Washburn University Names New Dean of Washburn School of Law

    Topeka, Kan.  - Washburn University is pleased to announce that Jeffrey Jackson, interim dean of the Washburn University School of Law, will assume the role permanently. The selection follows a highly competitive national search and was based, in part, on supportive input from Washburn School of Law faculty and staff, campus colleagues and alumni.

    “During the past two years, Dean Jackson has proven that he is a strong and thoughtful leader who deeply values the prestigious legacy of the Washburn School of Law and its importance to the legal communities we serve,” said Dr. JuliAnn Mazachek, president, Washburn. “Appointing an alumnus to lead the Washburn University School of Law gives this announcement special meaning. We are so proud of Jeff and his accomplishments, knowing the future of the Washburn School of Law could not be in better hands.”

    Jackson has served as interim dean of the Washburn School of Law since the spring of 2022. He provided key leadership to law school faculty and staff as they helped to imagine and then moved to a new state-of-the-art home, Robert J. Dole Hall, in July of 2023. Also in the past year, he led the addition of a seventh Center for Excellence at Washburn School of Law, the Intellectual Property and Technology Law Center.

    Prior to serving as interim dean, Jackson was a law professor as well as the director of the Center for Excellence in Advocacy at Washburn School of Law. He earned his Bachelor in Business Administration from Washburn University in 1989 and graduated cum laude with a Juris Doctor from Washburn School of Law in 1992. In addition, Jackson holds an LL.M. in Constitutional Law from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

    Before joining the Washburn School of Law faculty in 2005, Jackson served as a law clerk for Chief Justice Robert E. Davis on the Kansas Supreme Court and the Kansas Court of Appeals. He also worked as a law clerk for Judge Mary Beck Briscoe on the United States Tenth Court of Appeals. He was later a litigation associate at the Topeka law firm of Bennett & Dillon. Jackson also has served as the Constitutional Issues Attorney for the Kansas Supreme Court.

    “I am extremely honored to lead this talented group of faculty who are dedicated to innovation and teaching excellence, as demonstrated by our students’ high bar pass rates,” Jackson said. “Together, we will ensure that Washburn School of Law continues to adapt to the future while maintaining its commitment to student success and proud tradition of graduating practice-ready students.”

    Jackson’s appointment as the 25^th dean of the Washburn School of Law takes effect immediately.

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