David W. Burcham, J.D.
David W. Burcham is the Executive Vice President and Provost of Loyola Marymount University. Prior to that, Burcham ushered in a new era of educational excellence during his tenure as Senior Vice President and Dean of Loyola Law School. Determined to give students a broad range of experience, Burcham oversaw the launch of a host of innovative programs, including the Business Law Practicum, the Center for Juvenile Law & Policy, the LLM in International Legal Practice, the London IP Institute, the Tax LLM program and other vital initiatives. The law school’s practical training programs excelled under Burcham’s stewardship, during which time the Byrne Trial Advocacy Team won five national championships and several regional competitions. He also oversaw the creation of the National Civil Trial Competition, one of the country’s preeminent mock trial events.
Burcham worked to enhance the size and prestige of the law school faculty, increasing the number of full-time professors by almost 15 percent – from 65 in 2000 to 74 in 2007. Under his leadership, the faculty collectively produced more than 400 works of scholarship. Burcham also worked with professors to establish programs in their core areas of expertise, including the Center for the Study of Law & Genocide, the Civil Justice Program, the Distinguished William J. Landers Lecture on Prosecutorial Ethics, the Fidler Institute on Criminal Justice, the IP Special Focus Series, the Journalist Law School, the Sports Law Institute and others.
Burcham made great strides to grow the law school financially. He raised money for the completion of the Girardi Advocacy Center, which houses the school’s flagship classroom, Robinson Courtroom. He then instituted a moratorium on building to focus on the school’s endowment, which more than doubled under his watch. He used part of that money to increase support for the Public Interest Law Department, which helps students pursue public interest careers through scholarships, internships and loan forgiveness. Elsewhere, Burcham worked to establish seven new faculty chairs.
During Burcham’s tenure, Loyola saw dramatic improvements in many national rankings: first for Best Classroom Experience and fourth for Professors Rock (Legally Speaking) by the Princeton Review and fifth for Trial Advocacy by
U.S. News & World Report. Burcham’s efforts to increase campus diversity were recognized by a number of rankings: ninth for Most Diverse Faculty by the Princeton Review, tenth on U.S. News’ Diversity Index and a listing among the top 10 schools for Latinos by Hispanic Business magazine.
Burcham was a public school teacher and administrator for more than eight years before receiving a J.D. from Loyola, where he was chief articles editor of the Loyola of Los Angeles Law Review and received numerous academic honors. After graduation, he served as a law clerk to both the Honorable Ruggero J. Aldisert, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and U.S. Supreme Court Justice Byron R. White. Before returning to Loyola as a faculty member in 1991, Burcham practiced labor and employment law with Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Los Angeles. He served as associate dean for academic affairs from 1999-2000 and was appointed the 15th dean of Loyola Law School in 2000.