Phil Weiser Named Dean of Colorado Law
The University of Colorado Boulder today announced the appointment of Philip J. Weiser, senior advisor for technology and innovation to the National Economic Council at the White House, as dean of the University of Colorado Law School. CU-Boulder Provost Russell L. Moore said Weiser will begin his duties as dean on July 1, 2011.
“I am delighted today to name as the next dean of CU’s esteemed law school a legal scholar, a public servant and a great thinker and innovator: Phil Weiser,” said CU-Boulder Provost Russell L. Moore. “Phil has amassed a critical body of legal scholarship and has distinguished himself as a researcher, a teacher, and a leader. His work in technology law has made him a seminal figure in that discipline, his leadership in building the Silicon Flatirons Center represents a very significant accomplishment, and I look forward to the energy, imagination and vision he will bring in leading Colorado Law.”
Weiser joined the CU-Boulder faculty as a professor of law and telecommunications in 1999. Prior to joining the White House, Weiser served as the deputy assistant attorney general at the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. Weiser took that post in July 2009, taking a leave of absence from the University of Colorado Law School where he served as a professor of law, associate dean for research, and the executive director and founder of the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship, a nationally recognized telecommunications powerhouse that elevates the debate around technology issues, facilitates networking and the development of “human capital” in the Colorado technology community, as well as across the country.
“I am honored by this appointment,” said Weiser. “Over the years I have enjoyed the opportunity to work with and learn from the Colorado Law family—its faculty, staff, students, alumni, and supporters. I am both humbled and excited by the opportunity to lead this community in the years ahead.”
Before joining the CU-Boulder law faculty, Weiser served as senior counsel to the assistant attorney general at the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division from 1996 to 1998, law clerk to Justices Byron R. White and Ruth Bader Ginsburg at the U.S. Supreme Court from September 1995 to August 1996, and law clerk to Judge David Ebel at the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver from September 1994 to August 1995. He received his law degree from New York University School of Law and his bachelor's from Swarthmore College.
Weiser replaces David Getches, who is returning to teaching after eight years as head of the law school. Under Dean Getches’ leadership, financing and construction of the $46 million Wolf Law Building was completed and the academic offerings at the law school have been greatly expanded. New programs include an endowed Experiential Learning Program, three Master of Laws degrees, three legal clinics, three certificates and eight dual-degrees.
“I want to thank David Getches for his strong leadership over the last eight years,” said Moore. “Today, CU’s law school is academically sound, a national leader in a variety of legal disciplines, and positioned as one of the nation’s great law schools. It is a great resource for the people of Colorado, and David is one of the key reasons why.”
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About University of Colorado Law School
Established in 1892, the University of Colorado Law School (www.colorado.edu/law) is a top 25 public law school located at the base of the inspiring Rocky Mountains. Colorado Law’s 500 students, selected from among the statistically best applicants in the nation, represent 100 undergraduate institutions and diverse backgrounds. The school has dual degree programs in business, environmental studies, telecommunications, and public affairs. With a low faculty-to-student ratio, its highly published faculty is dedicated to interacting with students inside and outside the classroom. The school’s 8 clinics and 4 centers focus on areas of strength, including natural resources and environmental, American Indian, juvenile and family, telecommunications policy, and sustainable energy law. Colorado Law’s graduates are leaders in their profession and committed to public interest work.
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