'Culmination of my life's work': Pitt names Jerry Dickinson as new law school dean

When Jerry Dickinson’s mother died in the fall of 2023, he was approached at the service by an older man who introduced himself as George Pettrone, Pitt Law, 1976.

“Vice Dean Dickinson, it’s a pleasure to meet you again,” the man said. “I haven’t seen you for 33 years.”

Dickinson, now 38, did not recognize him.

“The last time I saw you was in orphan’s court in Downtown Pittsburgh in a hallway,” Pettrone told him. “You were walking away in the arms of your adoptive mother.”

Pettrone was the attorney who represented 3-year-old Jerry at his hearing.

“I wanted to come and pay my respects to your mom,” Pettrone told him.

The attorney, since retired, had followed Dickinson’s career — from working at Reed Smith, to founding the Housing Rights Project, to teaching at Pitt, to running for Congress in 2020 and 2022.

Given the boy’s early childhood trauma before his adoption, Pettrone told Dickinson that day, he didn’t expect what he found.

“It’s an improbable journey that you’re even here.”

Dickinson recounted that story last summer during a presentation as he sought to become Pitt Law’s dean.

“I owe this institution a lot. It’s not because of me and the prestige,” he said of wanting to become the head of the law school. “It’s because I love this institution, and I want to make it better.”

On Thursday, the University of Pittsburgh School of Law announced Dickinson as its next dean, making him the youngest person in the country to run a law school.

“To lead Pitt Law at this pivotal moment feels like the culmination of my life’s work,” he said.

Dickinson, who lives in Regent Square, joined the faculty of the University of Pittsburgh in 2017. He attended undergraduate school at the College of the Holy Cross, where he played Division I soccer, and went to law school at Fordham University.

‘He is a leader’

Dickinson was a Fulbright Scholar in South Africa, working with squatters facing eviction in Johannesburg. There, he earned a master’s degree in the law.

After law school, Dickinson worked at Reed Smith LLP and later served as a law clerk for former Chief Judge Theodore A. McKee of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

At Reed Smith, he founded the Housing Rights Project, an initiative providing free legal representation for indigent tenants in eviction proceedings in Allegheny County.

It is a field Dickinson is still active in, including winning a case last fall for a young Black woman facing eviction and homelessness.

“Ensuring equal access to resources and opportunities is foundational to preserving democratic principles,” he said.

Jason Hazlewood, an attorney at Reed Smith, was assigned to mentor Dickinson when he joined the firm. They soon became friends.

“He is a leader from the first day you meet him,” Hazlewood said. “His success was always a matter of when, not if.”

Although Dickinson’s practice at Reed Smith was in real estate and representing corporate clients, Hazlewood said, he knew he wanted to help people in the community and ensure they got a fair shake in housing matters.

“He saw that as a problem, and he created a solution,” Hazlewood said.

Dickinson said what makes academia so satisfying is that he can teach the law, write about the law and practice it — all in ways that benefit society.

He is a nationally recognized constitutional scholar.

“I am drawn to the intersection of constitutional law and civil rights, areas where the law serves as both a shield and a sword for justice,” Dickinson said. “The Constitution’s ability to adapt to societal change while safeguarding fundamental liberties fascinates me.”

Former 3rd Circuit Judge Timothy K. Lewis served as a mentor and friend to Dickinson.

Over the summer, Lewis, who made sure to say he’s a graduate of Duquesne University’s law school, wrote a letter of support to the dean search committee.

“Jerry Dickinson embodies what James Weldon Johnson described as ’the hope that the present has brought us,’ ” Lewis wrote. “He is smart, enthusiastic, extraordinarily gifted, deeply committed and fully prepared to assume the leadership of this esteemed school of law.”

David A. Harris, who teaches criminal law at Pitt, expects Dickinson to do a tremendous job as dean.

Dickinson’s experience at the school, Harris said, gives him a leg up in the position. He already knows the faculty, who they are and what they aspire to be.

“He can get to work right away,” Harris said, and not lose months trying to get acclimated.

He called Dickinson a first-rate teacher, a terrific lawyer and a great scholar.

Political background

Dickinson is also finishing work on a book, “The Bottom-Up Constitution: The States and the Evolution of American Constitutional Law.”

Harris also noted that Dickinson excels at communicating — not only with students, but with various audiences, including faculty, alumni and the legal community.

Dickinson’s experience running for Congress will also help him, he said, giving him invaluable insights into coalition-building and mobilization around a cause and idea.

“I learned the art of diplomacy, compromise and negotiation in the political trenches,” he said. “I also learned the art of fundraising. And perhaps most importantly, I learned the everyday concerns of everyday Americans. It’s kept me grounded.”

Lewis expects all of that to pay dividends for Dickinson in his new position.

“Of course it’s important for a dean to be academically accomplished and a scholar,” Lewis said. “But beyond that, what are your values.

“Jerry’s values are focused on uplifting a community.”

Dickinson and his wife, Emily, have two daughters and a puppy. He spends his time away from work with his family, skiing at Seven Springs, coaching the girls’ soccer teams and exploring the city’s parks.