How Dean Brandy Price Turned a Life of Teaching Into a Mission to Transform Legal Education

Brandy Price’s journey from teacher to dean shows how a commitment to access, representation, and community shaped her leadership at The Colleges of Law.

BY ISABEL NELSON

The Colleges of Law’s Dean and Chief Academic Officer Brandy Price, J.D., began her career as a high school English teacher, a role in which she discovered a talent for instilling in her 10th graders her own passion for reading and writing. However, she also noticed inconsistent literacy skills among incoming students. Determined to ensure that younger students build a strong foundation, Price transitioned to teaching first grade where, she says, “Nobody left that classroom unable to read and write.”

After several years, the school wanted to make Price an administrator, but around the same time, a conversation with a friend sparked her interest in law school. With that in mind, she visited the University of Pennsylvania. “I walked on the Penn campus at night, and the fireflies were there on Locust Walk,” she says. “It was the most transformational moment. I said, ‘I see myself here.’” The moment felt to Price like the conclusion of much soul searching. It paid off. Penn accepted her application, and she fell in love with the study of law.

Armed with a J.D. and a reinvigorated desire to work with those in need, Price returned to the classroom, once again teaching first grade and helping launch the Barack Obama Charter School in Compton. However, it wasn’t long before she was headhunted again for administration. She moved to the Canoga Park campus and prepared to become the next principal. She still felt a sense of responsibility to the kids, though. “I kept teaching,” Price says. “Then, in the afternoon, I’d go downstairs and be the principal.” Price did whatever was necessary to support her staff. Again, her hard work paid off. The school grew from 112 children to more than 400 in just a few years.

Price continued moving between teaching and administration. Her love of the classroom and skill in administrating led her to a grant-supported teacher education program for Cal State LA, then higher education administration, earning her the title of chief academic officer.

Price first heard of The Colleges of Law from a friend who dreamed of fulfilling a lifelong goal of law school, previously unthinkable due to a busy work schedule. “I told my friend, ‘Let me look into this school.’” What she found was staff, board members, and a dean she describes as “the real deal.” And it just so happened that, a week later, The Colleges of Law announced its need for an associate dean. Price applied for and landed the job.

As Price and the team at The Colleges of Law navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, she gained a deeper understanding of what the college means to its students. They weren’t expecting to be handed law careers but were grinding to make those careers happen. “These folks are parents who juggle part-time, full-time employment, who take care of elderly parents,” says Price, adding that students at The Colleges of Law all “have a very strong ‘why’ for why they want to be in law school.”

In July of 2025, The Colleges of Law promoted Price to dean. Although her new role means stepping away from the classroom, Price has one course she still plans to teach: a civil rights seminar planned for the spring of 2026. She says of all the classes in her career, this is the one she’s most excited about. “One of my big goals is to surface the people whose voices have been marginalized or vanished,” she says.

Price believes that representation of a wide swath of voices is vital to demonstrate that a career in law is a path available to anyone. She says, “A lot of the students we work with say things like, ‘I never thought I could do it; I didn’t see people who look like me.’” She wants to increase community outreach with The Colleges of Law too, so local kids can see law students who look like them.

According to Price, studying law gives students “new eyes” with which to see the world differently. Those new perspectives in a class of future lawyers with a strong “why,” as Price puts it, can change everything for the better. After a career spent widening access to education, Price views The Colleges of Law as the place where she can make the greatest difference. Guiding the next generation of legal professionals is the work she plans to keep pushing forward.