IRVINE, Calif. (February 12, 2024) — Professor Trilby Robinson-Dorn has been named Vice Dean of the University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law). Robinson-Dorn succeeds Professor Christopher A. Whytock who co-directs UCI’s Center in Law, Society and Culture.
“We are immensely grateful to Professor Whytock for his dedicated service and contributions as Vice Dean and are thrilled to welcome Vice Dean Robinson-Dorn into her new leadership role,” said UCI Law Dean and Chancellor’s Professor of Law Austen Parrish. “We look forward to the continued success and growth of UCI Law under her leadership.”
“I want to thank Chris Whytock for his leadership as Vice Dean since 2019, including during the difficult COVID years,” said Robinson-Dorn. “I look forward to serving in the Vice Dean role as the law school continues to innovate and grow.”
Robinson-Dorn teaches and researches in the areas of employment law, pay and workplace equity, and lawyering skills. She is a professor of Lawyering Skills and is the founder and director of The Pay Equity Project, which works to reduce the gender and race pay gap through education, advocacy, and collaborations with other stakeholders fighting for pay equity.
Throughout her career, Robinson-Dorn has participated actively in efforts to improve the status of women in the workplace and the legal profession, including as President of King County Washington Women Lawyers, as an ACLU of Washington Board and Executive Committee Member and Cooperating Attorney handling women’s and children’s rights cases, and on the K&L Gates Women in the Profession Committee. Professor Robinson-Dorn is actively involved in national equal pay work.
I am delighted Dean Parrish asked Trilby to serve as Vice Dean and that she agreed to do so. In her prior administrative roles at the Law School, she established herself as a highly effective and valued leader. While I will miss working with her on UCI Law’s administrative team, I am excited about the excellent job she will do as Vice Dean and all she will contribute in that role.
Professor Chris Whytock
UCI Law
Robinson-Dorn has held several leadership roles at UCI Law. Most recently, she served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs from 2020-2023, overseeing the law school’s J.D. academic program. Before that, she was the Associate Dean of Lawyering Skills from 2016-2019. Robinson-Dorn has also served on and chaired numerous law school and campus committees. She currently serves on the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Intercollegiate Athletics. In 2018, she was selected to participate in the UC Women’s Initiative for Professional Development, a systemwide leadership initiative sponsored by the University of California’s Office of the President.
Before joining UCI Law’s faculty, Robinson-Dorn was a partner at a large international law firm, where her employment practice included litigation, counseling, and mergers and acquisitions. She received a J.D. from Tulane Law School and a B.A. from Swarthmore College.
Professor Christopher A. Whytock, who holds a joint appointment in Law and Political Science, assumed the role of Vice Dean at the Law School in 2019. He has also served as Acting Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs (July 2023-December 2023), and Acting Dean for UCI Law (January 2022-March 2022). Whytock remains active in the international law community as a member of numerous committees and serves as the Associate Reporter for the American Law Institute’s Restatement (Third) of Conflict of Laws.
“I am delighted Dean Parrish asked Trilby to serve as Vice Dean and that she agreed to do so,” said Whytock. “In her prior administrative roles at the Law School, she established herself as a highly effective and valued leader. While I will miss working with her on UCI Law’s administrative team, I am excited about the excellent job she will do as Vice Dean and all she will contribute in that role.”
About the University of California, Irvine School of Law
The University of California, Irvine School of Law is a visionary law school that provides an innovative and comprehensive curriculum, prioritizes public service, and demonstrates a commitment to equity within the legal profession. Nearly half of all UCI Law’s J.D. graduates are people of color, and almost a third are first-generation students. At UCI Law, we are driven to improve our local, national, and global communities by grappling with important issues as scholars, as practitioners, and as teachers who are preparing the next generation of leaders. The collaborative and interdisciplinary community at UCI Law includes extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, dedicated staff, engaged alumni, and enthusiastic supporters. Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, and sign up for our monthly newsletter for the latest news and events at UCI Law.
