West earned his Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, from Rhodes College and his Juris Doctor with multiple honors from, where he was notes and comments editor for the Columbia Law Review.
He clerked for the Honorary Eugene Nickerson of the United States. District Court for the Eastern District of New New York
West has been a Fulbright Research Scholar, an Abe Fellow, and a fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
In January 2013, he was named as the 17th Dean of Michigan Law and succeeded Evan H. Caminker. West began his term on September 1, 2013. He is widely published on the subject of Japanese law and the Japanese legal system, and is regarded as a leading American authority in these areas.
From 2003 to 2008, West served as director of the University of Michigan Center for Japanese Studies.
West"s five-year tenure as director was the longest of any director since the Center"s founding in 1947. He has been the associate dean for academic affairs at Michigan Law since 2008.
