Charles F. Robinson to retire as general counsel and senior vice president, Legal Affairs

UC Board of Regents Chair Maria Anguiano and UC President James B. Milliken made the following announcement on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2026:

Dear Colleagues,

We write to share that Charles F. “Charlie” Robinson, general counsel and senior vice president, Legal Affairs, has announced his plans to retire in June 2027, after 20 years as the University of California’s chief legal officer.

Charlie joined UC as the general counsel in January 2007, and in the two decades since, he has built and led one of the most respected legal departments in higher education — a team of more than 165 attorneys spanning our 10 campuses, six medical centers, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.  As the university’s chief legal officer with responsibility for all of the institution’s legal matters, Charlie has provided counsel to the Board of Regents, five university presidents, and countless chancellors and other university leaders, guiding the institution through an extraordinary range of legal and institutional challenges.

Charlie’s contributions to this university are exceptional and will be enduring.  He has been a steady, trusted advisor through high-stakes litigation, challenging governance matters, and complex regulatory issues — always with the university’s mission and values at the center of his counsel.  He is widely respected by his peers across the country, having built a reputation as one of the most capable and thoughtful general counsels in American higher education.  His work has been recognized well beyond UC: In 2021, the Directors Roundtable, a national organization that recognizes outstanding corporate and institutional legal departments, honored Charlie and the systemwide UC Legal division with its leading global distinction for general counsels and law departments.  Just last month, the Bar Association of San Francisco honored Charlie as the recipient of its “Excellence in Legal Leadership” award.  These awards are a testament to the caliber of the office he built.

Most notably, over the past year and a half, Charlie has been at the forefront of the university’s response to a rapidly shifting federal landscape.  As higher education nationally has faced a period of significant change, Charlie’s judgment, steadiness, and deep institutional knowledge have been indispensable.

Charlie’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to public service and the rule of law, from his early years as a litigator in San Francisco to his leadership of one of the largest and most complex legal operations in the country.  We are enormously grateful for his wisdom, his integrity, and his unwavering dedication to this university.

Please join us in thanking Charlie for his nearly two decades of service and in wishing him well as he prepares for this next chapter.  We will share more in the coming months about the transition process and plans to celebrate his contributions to UC.

With gratitude,

Maria Anguiano
Chair, UC Board of Regents

James B. Milliken
President, University of California