William McGovern, a legal historian and scholar and former teacher of Contracts and Wills and Trusts, served as Associate Dean of the School of Law during 1983-84. He is a member of the Commission on National Probate Court Standards and the Illinois State Bar.
Before joining UCLA, Professor McGovern practiced law with Sidley & Austin in Chicago. From 1963 to 1971, he taught at Northwestern University and has served as a visiting professor at the Universities of Illinois, Minnesota, and Virginia, and Loyola University, Los Angeles. His hobbies include classical music and tennis.
Professor McGovern is author of Cases, Statutes, and Readings on the Law of Contracts (1980) and Cases and Materials on Wills, Trusts, Future Interests: An Introduction to Estate Planning (1983). He co-authored Contracts and Sales: Cases and Problems (with Lawrence, 1986) and Trusts and Estates: Wills, Trusts, Future Interests, and Taxation (with Kurtz and Rein, 1988).