Dean Jacob H. Rooksby

Jacob H. Rooksby was appointed Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law in June 2018. He also holds a joint appointment as a tenured Professor of Law and Professor of Leadership Studies. Prior to joining Gonzaga, Dean Rooksby was Associate Professor and Associate Dean at Duquesne University School of Law, where he taught Torts I and Torts II, among other courses. While on the faculty at Duquesne, Dean Rooksby was Of Counsel to the intellectual property (IP) practice group at Cohen & Grigsby, P.C. in Pittsburgh and served as an expert witness in IP litigation. 

Dean Rooksby’s scholarship lies in two fields: IP law and higher education law. He published a book with Johns Hopkins University Press in 2016, The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters. He also is co-author of the 6th edition of The Law of Higher Education, the leading treatise in the field. 

Upon earning his J.D. from the University of Virginia, Dean Rooksby joined McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia, practicing in the firm’s IP litigation group and as a member of its higher education practice team. In addition to his law degree, he also holds M.Ed. (Social Foundations of Education) and Ph.D. (Higher Education) degrees from the University of Virginia. Dean Rooksby earned his undergraduate degree, summa cum laude, in Hispanic Studies and Government from the College of William & Mary, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He completed post-graduate training in higher education leadership and management at Harvard University.