Adam Chilton Appointed Dean of the University of Chicago Law School
Prof. Adam Chilton has been appointed dean of the University of Chicago Law School, effective July 1, President Paul Alivisatos and Provost Katherine Baicker announced.
Chilton, the Howard G. Krane Professor of Law and the Walter Mander Research Scholar, is widely recognized for his research at the intersection of international law, comparative law and empirical legal studies. His work addresses a broad array of global and domestic legal issues, including constitutional design, human rights, judicial behavior and legal education.
“Adam is a scholar of exceptional rigor, known for bringing analytical depth and empirical clarity to complex legal questions,” Alivisatos said. “He understands and embraces the Law School’s deep tradition of advancing the University’s bedrock commitments—free expression, academic freedom and institutional neutrality. I’m confident he will lead with intellectual seriousness and a principled dedication to sustaining and strengthening those values for the University community and beyond.”
Beyond his scholarly work, Chilton is deeply committed to fostering academic excellence and mentorship within the legal community. He currently serves as co-editor of UChicago’s Journal of Law and Economics and previously co-directed the Harry A. Bigelow Teaching Fellowship—a leading program for training future law professors. He also serves on the board of the American Law and Economics Association and is a fellow of the Society for Empirical Legal Studies.
“Adam brings his exceptional intellectual and strategic vision to the role,” Baicker said. “His leadership will be instrumental in building on the Law School’s remarkable stature to continue to attract leading legal scholars and students to UChicago and to advance the Law School’s influence and eminence.”
Chilton’s research projects reflect the range and depth of his scholarship, including studies on the development of competition law across jurisdictions, the role of Bilateral Labor Agreements in shaping labor migration, and strategies for improving conditions in informal urban communities. He also engages with critical topics in American law and legal institutions, including Supreme Court reform, the ideological composition of the legal profession, judicial decision-making and innovations in legal education.
In his recent book, How Constitutional Rights Matter, co-authored with Mila Versteeg, Chilton uses empirical methods to examine how the inclusion of rights in written constitutions influences their real-world protection. He is also the co-author of Trial by Numbers: A Lawyer’s Guide to Statistical Evidence, co-authored with Kyle Rozema, which offers legal professionals a practical introduction to empirical research methods.
“I strongly believe that the University of Chicago Law School is the world’s most academically outstanding and rigorous law school, and it is an extraordinary honor to lead it,” Chilton said. “I’m immensely proud of our institution’s long history of producing rigorous scholarship, delivering transformative legal education, and respecting free expression and intellectual diversity. I’m excited to work with our outstanding faculty, staff, students and alumni to build on our rich legacy and continue pushing the boundaries of legal teaching and research.”
Chilton will succeed Thomas J. Miles, the Clifton R. Musser Professor of Law and Economics, who has served with distinction as dean of the Law School since 2015. Miles will return to the faculty when his appointment concludes next month.
“I’m excited to … build on our rich legacy and continue pushing the boundaries of legal teaching and research.”
Prof. Adam Chilton
“Adam exemplifies the core values of the University of Chicago Law School,” Miles said. “He is a first-rank scholar, beloved teacher, and selfless institutional servant. I look forward to Adam’s leading our Law School to many new successes.”
Chilton joined the Law School faculty in 2014 after serving as a Bigelow Fellow and Lecturer in Law. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group. He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from Yale University, followed by a JD and Ph.D. in political science from Harvard University.
This story was adapted from one that first appeared on UChicago News.