Indian-American named dean of a top US law school

An Indian-American expert in comparative constitutional law has been named dean of a top law school in the US state of California.

Sujit Choudhry, 44, is currently the Cecelia Goetz Professor at New York University School of law and is the founder of its Centre for Constitutional Transitions.

His five-year term at the University of California, Berkeley, School of law will begin on July 1.

In a statement, the University of California Berkeley Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Claude Steele called Choudhry a "brilliant scholar, professor, and mentor," who would inspire and lead with "big ideas" during a time of rapid change in the legal profession.

"Choudhry's enduring commitment to social mobility, diversity, and educational excellence will bring renewed energy to the law school’s core mission of public service and community engagement." Steele said.

The Indian American called the Berkeley law deanship the opportunity of a lifetime.

 "Berkeley law is simply a remarkable institution," he said.

 "It is among the very best law schools in the nation, and is an integral part of one of the world’s great research universities.

 I am deeply attracted to Berkeley law's public mission, it is committed to equality of opportunity, academic excellence, and diversity like no other law school that I know," he added.

A prolific scholar, Choudhry has published more than 70 articles, book chapters, working papers, and reports.

His core work addresses basic methodological questions in comparative constitutional law.

He also studied constitutional design as a way for states to transition from civil war to peaceful democracies, especially in ethnically divided societies.

Referring to the changes facing legal education, Choudhry said the future belongs to law schools that "seize upon this moment as an opportunity for innovation" with "energy and imagination".

Prior to joining New York University, Choudhry was an associate dean and the Scholl Professor of law at the University of Toronto.

 Described as "highly interdisciplinary", Choudhry held cross appointments in the university’s political science and public policy departments.

He was a member of the blue ribbon Governing Toronto Advisory Panel and sat on the board of directors at legal Aid Ontario, one of the world’s largest publicly funded legal assistance programs.

In 2011, the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto had named him Practitioner of the Year.