Jacob H. Rooksby, J.D., Ph.D.

Smithmoore P. Myers Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law; Professor of Law

Jacob H. Rooksby is an experienced academic, administrator, and attorney with a proven track record of leadership and innovation in higher education. Appointed Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law in 2018, Rooksby has focused on enhancing the law...

Read Full Biography
Dean Rooksby

Contact Information

Education & Curriculum Vitae

University of Virginia, J.D., M.Ed., Ph.D.

College of William & Mary, A.B. 

Courses Taught

Advanced Torts

Business Innovation Clinic

Externship Seminar

Intellectual Property

Leadership for Lawyers

Jacob H. Rooksby is an experienced academic, administrator, and attorney with a proven track record of leadership and innovation in higher education. Appointed Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law in 2018, Rooksby has focused on enhancing the law school’s academic programs, modernizing its facilities, and integrating it more fully into the university and regional communities. Under his leadership, the law school has achieved record enrollment growth and diversification, elevated outcomes for graduates, and strengthened partnerships with local and state legal professions. Guided by a commitment to opportunity and fairness, Rooksby has worked to ensure faculty pay equity and created initiatives that empower students, faculty, and staff to thrive. He holds a joint appointment as a Professor of Law and Leadership Studies.

Rooksby’s scholarship focuses on intellectual property law and higher education law, addressing challenges central to universities’ missions in an evolving landscape. He is the author of The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2016), which explores the intersection of innovation and the public good. He also co-authored the 6th edition of The Law of Higher Education, the leading treatise in the field, and edited Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (Edward Elgar, 2020).

Rooksby’s deep connection to the legal profession informs his ability to build strategic relationship and navigate complex organizational challenges. He holds law licenses in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington and has practiced with leading law firms, including McGuireWoods LLP and Dentons Cohen & Grigsby P.C. He currently serves as IP Optimization Strategist for FIG. 1 Patents, PLLC, a boutique intellectual property firm based in Spokane. Rooksby is an elected member of the American Law Institute, a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation, and a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

An Indiana native, Rooksby earned his A.B., summa cum laude, in Hispanic Studies and Government from the College of William & Mary, where he was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa. He holds J.D., M.Ed., and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Virginia and completed post-graduate training in higher education leadership at Harvard University in 2019. As a graduate of the Ignatian Colleagues Program, he is deeply committed to education that prioritizes service, personal growth, and the pursuit of meaningful impact.

Rooksby and his wife, Kelly Drew Rooksby, an attorney, approach life with passion, curiosity, and a shared commitment to excellence. Together they raise three active daughters, a rambunctious Bernedoodle, and a stoic Russian blue cat. An avid outdoorsman, Rooksby has summited the highest point of elevation in 46 states and enjoys hiking, golfing, skiing, and camping with his family. He brings to leadership the same enthusiasm, determination, and purpose-driven focus that define his life and career.

Books

Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer (Jacob H. Rooksby, ed., Edward Elgar Pub. 2020)

The Law of Higher Education, Student Edition, 6th ed. (Jossey-Bass 2020) (with William A. Kaplin, Barbara A. Lee, & Neal H. Hutchens)

The Law of Higher Education, 6th ed. (Jossey-Bass 2019) (with William A. Kaplin, Barbara A. Lee, & Neal H. Hutchens)

The Branding of the American Mind: How Universities Capture, Manage, and Monetize Intellectual Property and Why It Matters (Johns Hopkins University Press 2016)

Book Chapters

"Policy Advocacy and Organizational Change at the Association of University Technology Managers” in Research Handbook on Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer 131 (Jacob H. Rooksby, ed., Edward Elgar Pub. 2020) (with Christopher S. Hayter) 

“Protecting University Patents While Pursuing the Public Good,” inConcise Guide to Entrepreneurship, Technology and Innovation 144 (David B. Audretsch, Christopher S. Hayter & Albert N. Link, eds., Edward Elgar Pub. 2015).

“Learning to Litigate: University Patents in the Knowledge Economy,” in Academic Capitalism in the Age of Globalization 74 (Brendan Cantwell & Ilkka Kauppinen, eds., Johns Hopkins University Press 2014) (with Brian Pusser).

“University Patent Enforcement,” inThe Technology Transfer Law Handbook 157 (Elizabeth Rodriguez & Sean Solberg. eds., Edward Elgar Pub. 2014)

Book Review

Realizing the Distinctive University: Vision and Values, Strategy and Culture, by Mark William Roche, Teachers College Record (2017) (book review).

Articles

“Academic Leadership Is a Full-Contact Sport: Reflections from a Law School Dean,” 62 Santa Clara Law Review 91 (2022).

“COVID-19 and Corporate Social Responsibility: Business Responses to the Pandemic in the Inland Northwest,” 82 Montana Law Review 143 (2021) (with Kathryn E. Handick).

“A Fresh Look at Copyright on Campus,” 81 Missouri Law Review 3 (2016).

“Trademark Trends and Brand Activity in Higher Education,” 40(1) The Review of Higher Education 33-61 (2016) (with Christopher S. Collins). 

“A Legal Perspective on University Technology Transfer,” 41(2) The Journal of Technology Transfer 270-289 (2016) (with Christopher S. Hayter).

“Intellectual Property and the University:  An Introduction,” 54 Duquesne Law Review 1 (2016).

“Copyright in Higher Education: A Review of Modern Scholarship,” 54 Duquesne Law Review 1 (2015).

“Defining Domain: Higher Education's Battles for Cyberspace,” 80(3) Brooklyn Law Review 857 (2015).

“UniversityTM: Trademark Rights Accretion in Higher Education,” 27 Harvard Journal of Law & Technology 349 (2014).

“Innovation and Litigation: Tensions Between Universities and Patents and How to Fix Them,” 15 Yale Journal of Law & Technology 312 (2013).

“Myriad Choices: University Patents Under the Sun,” 42(2) Journal of Law & Education 313 (2013).

“When Tigers Bare Teeth: A Qualitative Study of University Patent Enforcement,” 46 Akron Law Review 169 (2013).

“When Your Institution Sues for Patent Infringement,” Trusteeship, July/Aug. 2012 at 7.

“Sue U.,” Academe 2012 at 24.

“University Initiation of Patent Infringement Litigation,” 10(4) John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law 623 (2011).