PUBLIC INTEREST LAWYER RENÉE HUTCHINS HIRED AS DEAN AT UDC DAVID A. CLARKE SCHOOL OF LAW

Washington, DC — University of the District of Columbia President Ronald Mason Jr. today announced the selection of Renée McDonald Hutchins to serve as Dean of the David A. Clarke School of Law (UDC Law), the District’s only public law school and home to a nationally ranked clinical program.  Upon approval by the University Board of Trustees, Hutchins is expected to begin her term on April 17.

Hutchins, who was chosen through a national search, will bring to UDC Law a wealth of experience from the leading edge of clinical legal education and scholarship in a public law school setting.  Since 2004, she has been on the faculty at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, serving as the Jacob A. France Professor of Public Interest Law, co-director of the school’s nationally recognized Clinical Law Program, and founding director of its Appellate and Post-Conviction Advocacy Clinic. She has also served as a Visiting Professor of Law and Acting Director of the Criminal Appeals and Post-Conviction Services Clinic at George Washington University’s Law School.

“Renée is  a perfect match with UDC Law’s distinctive mission to diversify the legal profession and provide critical legal services to low-income Washingtonians,” said President Mason, who is himself an attorney.

Hutchins, who is an active litigator, is widely recognized as an expert on the Fourth Amendment and criminal appellate practice.

Shelley Broderick, who stepped down as UDC Law Dean last year after 20 years in the position, notes, “Renée’s talent and passion for social justice shine through in everything she does.”

Hutchins graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Mathematics from Spelman College, America’s oldest historically black liberal arts college for women. She received her J.D. from Yale Law School.