William Rich
Professor of Law

Photograph: William Rich.
B.A., Oberlin College, 1970
J.D., University of California at Berkeley, Boalt Hall School of Law, 1975
Contact Information:
bill.rich [at] washburn.edu
(785) 670-1679
Office 313
Support Staff:
Penny Fell
penny.fell [at] washburn.edu
(785) 670-1669
Office 301
Library Faculty Liaison:
John Christensen
Teaching Responsibilities:
Constitutional Law
Constitutional Litigation
Civil Liberties
Jurisprudence
"Students who learn to care about the law, their community and their clients are likely to become outstanding lawyers. I hope that as a teacher I'll help to generate understanding of diverse perspectives and care for the welfare of others."

Professor Rich was a Rockefeller Fellow at Yale Divinity School. Prior to joining the Washburn Law faculty, he was a law clerk for Chief Justice Donald Wright of the California Supreme Court and he served as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society of Wichita. He served as Associate Dean of Washburn University School of Law for five years and was Acting Dean in the fall of 1985 and Interim Dean during 2006-2007. For several years he worked with Washburn Law Clinic students representing inmates in constitutional challenges to Kansas prison conditions. Professor Rich's publications address a wide range of constitutional law topics, including federalism, sovereign immunity, prison conditions and race relations. He also authored the three volume treatise, Modern Constitutional Law (3rd Edition), published in 2011.