David Bunis '83 returns to university as chief of staff

President Fred Lawrence announced Tuesday that David A. Bunis '83 will join the university as chief of staff next month.

Bunis is a 1987 graduate of the Boston University School of Law, and has been a partner at Dwyer & Collora, LLP, in Boston for the past two decades, where he served as counsel to high tech companies, financial institutions and non-profits. He's represented individuals and institutions in trials before state and federal courts, mediation and arbitration panels and government agencies.

Bunis and his family live in Newton, where he serves as president of Temple Emanuel's board of directors. With long-standing ties to the university, Bunis and his wife, Jacqueline Hallo '82, whom he met as an undergraduate, celebrated the bar and bat mitzvahs of their three children at Brandeis.

"I first met David about 20 years ago when we worked together on the Civil Rights Committee of the Anti-Defamation League and I was impressed with his judgment, integrity and dedication," Lawrence wrote in an e-mail to the Brandeis community. "Since then, we have had occasion to work together on a number of projects and my esteem has grown.

In addition to his work for the ADL, where he served as chair of the Civil Rights Committee, a member of the New England Regional Executive Board and as an ADL National Commissioner, Bunis currently serves on a pro bono basis as a judge for administrative appeals for the Massachusetts Office of Minority and Women's Business Affairs. He's also worked as an attorney at Greater Boston Legal Services.

"For many years, he represented Tufts University and became intimately familiar with the myriad issues affecting colleges and universities," Lawrence continued in his e-mail. "That experience, his time as a Brandeis undergraduate, and some of the decades-long relationships he has maintained with alumni, faculty and staff will serve him well as he immerses himself in the university.

"During my discussions with David about returning to his alma mater to manage and coordinate the activities of my office, it was clear that the spirit of Brandeis inspired his professional life and work. In fact, his page on his law firm's website contains a quote from an opinion Justice Brandeis wrote in 1927 advocating free speech and underscoring the importance of courage and leadership in a thriving democracy.