Dean Austen L. Parrish

Austen Parrish is the Dean and James H. Rudy Professor at the Indiana University Maurer School of Law.  He joined the Law School in January 2014 as its 16th dean. In 2018 he was appointed the Class of 1942 Wells Scholars Professor for his work with Indiana University’s Wells Scholars Program.

His research and scholarship focuses on transnational law, transnational litigation, and the role that national courts and domestic institutions play in addressing global challenges. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles that have been published in leading law reviews and is the co-author of two books. He has particular expertise in legal and policy issues related to the extraterritorial application of domestic law. Over his career he has taught a variety of courses, including Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Federal Courts, Transnational Law, International Environmental Law, and Public International Law. 

Dean Parrish is active in a variety of national organizations focused on legal education. He serves as a member of the board of directors of AccessLex Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of legal education with a focus on issues of access and affordability. He currently serves as the chair of the Association of American Law School’s Membership Review Committee, was a member of the faculty/ programming committee for the 2019 New Deans Workshop, and has been nominated to join the AALS's Executive Committee. In 2019 the Indiana Supreme Court appointed him to the Study Commission on the Future of the Indiana Bar Examination.

Dean Parrish served as interim dean and CEO (2012-2014), vice dean (2008-2012), and the Irwin R. Buchalter Professor of Law (2007-2008) at Southwestern Law School in Los Angeles. Prior to entering academia, Dean Parrish was an attorney with O'Melveny and Myers in Los Angeles.