The Rule of Law

Ronald Weich, dean of Seton Hall Law, guides the next generation of lawyers to fortify and improve our legal institutions.

Before he ever stepped into a courtroom, Ronald Weich watched one come to life in black and white. As a kid, Weich loved watching TV reruns of Perry Mason, the popular legal drama featuring a sharp criminal defense attorney as the title character. But the law was more personal than that for him because his mother was an attorney, and he was impressed by her dedication.

“I saw how much she enjoyed being a lawyer. She was a very strong advocate for her clients, and she inspired me,” he says.

Today, Weich is the dean of the Seton Hall University School of Law, and he credits those early exposures for influencing his decision to become a lawyer. His legal career has been varied, a quality he appreciates.

Weich came to Seton Hall Law in 2024, after serving 12 years as dean at the University of Baltimore School of Law. The preceding three decades saw him in Manhattan courtrooms as a criminal prosecutor, in the halls of Congress as a legislative counsel, accepting an appointment by President Barack Obama to serve as an assistant attorney general in the Department of Justice, and as a partner in a D.C. law firm.

“I’ve had a series of very exciting legal jobs. My job at Seton Hall is the most exciting of all. It’s unusual to become a law school dean from outside academia, from the practice of law,” Weich says about his transition into higher education in 2012. “It’s been a great opportunity to take all of my experiences and pass on what I’ve learned to the next generation of lawyers.”

One principle that’s guided him throughout his career now shapes his role at Seton Hall: “A law degree is a license to help others,” he says.

This conviction applies to all types of legal practice, Weich notes. His early experience in the district attorney’s office, for instance, motivated him to pursue new ways to impact society.

“As a prosecutor, I didn’t feel I was doing enough to improve public safety,” he says. “But working in the Senate, I was able to advocate for programs that prevented people from committing crimes, like drug treatment, drug education, and mental health services. I was able to make more of a difference as a policymaker than as a prosecutor.”

When he was counsel to U.S. Sen. Edward M. (Ted) Kennedy, he helped write the 1992 law that established the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. “Establishing that agency really sharpened the federal response to the drug epidemic,” Weich says, affirming his values-centered approach to public service.

He also saw the government’s fidelity to the rule of law tested. While Weich served as Kennedy’s chief counsel, the Senate considered a proposed Constitutional amendment to exempt flag burning from the free speech clause in the First Amendment.

“No one defended flag burning,” Weich says, “but Sen. Kennedy opposed that Constitutional amendment because it would dilute the First Amendment. I was proud to help him successfully defend the Constitution.”

Though he’s no longer in the courtroom or on the Senate floor, Weich knows his responsibility to the rule of law is paramount. “I’ve seen the Constitution in action over the course of my career. Now, as a law school dean, it’s my job to help law students understand key institutions and values, and to make sure we’re graduating law students who are equipped to defend legal institutions and, at the same time, strive to make them better.”

Lori (Varga) Riley, M.A. ‘06, is a freelance writer living in New Jersey.