory Committee and has won virtually every recognition available to a rising star in the procedure world, ranging from the Clifford Scholar in Residence Award to membership in the American Law Institute. Scholars throughout the country know Zach, admire his work, and respect his judgment and unwavering commitment to academic excellence. The law school world will respond to this appointment by saying, as I did: Well of course, that makes perfect sense for a school with aspirations to excel. We face challenges ahead, as does all of higher education, but Zach’s steady hand and clear vision will surely help us meet and surmount those challenges.”

– James E. Pfander, Owen L. Coon Professor of Law

“I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Zach on numerous projects when we served together in the Law School’s administration and have had the benefit of his support in countless ways for my research and teaching. Based on those experiences, I’m so happy that the President and Provost have chosen to trust him as the next steward of our Law School, and I’m confident that even greater things are ahead.”

– Paul A. Gowder, Professor of Law 

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.