Law Schools
Chemerinsky Has a Dream for UC Irvine
Posted Jun 30, 2008, 12:12 pm CST
By Martha Neil
When Erwin Chemerinsky officially takes the helm tomorrow as dean of the new law school still being created at the University of California at Irvine, he knows he wants to catapult it into the nation's top 20, even as it is still awaiting its first students next year.
But that isn't all he wants. Classes should be small. Professors should teach well. And students should graduate with some training about how to actually practice law, including a knowledge of fact investigation, he tells the Orange County Register when asked to describe his dream law school.
Known for his Renaissance-man ability to do it all, the 55-year-old Chemerinsky—who teaches, writes and has even practiced before the U.S. Supreme Court—offers some thoughts about the personal characteristics that have helped him achieve so much in life.
"I don't need a lot of sleep. I am just high energy. I have a low stress level," he says. "I don't obsess and worry about things too much. I think I'm good at figuring out what I need to do every day to get it all done."
Earlier coverage:
ABAJournal.com: "Chancellor: I Bungled Chemerinsky Hire"