VENTURA : Ex-Tax Attorney to Head Law School

A former tax and business attorney who was the first mayor of Irvine has been chosen as the new dean of the Ventura and Santa Barbara Colleges of Law.

William M. Fischbach, 50, former vice president and general tax officer of Atlantic Richfield Co., was chosen from about 50 candidates to head the 175-student Ventura campus and the 150-student Santa Barbara campus, said Robert L. Monk, a Santa Barbara attorney and chairman of the school’s board of trustees.

Fischbach of Newport Beach replaces former dean Ben Bycel, who was recently selected by the Los Angeles Ethics Commission to be its chief executive officer and to enforce a tough set of regulations for city officials.

Fischbach is currently vice president and chief financial officer for the North American operations of L M Ericsson of Sweden, a manufacturer of cellular telephone systems.

“I feel like we’ve called Central Casting and got just who we wanted,” said Bycel, who served on the selection committee. “He’s a top-flight lawyer, an outstanding administrator with an extensive financial background, and he’s a good teacher.”

After graduating from Harvard University, Fischbach got his law degree at the University of Michigan, a University of Michigan spokesman said. After two years as an officer in the Army Counterintelligence Corps, Fischbach practiced tax and general business law with the Los Angeles firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher from 1967 to 1970.

From 1970 to 1974, he was managing partner and president of Rodi, Pettker, Galbraith, Bond, Fischbach & Phillips. While at the law firm, he became the first mayor of Irvine, elected to the post by the City Council on Dec. 28, 1971.

In 1974, he joined Arco, where he was in charge of the company’s worldwide tax operations. For four years while at the company, Fischbach said he taught graduate management courses at UC Irvine. Fischbach left Arco in 1985 and subsequently joined L M Ericsson.

“I spent a lot of my life doing full-time jobs and rather substantial part-time jobs,” said Fischbach, who will earn about $76,000 a year at the law school. “This is really my first full-time involvement (in academia) . . . . I’m really looking forward to it.”

The new dean said his immediate goals for the school include enhancing career opportunities for students, creating an active alumni and community support system and broadening the number and reach of the school’s programs.