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An influential scholar, beloved teacher, and University leader, Professor Picker served on the Law School faculty for more than 35 years

Randal C. “Randy” Picker, ’85, the James Parker Hall Distinguished Service Professor of Law and a beloved teacher, influential scholar, and deeply committed citizen of the University of Chicago, died unexpectedly on August 15.

Mark A. Cohen

“Working with nonprofit leaders, I’ve felt inspired by their love for and connection with the communities they serve. I hope to achieve that level of that dedication in my career as a lawyer.”

Vyomika Gandhi, ’29, brings an interdisciplinary background in science and public service to UChicago Law. A Georgetown University graduate with degrees in psychology and neuroscience, Gandhi has worked in the nonprofit sector and conducted research on the effects of opioids and HIV on the brain.

“Competing on 'Survivor' … taught me an openness to adventure and a stick-to-itiveness that I don’t think I’d have otherwise."

Drew Basile, ’29, has taken an unconventional path to UChicago Law. A University of Pennsylvania graduate and Barry Scholar at Oxford, he has also won seven games on Jeopardy!, competed on Survivor, and worked as a freelance writer.

With her heart set on public interest work, Zoë Mieres Fleishaker, ’27, returned to her home state of New York for the summer to work at Brooklyn Defender Services—an experience, she said, that has been a dream come true. &

Walker Cox with Chicago skyline in background

To explore his interest in Big Law, Walker Cox, ’28, took on a summer associate position in Skadden’s Chicago office. The work is giving him a taste of day-to-day life in a big firm.

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Faculty in the News

Dean Adam Chilton Named One of Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia for 2026

Adam Chilton, Dean, Howard G. Krane Professor of Law, was named by The National Law Review as one of the Top 50 Legal Innovators in Academia for 2026, a national recognition honoring the educators, administrators, researchers, and academic leaders who are shaping the future of legal education.

Sam Bray, '05, and Eric Posner Cited in New York Times for Two Different Scholarly Works

In today’s edition of “The Docket,” New York Times Chief Legal Affairs Correspondent Adam Liptak mentions a recent paper co-authored by Professor Sam Bray and a study conducted by Professor Eric Posner and a collaborator.

Professor Saul Levmore Remembers His Longtime Colleague Randy Picker in ProMarket Essay

One theme of Randy Picker’s work was to delve into the details of the success and failure of firms and industries. Firms like AT&T and IBM were dominant but eventually, famously, gave way to other firms. Randy studied the rise and fall of many firms, and especially tech firms, and then tried to examine the role that law played in their demise.