Dean

Jacob

H.

Rooksby

Jacob H. Rooksby was appointed Dean of the University of Richmond School of Law in 2026. Prior to joining Richmond Law, Dean Rooksby served for eight years as Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law in Spokane, WA. There he focused on enhancing the school’s academic programs, modernizing its facilities, and integrating it more fully into the university and regional communities. Under his leadership, the law school achieved record enrollment growth and diversification, elevated outcomes for graduates, and strengthened partnerships with local and state legal professions.

Dean Rooksby’s scholarship focuses on intellectual property law and higher education law, addressing challenges central to universities’ missions in an evolving landscape. He is the author of The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), which explores the intersection of innovation and the public good. He also co-authored the 6th edition of The Law of Higher Education, the leading treatise in the field, and edited the Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (Edward Elgar, 2020). 

Upon earning his J.D. from the University of Virginia, Dean Rooksby joined McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, practicing in the firm’s IP litigation group and as a member of its higher education practice team. In addition to his law degree, he also holds M.Ed. (Social Foundations of Education) and Ph.D. (Higher Education) degrees from the University of Virginia. Dean Rooksby earned his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in Hispanic Studies and Government from the College of William & Mary, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He completed post-graduate training in higher education leadership and management at Harvard University.