Kathy Fox: MSU Law’s New Assistant Dean of Admissions

Sept. 13, 2024

Kathy Fox has been working with Michigan law students as they study the law and prepare to practice it for over 20 years. “Michigan is home, and I’m so happy to be back!”

Fox, well-known for using data-driven approaches to law recruitment while consistently raising the metrics of incoming law school classes, held the positions of Assistant Dean of Enrollment Management at Syracuse University College of Law in New York and Assistant Dean of Admissions at Wayne State University Law School in Detroit.

Fox is also well-versed in law career services, having started her career at Cooley Law School in Lansing and making the transition to law admissions during her tenure at Wayne Law. “I have been in legal education in Michigan for a long time,” Fox said. “And I am proud that I had a hand in shaping a whole generation of lawyers who choose to practice here, when I had the opportunity to return and join Michigan State, I did not hesitate.”

Fox’s philosophy for law student success is built on the relationship between admissions and career development. One of the most enjoyable aspects of her own career in legal education is helping new students envision “what a career in or around the law can be,” she said.

As the Assistant Dean of Admissions at MSU Law, Fox and her team are launching recruitment efforts for the Class of 2028. She wants students considering law school to consider Michigan State and all the benefits of belonging to a Big Ten university while learning the law in an environment with small class sizes and more engagement with professors.

“MSU College of Law is a safe space for students to explore various areas of the law,” she said. “It’s ok if they enter law school without knowing what kind of lawyer they want to be. We have excellent resources and mentors dedicated to helping demystify law school and make sure they are successful.”

Fox, a native of Milwaukee, Wisc., earned her J.D. from what is now Mitchell Hamline School of Law in Minneapolis-St. Paul and an MBA from the University of St. Thomas – Opus College of Business. She holds a BA in history from the University of Wisconsin.