Martin Brinkley returns to faculty, Andy Hessick named interim law dean
Hessick, a law faculty member since 2016 and associate dean since 2018, will take over for Brinkley to start the school year.
To assist UNC-Chapel Hill in carrying out its mission of service to North Carolina and the nation, UNC School of Law Dean Martin Brinkley is stepping down to focus his energy on teaching and bringing Carolina’s undergraduates into an understanding of the law. Andy Hessick, Judge John J. Parker Distinguished Professor of Law and associate dean for strategy and planning, has been named interim dean, starting Sept. 2.
“For the past decade, Martin has been a phenomenal leader and visionary who saw the limitless potential and opportunities within our School of Law,” said Chancellor Lee H. Roberts. “In partnership with his extraordinary team, Martin has made incredible strides and served as an exemplary and historic dean. Andy’s partnership with Martin in these efforts has been critical, and he is perfectly poised to take the helm as interim dean.”
Brinkley, William Rand Kenan, Jr. Distinguished Professor, will return to the faculty with a focus on teaching both at UNC Law and in the College of Arts and Sciences. He will teach three law courses per year in the future and is developing a fourth course for undergraduate students interested in the legal profession’s intersection with history, leadership and politics.
“I’m honored that Chancellor Roberts and Interim Provost Dean have asked me to engage our undergraduate students as part of my next chapter of service at Carolina. While I will always remain totally committed to the work that gives me such immense joy — teaching and mentoring our law students — it will be a privilege to serve the state I love in this broader arena,” Brinkley said.
Hessick has been a Carolina law faculty member since 2016 and was named associate dean for strategy and planning in 2018. He and Brinkley led the efforts to bolster the school’s reputation and support its growth. During their tenures, the school’s U.S. News & World Report ranking has risen 27 spots, from 45 to 18, placing it among the nation’s top four publicly supported law schools.
As associate dean, Hessick helped the school add courses in corporate and transactional law, increase the number of law clinics and create the UNC Law Institute of Innovation to house clinics in startup business, intellectual property and nonprofit organizations. His teaching and research interests include federal courts, administrative law, remedies and the judicial process.
“Martin has a longstanding passion for the classroom, as he continued to teach throughout his deanship,” said James W. Dean Jr., interim executive vice chancellor and provost. “I am delighted that even more students will have the opportunity to benefit from his deep expertise in the law and that Andy will be leading the school as we begin another academic year.”
The University will launch a search for the next permanent dean in the coming months.
