Three top US universities have recently appointed former law school deans as their incoming presidents, signalling a growing preference for leaders with legal expertise during a turbulent period for higher education.

Columbia University on Sunday named Jennifer Mnookin — former dean of the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and current chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison — as its next president. Earlier this month, the University of Michigan chose Kent Syverud, former law dean at Washington University in St. Louis and current chancellor of Syracuse University. In October, Georgetown University selected Eduardo Peñalver, former Cornell Law School dean and current president of Seattle University, as its next leader. All three are set to assume their roles in July.

The number of lawyers and law deans holding university presidencies has more than doubled over each of the past three decades, according to research by Patricia Salkin, senior vice president of academic affairs and provost at Touro University, who published a book on the subject in 2022. Appointments of this kind tend to spike in times of crisis, Salkin noted.

Mnookin and Syverud will lead institutions that were targeted by former U.S. President Donald Trump over the past year and have experienced significant leadership turnover. Columbia reached a $220 million settlement with the Trump administration in July to resolve claims of antisemitism and restore millions in government funding.

The U.S. Department of Education launched an investigation in July into the University of Michigan over foreign donations. The Ann Arbor institution, which has had three presidents in five years, also closed its diversity, equity, and inclusion office in March 2025.