Zachary Clopton named dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

Daniel Hale Williams Professor of Law Zachary D. Clopton has been appointed dean of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, effective Feb. 1. Clopton succeeds Hari Osofsky as the permanent dean after six months in the interim role.

“Zach Clopton is a nationally recognized scholar in civil litigation who also has demonstrated himself to be a strong and steady leader, facilitating an environment that is collaborative, strategic and results-oriented,” Provost Kathleen Hagerty said. “Zach’s interest in the success and well-being of his colleagues has resonated with faculty, staff and students and alumni, and I am excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the Pritzker School of Law under his leadership.”

The appointment comes after Provost Hagerty named a Dean Transition Advisory Group in November 2025 to engage the Law School community and provide advisory input on the transition to a permanent dean.

Clopton joined the Pritzker School of Law in 2019. He served as a professor of law and soon became an associate dean for Research and Intellectual Life. He was appointed interim dean last May.

“This year has offered countless reminders of what makes Northwestern Pritzker Law such a remarkable place,” Clopton said. “Our students are thriving, our faculty continue to produce influential scholarship, our staff support everything we do with care and dedication, and our inspiring alumni enrich our community. Our mission is clear: to educate and prepare future leaders in the legal profession. I remain committed to supporting our students, faculty, staff and alumni in every possible way.”

Clopton’s legal research focuses on civil procedure — understanding the rules and policies that shape the judicial system. He said it is important to think about how our society uses courts and litigation to address hard problems of public policy.

Since 2024, Clopton has published articles in the Yale Law Journal, Stanford Law Review, University of Chicago Law Review, Virginia Law Review, Duke Law Journal, Cornell Law Review and Northwestern University Law Review. 

“Northwestern Pritzker Law has a world-class faculty, and I am excited to work with my colleagues to build on our tradition of excellence,” Clopton said.

Clopton remains deeply involved in efforts to support the judiciary and in the practice of law. In 2023, Chief Justice John Roberts appointed Clopton to the Advisory Committee on Civil Rules — a testament to his national impact on the procedural rules that govern federal courts. He also has spearheaded amicus briefs to the U.S. Supreme Court and other federal courts in cases related to federal jurisdiction and the restitution of Nazi-looted art. He is an elected member of the American Law Institute and the Reporter for the Seventh Circuit Pattern Jury Instructions Committee.

Clopton holds degrees from Yale, Harvard and Cambridge, where he studied international relations as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. He clerked for Judge Diane P. Wood on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and worked as an assistant U.S. attorney in Chicago and as an associate in the national security group at WilmerHale in Washington, D.C. He also served as an associate professor of law at Cornell Law School before joining Northwestern.

Clopton lives in Chicago with his wife, Katherine Kinzler, and three children: Taylor, Nate and Hazel.