After a nationwide search that started last October, the UCLA School of Law found its next leader in Michael Schill, a faculty member of New York University.

When Schill arrives at UCLA in August, he will be a familiar face to some, as a number years ago he was considered for a position as a professor.

Carole Goldberg, a professor at the law school, met Schill during that time and said she remembers him distinctly as the one candidate that got away.

Though at the time Schill did not choose UCLA, he did feel a spark.

“I knew there was something special about the school back in ’87. … Seventeen years later I feel the same way,” Schill said.

Far from Los Angeles, the 45-year-old, was born and raised in Schenectady, N.Y.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Princeton University and went on to get his law degree from Yale Law School in 1984.

Schill started working in the field as a law clerk to U.S. District Court Judge Marvin Katz and then worked as an associate at a law firm.

It was in 1987 when Schill joined the academic world as an assistant law professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

“I was always interested in the academic life,” Schill said, adding that when he was in practice he got the chance to teach a class at Yale University.

“It just fit me like a glove. … It felt natural teaching,” he added, talking about the experience of informing individuals about subjects in which they are interested.

At NYU, Schill has been the director of the Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy and is also a professor of law and urban planning.

About the move and change in scenery between New York and Los Angeles, Schill said he is excited because as an urbanist he has studied both cities closely.

He added that the two cities are similar when it comes to the social issues that people are dealing with.

He also stated another similarity between the two cities when it comes to the practice of law.

“These are two cities where lawyers are at top of their game,” Schill said.

Along with the positives of coming to UCLA, the job comes with a number of challenges, and Schill is well aware of that.

“I wouldn’t want to come to a school when there are no challenges,” he said. “I wouldn’t feel needed.”

One of the prominent issues faced by the law school is dealing with increased fees and budget cuts.

Schill said the law school currently does not have sufficient financial aid and loan forgiveness programs in place.

He added that it is important for law schools to provide education to people from all walks of life, as law schools are training the leaders of tomorrow.

Monetary issues are important to everyone. Goldberg said its important for the new dean to be able to provide financial support in this era of reduced state funding.

Goldberg believes that Schill will be able to steer the law school in the right direction and added that he will have the support of the faculty.

“We welcome him not only as a dean but as a contributing member of faculty,” she said.

Schill was picked from a pool of nearly 125 candidates narrowed down to four finalists.

Schill said when he was approached by UCLA about the job he was not necessarily considering a dean position.

“There are a lot of American law schools that I would not consider, but UCLA was very appealing to me,” he added.

Schill described UCLA as a very dynamic place and a school that is not tied to the past.

“It’s a school that is not afraid to be innovative and is not being bogged down by tradition,” he added.

New ideas were also important to UCLA, explained Barbara Herman, the chairwoman of the search committee, adding that a quality that stood out about Schill was his creative ideas, alongside his distinguished academic reputation.

“He fit very well with the intellectual atmosphere of UCLA Law School,” Herman said.

She added that they were looking for someone with fresh ideas who was not only an administrator but also an intellectual.

Apart from all his accomplishments, Schill believes he is receiving good practice for being the dean of a law school as the president of the cooperative housing building he lives in.

“If I can successfully manage 300 very demanding people, half of whom want an elevator operator and the other half don’t, I can manage a law school,” he said jokingly.

Schill added on a more serious tone that he still has a lot of learning to do and that there is no way to get around that.

“There is no way to hit the ground running,” he said.