From his days in private sector law to years spent providing core legal guidance to the University of Texas System, David Lein has worn many hats throughout his career. Photo courtesy of Lein

University News

Seasoned Legal Advisor and Lawyer Appointed as BU’s New General Counsel

David Lein will help guide the University through a time of transformation

David Lein, a lawyer and legal advisor who for decades has helped guide large organizations in higher education, media, and government, has been appointed Boston University’s next senior vice president and general counsel.

Effective January 1, 2027, Lein, who currently serves as associate vice chancellor and deputy general counsel for the University of Texas System, will be the University’s chief legal advisor as it navigates a rapidly changing higher education environment. 

“I’m pleased to join a university that both serves Boston and is purposefully engaged with the world, and views those commitments as not just compatible but mutually reinforcing,” Lein says. “I am also drawn to the way Boston University stays grounded in the humanity and dignity of the people we work for and with: students, faculty, staff, the broader University community, and external partners.”

Lein steps into his new role after Erika Geetter stepped down as senior vice president and general counsel in September. 

“[David’s] seasoned judgment, values-driven leadership, and years of wise counsel will help steer us through this time of transformation and advance the goals of our strategic framework, Charting Our Future,” President Melissa Gilliam wrote in a letter to the BU community on November 3.

His experience in the UT System, a sprawling collection of 13 institutions, has placed him at the center of a variety of legal questions for higher education. Since 2018, he has advised the governing board, chancellor, presidents, and senior officials on an array of high-stakes legal decisions involving everything from constitutional law and civil rights to research and finance. He also functioned as the primary liaison between the UT System and Texas Office of the Attorney General.

Beyond his role as associate vice chancellor and deputy general counsel, Lein has spent more than a decade mentoring the next generation of lawyers as an adjunct professor at the University of Texas Law School. 

“I love helping students learn new things about themselves and what they’re capable of,” Lein says.

In 2019, he also helped form the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium, a statewide assemblage of experts sponsored by the Texas legislature that aims to improve access to mental health care for children and pregnant and postpartum women. He still serves as counsel to the consortium.

Among his many roles and responsibilities, Lein has also found time to run 16 marathons, including his fifth Boston Marathon last year.

After earning his JD from Harvard Law School and Master of Public Administration from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, he started his legal career in 2001 as a law clerk for United States District Judge William Wayne Justice. The year he spent working under Justice remains a highlight of his career and still informs his approach to the law and life.

“He taught me just about everything I needed to know about how to treat people, from well-heeled litigants, to impoverished criminal defendants, to the lawyers and staff members on my team,” Lein says.

After his brief stint as a law clerk, Lein spent more than a decade practicing law in the private sector, representing clients in the media, government, and corporate world. His work touched on everything from First Amendment issues to questions surrounding open government laws.