West LA Times

Robert Swerdlow, a member of UCLA's legal affairs team since 2018, has been appointed as the university’s vice chancellor for legal affairs and chief campus counsel. His tenure will commence on August 1.

Swerdlow was selected after a national search and has served as interim deputy campus counsel since July 2022. He previously held the position of principal campus counsel. From 1999 to 2018, he worked in the litigation department of O’Melveny & Myers law firm in Los Angeles, first as an associate and later as counsel.

In his new role, Swerdlow will report jointly to both the chancellor and executive vice chancellor and provost at UCLA, as well as to the UC-systemwide general counsel and senior vice president for legal affairs.

At UCLA, Swerdlow has advised leaders on various complex issues including admissions policies, responses to allegations of sexual assault by healthcare providers, and changes in collegiate athletics. He has collaborated with the Office of Research and Creative Activities to support researchers, with Environment, Health and Safety to enhance workplace safety, and with the Compliance Office on internal investigations and governmental inquiries.

Swerdlow is a double UC graduate; he earned his bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and his juris doctorate from UCLA Law School. After graduation, he clerked for two U.S. District Court judges.

In private practice, Swerdlow received recognition for his pro bono work on behalf of children in foster care when he was awarded the USC Public Interest Law Foundation’s Pro Bono Attorney of the Year award in 2014. He also served as counsel to the Citizens Commission on Jail Violence during its investigation into excessive use of force allegations in Los Angeles County jails.

“With his extensive legal experience and proven track record at UCLA, we are confident that Swerdlow will be an excellent addition to our campus’s senior leadership team,” Chancellor Gene Block and Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Darnell Hunt wrote in a message to campus members.

Swerdlow will succeed interim chief campus counsel Ina Bryant who will remain part of the campus legal affairs team. Block and Hunt expressed their gratitude towards Bryant “for agreeing to serve as interim chief campus counsel since July 2022 —and for her exemplary leadership, guidance and dedication … Ina’s deep knowledge of university matters will continue to be an asset to the legal affairs team, UCLA and the broader UC system.”