Faculty Directory

Hemanth C. Gundavaram

Bio

Professor Gundavaram joined the Northeastern University School of Law faculty in 2014 and currently serves as associate dean for academic and faculty affairs and director of clinical programs. In his associate dean role, he develops and implements the curriculum and supervises the law school registrar and the bar success program to ensure alignment with accreditation standards, the law school’s mission and student success. As head of faculty, he manages and supports faculty professional development, advising, teaching pedagogy, sabbaticals, promotions and classroom issues. Additionally, he collaborates with the Provost’s Office, the General Counsel’s Office and the Admissions Office in strategic planning. In his clinic director role, Professor Gundavaram oversees and manages the ten clinics and practicums at the law school that provide over 25,000 hours of pro bono legal services each year.

Professor Gundavaram received his law degree from Boston University School of Law and his BS in journalism from Boston University College of Communication. After law school, he joined the global law firm of Mintz as a litigation associate. He then served as an attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit before transitioning to full-time teaching.

Professor Gundavaram is the co-founder and director of the school’s Immigrant Justice Clinic. In the clinic, attorneys and students represent non-citizen clients in their claims for asylum, permanent residence, release from immigration detention and other forms of relief. He also teaches immigration law, contracts and administrative law. In 2019, Professor  Gundavaram was voted the law school’s professor of the year, gave the faculty commencement address at graduation and received the faculty service award. A frequent public speaker on immigration law, he has appeared on Fox News (Tucker Carlson Tonight), NPR (All Things Considered), WCVB (CityLine), NECN (The Take) and WGBH (Greater Boston). He has been quoted in various news outlets, including Politico, USA Today, Politifact and The Christian Science Monitor. 

Of note, Professor Gundavaram has been working extensively with the National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) since 2021 on the reimagined bar exam, slated to debut in 2026, that will test fewer subjects and more skills. He has served on numerous NCBE committees regarding the scope and depth of the new exam, written and edited numerous prototype versions of item sets, and traveled around the country with NCBE to update the legal academy on the changes and possible paths to changing law school curriculum to meet the needs of the new exam and support bar passage for students.

Fields of Expertise

• Administrative Law
• Dispute Resolution
• Immigration Law
• Legal Research and Writing
• Litigation
• Social Justice