David Robinson appointed chief campus counsel

Chancellor Carol Christ today announced the appointment of the chief campus counsel, with this message to the UC Berkeley community:

Dear Campus Community,

I am very pleased to announce the appointment of David M. Robinson as UC Berkeley’s chief campus counsel, effective June 1. David has served in this position on an interim basis since August 2017, and his permanent appointment follows a nationwide search. David’s rich and varied experience, skill as an attorney and deep knowledge of our campus and the higher education landscape make him an ideal choice to continue to direct Berkeley’s Office of Legal Affairs and advise campus leadership on the complex legal, regulatory, and policy issues that our institution encounters.

David M. Robinson

David’s connections to the University of California stretch back to his earliest days: His parents served as preceptors at UC Santa Cruz, and as a child he lived in one of the campus’s residential colleges. Later, David studied at UCLA and obtained his undergraduate degree in political science from UC Santa Cruz in 1989. He received his J.D. from Hastings College of the Law in 1992.

After working as a lawyer in private industry, David joined the UC Office of General Counsel in 2001, where he led the office’s construction and legislative affairs groups. He began working at Berkeley as an associate campus counsel in 2011, and since then has advised on an array of legal issues including Title IX compliance, business contracts, intellectual property, real estate transactions, equity and inclusion concerns, free speech issues, faculty welfare and employment matters and investigations. Over the past nine months, David has done an outstanding job as interim chief counsel, assisting with all manner of critical issues including the campus’s response to the events of last fall and our efforts to clearly reassert Berkeley’s commitment to free speech.

Beyond David’s significant skill and experience, the chief campus counsel search committee was impressed with his ability to work effectively with all levels of the Berkeley community, elevating voices that need to be heard and recommending solutions that benefit every member of our organization. David has a deep personal commitment to the mission of the university and to Berkeley’s closely held values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

The University of California’s general counsel and vice president of legal affairs, Charles F. Robinson, joined me in strongly endorsing David for this important campus position. We are both grateful for the guidance that he has provided to Berkeley’s Office of Legal Affairs as its interim leader, and thrilled that he will continue to direct his energy and enthusiasm toward helping the campus address our most challenging issues in the years to come.

Sincerely,

Carol Christ
Chancellor