UCLA - University of California - Los Angeles
07/18/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/18/2024 11:00
Robert Swerdlow named UCLA vice chancellor for legal affairs and chief campus counsel
Robert Swerdlow, a member of the campus's legal affairs team since 2018, has been appointed UCLA's vice chancellor for legal affairs and chief campus counsel. He begins his tenure Aug. 1.
Swerdlow, who was selected after a national search, has been interim deputy campus counsel since July 2022 and previously served as principal campus counsel. From 1999 to 2018, he was an associate and then counsel in the litigation department of the O'Melveny & Myers law firm in Los Angeles.
In his new role, Swerdlow will report jointly to the chancellor and executive vice chancellor and provost at UCLA and to the UC-systemwide general counsel and senior vice president for legal affairs.
At UCLA, Swerdlow has advised campus and UC systemwide leaders on a variety of complex issues, including admissions issues, the university's response to allegations of sexual assault by health care providers and the changing landscape of collegiate athletics.
He has worked closely with the Office of Research and Creative Activities to provide counsel and support for UCLA researchers, with Environment, Health and Safety to improve workplace safety, and with the Compliance Office to facilitate internal investigations and respond to governmental inquiries.
A double UC graduate, Swerdlow received his bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley and his juris doctorate from UCLA Law School. Following graduation, he clerked for two U.S. District Court judges.
In private practice, he was awarded the USC Public Interest Law Foundation's Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award in 2014 for his work on behalf of children in foster care. He also served as counsel to the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence as part of its investigation into allegations of excessive use of force in Los Angeles County jails.
"With his extensive legal experience and proven track record at UCLA, we are confident that Swerdlow will be an excellent addition to our campus's senior leadership team," Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt wrote in a message to campus.
Swerdlow will succeed interim chief campus counsel Ina Bryant, who will remain a member of the campus legal affairs team.
Block and Hunt expressed their gratitude to Bryant "for agreeing to serve as interim chief campus counsel since July 2022 - and for her exemplary leadership, guidance and dedication … Ina's deep knowledge of university matters will continue to be an asset to the legal affairs team, UCLA and the broader UC system."