News

PUBLISHED:January 19, 2017

Fifteen professional skills faculty are now clinical professors

Duke Law has elevated 15 members of its full-time clinical, legal writing, and other professional skills faculty to the position of clinical professor of law (teaching).

“These longtime faculty members are all wonderful teachers who are critical to our mission: preparing students to be effective, insightful advocates from day one of their summer internships and their careers,” said Dean David F. Levi. “They bring their experience of practice into their classes, clinics, and advocacy, and continually demonstrate tremendous dedication to their students and to their instructional and supervisory roles. More broadly, these promotions reﬂect the Law School’s ongoing commitment to the teaching of lawyering skills, one fully supported by the members of the governing faculty.”

Clinical faculty to receive the title of clinical professor are: Sean Andrussier ’92, director of the Appellate Litigation Clinic; Health Justice Clinic Director Allison Rice and Supervising Attorney Hannah Demeritt ’04; Civil Justice Clinic Director Charles Holton ’73; Children’s Law Clinic Supervising Attorney Brenda Berlin; and Environmental Law and Policy Clinic Supervising Attorney Michelle Nowlin JD/MA ’92. Wrongful Convictions Clinic Supervising Attorney Jamie Lau ’09 is now an associate clinical professor of law.

“Duke Law School has a really unmatched clinical faculty,” said Clinical Professor Andrew Foster, who directs experiential education and clinical programs. “Across the board our clinicians are great teachers, terriﬁc lawyers, and engaged community members. Most importantly, the clinical faculty are absolutely dedicated to their clients and students. I’m so pleased that the Law School has now taken the important step of formally recognizing their consistent excellence and commitment in this way."

Members of the legal writing faculty who are now clinical professors are: Jo Ann Ragazzo; Frances Mock ’00; Sarah Baker ’06; Sarah Powell ’06; Diane Reeves; and Rebecca Rich ’06, assistant director of the Law School’s legal writing program.

“I join the rest of the Duke Law faculty in celebrating these promotions,” said Clinical Professor and Director of Legal Writing Jeremy Mullem. “Duke Law graduates are widely regarded as being exceptionally well-prepared to practice law. And those graduates point to the writing instruction they have received at Duke as being particularly valuable. The outstanding teachers whose promotions we celebrate have devoted their careers to the delivery of that instruction. They are an exceptional group and are the core of an institutional strength.”

Jennifer Jenkins ’97, director of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, who teaches courses related to intellectual property law, and Erika Buell, who teaches in the areas of entrepreneurship, contracts, and ﬁnance, also have been named clinical professors.

“Professors Jenkins and Buell are both innovative teachers and scholars who bring extensive experience in copyright law and in working with tech companies, respectively, to their classes,” said Levi. “They are also wonderful mentors to our students. We are delighted to acknowledge their excellence and commitment in this way.”

All of the new clinical professors received unanimous approval for their promotions from members of the Professional Skills Appointments Committee.

Sarah Powell '06