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Our Faculty

The faculty at Ave Maria School of Law are renowned leaders in the fields of law and religion, known for their teaching and research. Additionally, Ave Maria School of Law faculty bring a range of perspectives to their teaching.

Ave Maria law students give our faculty high marks both for the quality of their teaching and their accessibility.

In more than one Princeton Review survey over the past several years, Ave Maria School of Law students gave our faculty very high ratings in the “Faculty Most Interesting” category and the “Faculty Most Accessible” category. One student stated, “Learning is always a joy, but the small-family-feel at Ave makes you feel as though the faculty and staff have invested in your education. The Senior Administrators give the students the sense that they really care about them.” TopLawSchools.com reports that students at Ave Maria praise the staff for their friendliness and accessibility.

The faculty and professors of Ave Maria Law School are some of the leading law scholars and most experienced attorneys in their field. They are renowned for their teaching and research particularly in the fields of Law and Religion.

For more information about a particular faculty member, please click on the individual profile.

MEET OUR FACULTY

John Czarnetzky

Chief Executive Officer and Dean

Dean John M. Czarnetzky is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (B.S., 1982, Chemistry) and the University of Virginia (J.D., 1989).

Before law school, Dean Czarnetzky was an officer in the United States Army, where he served as an intelligence analyst, specializing in foreign chemical, biological and nuclear capabilities. After law school, he practiced bankruptcy and commercial law with Sidley & Austin in Chicago, and McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe in Richmond, Virginia.

Dean Czarnetzky joined the University of Mississippi School of Law in 1994, teaching courses in bankruptcy, corporate reorganizations, secured transactions, civil procedure, and business associations. At “Ole Miss,” he was the five-time winner of the “Outstanding Law School Professor,” and in 2016, he was the recipient of the Elsie M. Hood Award for the “Outstanding Professor at the University of Mississippi,” the highest honor awarded to faculty members at the University of Mississippi.

Dean Czarnetzky also serves as a legal adviser to the Holy See’s Mission to the United Nations, representing the Holy See in negotiations, including establishing the International Criminal Court and several international treaties, including one on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Dean Czarnetzky is a lay member of the Dominican Order and a third-degree Knight of Columbus.

Jane Adolphe

Professor of Law

SSRN

Curriculum Vitae

  •  (239) 687-5387
  • JAdolphe@avemarialaw.edu

Education

  • J.C.D., Canon Law, 2001, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome, Italy
  • J.C.L., Canon Law, 1997, Pontificia Università della Santa Croce, Rome, Italy
  • LL.B/B.C.L, 1990, Common Law & Civil law degrees, University of McGill, Montreal, Canada
  • B.A, 1985, Political Science major, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta

Areas of Expertise

  • Professor Adolphe has taught Canon Law, Criminal Law, Family Law, International Family Law, International Human Rights, International Law, and International Law and the Holy See.

Professional Experience: Dr. Jane Adolphe is called to practice law in the State of New York, USA and Province of Alberta, Canada with degrees in civil law (LL.B/B.C.L)  and canon law (J.C.L/J.C.D). As a Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law (AMSL), in Naples, Florida (2001 – present), with an expertise in international human rights law, from 2003 she worked for the Holy See (Pope), Secretariat of State, Section for Relations for States, first as an outside legal advisor for Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, then in 2011, during the final years of Pope Benedict VI’s papacy, as an inside expert on international human rights issues within the United Nations System in Vatican City State, and continued into the papacy of Pope Francis, until her resignation in 2020.

While working for the Holy See, in her capacity as Professor of Law, Adolphe established the International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family (ICOLF), in 2014, as a forum for Catholic jurists guided by the Holy See’s Charter on the Rights of the Family. It was renamed the International Catholic Jurists Forum (ICJF), in 2021.  Under the auspices of this forum, Adolphe has organized multiple international conferences on topics of relevance for the Holy See, some of which have resulted in the publication of books that she has co-edited: Clerical Sexual Misconduct: An Interdisciplinary Analysis (Cluny: 2020); Equality and Non-discrimination: Catholic Roots, Current Challenges (Pickwick: 2019); The Persecution of Christians in the Middle East: Prevention, Prohibition, Prosecution (Angelico Press: 2018).

Another notable book co-edited by Adolphe is St. Paul, the Natural Law and Contemporary Legal Theory (Lexington: 2012). A dialogue between theologians at Sacred Heart Major Seminary, in Detroit, Michigan, and law professors at AMSL, it was the outcome document of a speaking series organized by Adolphe and Dr.  Robert Fastiggi during the “Year of St. Paul”, declared by Pope Benedict XVI. The book responds to a specific request for a conference on the natural law made by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith (as Pope Benedict XVI then was) to AMSL President and Dean, at the time, Bernard Dobranski.

Adolphe was awarded the top 20 persons (6th) of 2020 by Inside the Vatican Magazine for her courage and determination. She was described as a “tireless advocate for victims of abuse and persecution,” and was also profiled as a guest on the Series: Where are they now?” regarding her athletic career with the University of Calgary Dinos basketball team, her career as a law professor, and work with the Pope. She recently appeared on EWTN live with Father Mitch Pacwa to speak about “Catholic thought and Human Rights.” Most recently, Adolphe together with Elizabeth Westhoff of AMSL prepared a series of videos under the auspices of the ICJF to help launch the Global Call to Prayer for China Campaign organized by a coalition of lay Catholics and Christians from around the globe.

She began her legal career clerking with the Court of Appeal and Queens Bench in Calgary, Alberta, and the law firm Bennett Jones Verchere, then prosecuted criminal cases for the Alberta Crown Prosecutor’s Office, and later worked as a legal consultant to a law firm in Rome, and to non-governmental organizations lobbying at United Nations’ conferences, before participating as a member of various delegations of the Holy See at international meetings.

Her doctoral thesis in canon law is entitled: A Light to the Nations: The Holy See and the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. She has published numerous articles on international human rights and the Holy See, and holds a Bachelor of Arts and four law degrees: licentiate and doctorate in canon law (J.C.L/J.C.D) from the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross, in Rome, Italy; common law (LL.B), and civil law (B.C.L.) from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec. Adolphe also holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary.

Professional Membership or Consultant

  • Member, State Bar of New York, USA
  • Member, Bar of Alberta, Canada
  • Director, International Catholic Jurists Forum
  • Senior Advisor, Global Liberty Alliance
  • Board of Advisors, International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute
  • International Advisory Board, Campion College (Australia)

Honors and Professional Affiliations

Top 20 persons (6th) of 2020 by Inside the Vatican Magazine

  • Jimmie Condon Scholarship, three-time winner, University of Calgary
  • Numerous tournament and conference all-star awards for athletic achievement in basketball, University of Calgary
  • Alberta Provincial Basketball Team
  • All Canadian Basketball Team (1985)
  • City of Calgary Booster Club Award (1985)

Key Works

  • Publications

The editors of this unique collection of essays exploring the relationship of St. Paul and the natural law bring together contributions by scripture scholars, theologians, philosophers, and international lawyers. Inspired by the special Jubilee Year from June 2008 to June 2009 – proclaimed by Pope Benedict XVI to celebrate the 2,000-year anniversary of the birth of St. Paul – the chapters in this book are the fruit of the contributors’ collaboration during the celebration of the Year of St. Paul. They share a common appreciation of the natural law as a basis for civil law and contemporary legal theory, and each chapter examines the foundations of the natural law – particularly in the writings of St. Paul – giving special recognition to the Catholic contributions to natural law and contemporary legal theory.

Equality and Non-discrimination: Catholic Roots, Current Challenges

This volume explores ways of understanding equality and non-discrimination. Drawing on the timeless logic of realist philosophy, Catholic morality, and Catholic social teaching, the authors seek to provide intellectual clarity on many controversial questions.

The contributors are lawyers, philosophers, and theologians who offer rich insights into the modern crisis of social thought on equality. They examine various global assaults on human life, marriage, the family, and the natural dignity of masculinity and femininity. They seek to uphold the essential foundations of reality for the attainment of the common good. The contributors attempt to move beyond a positivist mentality in order to evaluate the first principles of the natural law in which all human law is grounded.

The various chapters evaluate developments and application of theories of equality and non-discrimination in the history of Western thought; in modern European practice; in contemporary inter-American practice; in the Asian setting; in the Middle East and North Africa; and in the Catholic canon law tradition. The authors strive to restore a universally valid conception of equality and non-discrimination as understood within the Catholic tradition.

 

The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East

In the summer 2014, ISIS waged a bloody blitz through Iraq’s Nineveh province, crucifying, beheading, raping, torturing, forcibly converting to Islam, and driving out every member of the region’s 2000-year-old Christian community. Christian girls, as young as three, were sold at ISIS sex slave markets in Mosul. Ancient churches were burned and ISIS attacked dozens of Christian towns in Syria. The beheading in 2015 of 21 Egyptian Copts was videotaped by ISIS and became a searing, iconic symbol of this wave of persecution that threatens to eradicate Christianity in the Middle East. Many in the West, even Christians, remain unaware of the scale of this persecution, and even fewer know what can be done about it.

Inspired by Pope Francis’ denunciation of these acts as “genocide,” a group of Catholic legal scholars, writers, and theologians began work on The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East. Its case studies focus on persecuted Christians, but its analysis equally applies to the other victims. In the United States, military and diplomatic responses are contemplated and sometimes undertaken. But what about the legal system? Are there things we can or should be trying? That question animates this book as it explores various facets of religious persecution, examining ISIS’s ideology and their relationship to Islam as practiced by most Muslims, as well as exploring the nature of religious freedom. Practical, relevant, and rich in ideas, this book addresses the most crucial religious freedom issue of our day. It is a primer for Christians, students of international human rights, and all concerned about religious persecution.

Clerical Sexual Misconduct: An Interdisciplinary Analysis

What is truly remarkable about this book is the breadth and depth of the analysis of the entire sex abuse crisis from men and women possessed of deep Catholic identity and firmly committed to authentic Catholic renewal. – From the foreword by Jeffrey Mirus

In 2018, as accounts of clerical sexual misconduct in Chile, Honduras, and the United States roiled the Catholic Church, an international meeting of experts in journalism, law, pastoral care, philosophy, psychology, sociology, and theology, was convened to study the incidence of clerical sexual abuse of males. Under the skilled editorship of Jane F. Adolphe and Ronald J. Rychlak, Clerical Sexual Misconduct: An Interdisciplinary Analysis is the result of that meeting and the incisive, insightful studies that it generated.

Part I: Challenges—Church Culture and the Social Sciences explores the data on clerical sexual abuse within the Catholic Church and also exposes prevalent cultural myths that conceal the roots of the problem.

Part II: Contributing Factors—Extra-Church and Intra-Church Influences situates the problem of clerical sexual abuse amidst the surrounding problems, including the broader cultural roots of abuse, Catholic organizational culture, and clericalism.

Part III: Consequences—Legal and Policy Issues examines Canon Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Law and their impact on the punishment and control of abuse.

Part IV: Charting the Course Forward—Biblical, Theological and Pastoral Reflections identifies the Catholic roots of a true and abiding solution.

JANE ADOLPHE, ROBERT FASTIGGI, MICHAEL VACCA, EDS., ST. PAUL, THE NATURAL LAW AND CONTEMPORARY LEGAL THEORY, [Hard Cover] (Lexington: 2012).

Gender Wars at the United Nations, 11 AVE MARIA LAW REVIEW 1-31 (2012)

“New Rights” What International Law Actually Says? 10 AVE MARIA LAW REVIEW 149-168 (2012)

The Holy See in Dialogue with the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 1 AVE MARIA INTERNATIONAL LAW JOURNAL 141 – 175 (2012)

New Challenges for Catholic-Inspired NGOs in Light of Caritas in Veritate in THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL SCIENCE REVIEW 16 (2011) 181-193

A Response to Amnesty International’s Abortion Policy in Light of Mulieris Dignitatem, 8 AVE MARIA LAW REVIEW 311(2010)

The Pope’s Peace and Security Council Resolution 1325, 5 AVE MARIA LAW REVIEW 429 (2007) 

Chapter 20: Same Sex Marriage in Canada: The Debate About the Best Interests of Children, in LYNN D. WARDLE, CAMILLE S. WILLIAMS, EDS., FAMILY LAW: BALANCING INTERESTS AND PRIORITIES, (William S. Hein & Co: 2007). 

Chapter 18: The Principles and Canada’s Beyond Conjugality Report: The Move Towards the Abolition of State Marriage Laws in ROBIN FRETWELL WILSON, ED., RECONCEIVING THE FAMILY, (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2006). 

Chapter 10: Holy See and Convention on the Rights of the Child: Moral Problems in Negotiation and Implementation, in H. WATT ED., COOPERATION COMPLICITY, AND CONSCIENCE: MORAL PROBLEMS IN HEALTHCARE, SCIENCE, LAW, AND PUBLIC POLICY (London: Linacre Center, 2005). 

The Case Against Same-Sex Marriage in Canada: Law and Policy Considerations 18 BYU JOURNAL OF PUBLIC LAW 479 (2003)

  • Articles

What the Holy See Has to Say about Violence Against Women and Girls: Commission on the Status of Women, 57th Session, 27 March 2013 in Zenit.org  

What the Pope has to Say about Women and Aids, 14 June 2011, in Zenit.org

  • Presentations 

Professor Adolphe presented at a Men’s Conference organized by the “God Squad” in Calgary Alberta. It was the first time in the history of the organization that a woman presented.

Professor Adolphe’s topic was entitled Three Popes on Joy: Part 1 and Part 2. View Here

Margaret Antonino

Assistant Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation

Education: J.D. 2015, Ave Maria School of Law, Magna Cum Lade; BA, 2012, Financial Economics, University of Maine at Orono, Cum Lade.

Courses: Advanced Legal Analysis, Common Law Synthesis, and Advanced Essay Writing

Professional Experience

Professor Antonino has worked as litigation counsel since 2015, and was a Partner at a multi-state civil defense firm representing hospitals, Doctors, property owners, and construction companies in New York, New Jersey and Florida.

Mark H. Bonner

Professor of Law

Education

  • J.D., 1974, Washington College of Law
  • B.A., 1969, History, Georgetown University

Areas of Expertise

  • Appellate Advocacy, Complex Litigation, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Criminal Litigation, Evidence, Professional Responsibility, Trial Advocacy

Professional Experience: Professor Bonner began his legal career at the U.S. Department of Justice and served in a variety of capacities there for more than 25 years, including Assistant U.S. Attorney in Los Angeles and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Resident Legal Advisor in Moscow. For 10 years, he directed the investigation and prosecution of high-profile federal cases involving international and domestic terrorism. He subsequently joined the U.S. Department of Treasury, where he held the position of Senior Advisor and Chief of Staff to the Undersecretary of the Treasury for Enforcement. Prior to coming to Ave Maria, Professor Bonner served as a Senior Advisor in the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Office of International Affairs, where he oversaw the Department’s activities within the Group of 8 (G8) countries. He also taught as an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center for 13 years.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Attorney General of California, 1984 for prosecution of State v. Ruiz while cross-designated as Assistant AG of California.
  • US Department of the Treasury Meritorious Service Award, 2003
  • General Procuracy of the Russian Federation, 1998 by Issa M. Kostoyev, Deputy Procurator General of the Russian Federation, Chief, International Legal Directorate, for work as Resident Legal Advisor, Moscow.
  • Director CIA, 1982 and 1992 for services appurtenant to U.S. litigation.
  • Director FBI, 1999 for investigation, trial and appeal in US v. Simmonds.
  • Special Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs 1990, Nicholas Rostow, for securing emergency writ of mandamus from US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in US v. Galliano quashing subpoenas on then-Deputy National Security Advisor Robert Gates (while Gates was White House crisis manager for Operation Desert Shield).
  • Chief of Staff, Kissinger Associates 1990, Ambassador L. Paul Bremer (same as above,
  • as to Ambassador Bremer, formerly Ambassador at large for Counter-Terrorism and subsequently Civil Administrator, Coalition Provisional Authority, Iraq).
  • Department of Justice Special Achievement Awards (received on three occasions)
  • Chief Postal Inspector’s Award 1995, for investigation, prosecution, and appeal in US v. Raymond D. Cheely, et al.
  • Honorary Member, Russian Legal Academy, inducted 1998 by Academy President Valentine V. Ershov, Moscow.

Publications

  • Jimmy Gurule´, Mark H. Bonner & Laurie Levenson, Complex Criminal Litigation: Prosecuting Drug Enterprises and Organized Crime, (4th ed. 2019).
  • Mark H. Bonner, Using the Torture Act Against the Persecution of Christians, in The Persecution and Genocide of Christians in the Middle East 265 (Ronald J. Rychlack and Jane F. Adolphe, eds. 2017).
  • Mark H. Bonner, An Ounce of Christian Virtue is Worth a Ton of Regulation, 6 The Gavel, Issue 2, p. 2 (Spring 2015).
  • Mark H. Bonner and Jose Nunez, Evidentiary Issues in Criminal Trial Law – Demonstrative Evidence, 2015 Fl. CLE 2 credits, Ref. # 1608348N available at https://cle.avemarialaw.edu/product/evidentiary-issues-in-criminal-trial-law/
  • Extradition, Mutual Legal Assistance, and Prisoner Transfer in Issues and Problems in Combating Organized Crime, Moscow, 1997.
  • Selected published appellate briefs from the Third, Fourth, and Ninth Circuits:
  • United States Simmonds, 235 F.3d 826 (3rd Cir. 2000)
  • United States Cheely, 36 F.3d 1439 (9th Cir.1994)
  • The Inquisition by Special Prosecutor in United States v. Senator Ted Stevens:  of Brady, Contempt, and the Forensic Trifecta, 51 Crim.L.Bull. 69-125 (2015).
  • A Child Needs a Champion: Guardian Ad Litem Representation for Prenatal Children,    19 W&M Jour. of Women and the Law 511-584 (2013).

Jamie Carroll

Assistant Professor of the Academic Success Department

  • (239) 687-5386
  • jcarroll@avemarialaw.edu

Education

  • J.D., 2014, Ave Maria School of Law, Summa Cum Laude
  • B.A. (Hons.), History, Law & Justice, Political Science, 2011, Laurentian University

Areas of Expertise

  • Professor Carroll teaches Applied Critical Thinking and Legal Analysis at Ave Maria School of Law.

Professional Experience

During her studies at Ave Maria School of Law, Jamie Carroll served as an Associate Editor and Executive Articles Editor of the Ave Maria Law Review (The law school paper) . After graduation, Professor Carroll worked as an attorney at Clark & Gentry, P.L.L.C., a mid-sized law firm in Manhattan. She practiced primarily in the areas of captive insurance and corporate law, and received additional experience in high-value commercial real estate, estate planning and administration, trusts, and tax law. Professor Carroll also serves on the Board of Directors of Fresh Coast Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit Christian organization dedicated to spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ through sustainable, enterprise-based humanitarian work.

Law School Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Member of the Florida Bar
  • Academic Standards Committee
  • Assessments, Evaluations & Outcomes Committee
  • Pro Bono Committee
  • Mary Queen of Lawyers Award
  • Rabindranath Tagore Interdisciplinary Award
  • Edward and Frank McGrath Award of Excellence
  • Judge J.D. Greco Award of Excellence
  • Judge John Hayes and Vera McDonald Award of Excellence

Key Works

  • Publications
    • International Protection of Child Soldiers and Internally Displaced Children (2011)
    • West African Cultural Retention in the Southeastern American States during the Slave Trade (2011)
    • Review: Jeremy Bentham’s The Constitutional Code (2010)

Ligia Castaldi

Professor of Law

  • Email: lcastaldi@avemarialaw.edu
  • Phone: (239) 687-5372Ligia De Jesús Castaldi is a Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law. Her scholarship focuses on prenatal rights in international human rights law. Among others, she authored Abortion in Latin America and the Caribbean: The Legal Impact of the American Convention on Human Rights, a book published by Notre Dame University Press in 2020. Courses taught by her include International Law, Family Law and Protection of Human Life in Law and Public Policy.Before joining Ave Maria School of Law faculty, Professor Castaldi worked for several international and governmental human rights agencies, including UNICEF’s regional office for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She was also a legal advisor to the National Congress of Honduras on human life and family issues.Professor Castaldi is a board member of the International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute (ISHRI) and a member of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists (SCSS). She received LL.M. degrees from the University of Groningen and Harvard Law School.

Bruce Connolly

Assistant Professor, Director, Rodney L. Smith Business Law Institute

Education

  • J.D., Notre Dame Law School, 2007
  • B.A., Fordham University (Economics and Political Science), 2004

Areas of Expertise

Professor Connolly is the director of the  Rodney L. Smith Business Law Institute and teaches Business Organizations and Commercial Law.  He also teaches Criminal Law, Federal Criminal Law & Practice, and Film and the Law.

Professional Experience

Professor Connolly began his career as a corporate associate at Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York City. He then joined the law firm of Raiser & Kenniff, P.C., first as an associate and then a partner, where he practiced mainly criminal defense in both state and federal courts. He has been lead counsel on bench and jury trials, and many of his cases have drawn attention in the New York City media. He was also active in the firm’s civil department for matters involving civil rights, employment, personal injury and general commercial litigation.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Summa Cum Laude (Fordham University)
  • Phi Beta Kappa (Fordham University)
  • Editor-in-Chief Notre Dame Journal of Law, Ethics & Public Policy (2006-2007)
  • New York Metro Super Lawyers Rising Star in Criminal Defense (2015-2019)
  • Board Member: Lee County Legal Aid Society
  • Member:
    • Bar of the State of Florida
    • Bar of the State of New York
    • United States Supreme Court
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit
    • United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
    • United States District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida
    • United States District Court for the Eastern and Southern Districts of New York
    • Southwest Florida Federal Court Bar Association
    • Lee County Bar Association
    • Collier County Bar Association
    • Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers

Eric Fleetham

Director and Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

ACADEMICS

  • MASTER OF ARTS (Interdisciplinary Studies) ~ Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, 2013 Summa cum laude
  • JURIS DOCTOR ~ The University of Toledo College of Law, 1994 Magna cum laude ~ Order of the Coif ~ Managing Editor, University of Toledo Law Review Phi Kappa Phi ~ American Jurisprudence Class Awards in Civil Procedure; Litigation & Practice; Family Law; Legal Research & Writing; Real Property; and Torts
  • BACHELOR OF ARTS ~ Political Science and History ~ Hillsdale College, 1991 Summa cum laude ~ Debate Team

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Ave Maria School of Law Naples, FL Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing and Research:  2009 – Present

Director of Legal Analysis, Writing and Research: 2018 – Present

Assistant Director of Legal Analysis, Writing and Research: 2015 – 2018

  • Classes Taught: Research, Writing, and Advocacy I-III (2009 – 2019) and Legal Analysis, Writing and Research II-III (2019 – Present); Sales (spring 2013, fall 2013, spring 2014); Commercial Law (spring 2017, spring 2018, spring 2020)
  • Moot Court: Chester Bedell Mock Trial Coach; AAJ Student Trial Advocacy Competition coach; National Baseball Arbitration Coach; New York City Bar National Moot Court Competition Co-Coach; Judge for several internal trial and appellate competitions
  • Law Review: Faculty adviser to law review students

Davenport University Grand Rapids, MI

  • Adjunct Professor in paralegal program:  2007 – 2009
  • Classes:  Legal Research and Writing; Advanced Litigation

Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett LLP Grand Rapids, MI Associate:  1994 – 2000 Partner: 2001 – 2006

  • Litigated multi-million dollar environmental and insurance cases
  • Responsible for lawsuits (trial and appellate levels) involving commercial disputes, asbestos claims, and insurance coverage claims
  • Trained summer clerks on how to conduct legal research
  • Mentored and trained law students and junior attorneys in multiple areas
  • Member of firm’s library committee

PUBLISHED WORKS

  • Another Trip Around Article 2 Remedies: Why The U.C.C. Precludes Sellers from Recovering Market Price Damages in Excess of Resale Damages, 20 Ave Maria Law Review 1966 (Spring 2022).
  • Treat it Like Book Research:  A New Approach to Teaching 1Ls Lexis and Westlaw, 30 The Second Draft 30 (Spring 2017).
  • Asbestos Litigation Cries Out for Legislative Reform, Business Update, July 2006
  • Medical Criteria Has Become the Focus of Asbestos Litigation Reform, West Michigan Environet, May 2006
  • EPA Issues Asbestos Project Plan, West Michigan Environet, January 2006
  • Asbestos Bill Needs to Catch Fire, Business Direct Weekly, June 10, 2004
  • Preserving Our Rights, Business Direct Weekly, June 19, 2003
  • Asbestos Lawsuits Now Target Property Owners, Grand Rapids Business Journal, April 28, 2003
  • Asbestos Litigation Finds a New Target and is Quickly Becoming a Target Itself, Toxic Torts and Environmental Law Committee News, Spring 2003
  • Lee v. Weisman: Psychological Coercion Offends the Traditional Notion of Coercion Under the Establishment Clause, University of Toledo Law Review, Spring 1993

PRESENTATIONS

  • Teaching Legal Research: So Much to Cover, So Little Time, Southeastern Legal Writing Conference, January 23, 2016
  • Teaching Legal Writing: But My Undergraduate Professor Told Me I Was a Great Writer! Helping Students Make the Transition to Legal Writing, 2014 Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, June 30, 2014 (Co-Presenter)
  • Teaching Legal Analysis: Warren the Whining 1L: A First-Day CREAC Exercise, 2013 Southeast Regional Legal Writing Conference, April 27, 2013 (Co-Presenter)
  • How to Reap the Benefits of the First Summer Job for the Rest of Your Career, Legal Writing Institute Workshop, December 7, 2012 (Co-Presenter)
  • Asbestos Litigation Just Won’t Go Away, Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce, April 24, 2006
  • Testimony before Michigan Senate Judiciary Committee on asbestos litigation legislation, March 28, 2006
  • Aggressively Pursuing Fraudulent Conveyances, The Institute of Continuing Legal Education, June 16, 2005
  • Legal Issues On Indoor Air Quality, Certified Indoor Environmentalist Course, 2004-2005
  • Silica Litigation: The Next Big Wave of Toxic Tort Suits? Michigan Chamber of Commerce, May 5, 2004
  • Asbestos Litigation Takes An Ominous Turn, Michigan Chamber of Commerce, April 22, 2003
  • Asbestos Litigation Takes An Ominous Turn, ABA Environmental Litigation Committee National Conference, January 18, 2003
  • Y2K: A Bump In The Road, Information Technology Management Association, July 7, 1999

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • State Bar of Michigan

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

  • Covenant Church of Naples (2015 – Present): Youth Leader and Youth Ministry Team
  • Center for the Arts of Bonita Springs (2013 – 2018): Volunteer for Youth Theater Performances
  • Beacon’s Sports Outreach (2016 – 2019): Flag Football Coach

Jaime Generazzo

Director and Assistant Professor of the Academic Success Department

Education

  • J.D., 2005, Suffolk University Law School, cum laude
  • B.A., 2001, English, Suffolk university Law School, magna cum laude

Areas of Expertise

  • Professor Generazzo is the Director of the Academic Success Department at Ave Maria School of Law. She teaches Legal Case Analysis and Skills Enrichment and Applied Critical Thinking and Legal Analysis.  She also provides academic counseling to students.
  • Professor Generazzo taught legal writing at Ave Maria School of Law for 7 years.

Professional Experience

Jaime M. Generazzo was a Senior Attorney for the state of Florida for a number of years. She served as a litigator for the Guardian ad Litem Program in Miami-Dade County where she successfully argued an appellate brief before Florida’s Third District Court of Appeal. She has lectured at national conferences on issues involving children in foster care, as well as presenting extensive trainings at the local and state level. Professor Generazzo, was also a member of the law review at Suffolk University Law School.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Member of the Florida and Massachusetts Bar

Patrick Gillen

Associate Professor

Professor Patrick T. Gillen is an Associate Professor of Law with tenure. He received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School, has a B.A. from Providence College, an M.A. (American History) from Fordham University, and a Ph.D. in American History from Notre Dame University. Prior to joining the faculty Professor Gillen served as a judicial clerk for the Hon. Daniel A. Manion, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and the Hon. Robert D. Potter, United States District Court Judge for the Western District of North Carolina. In addition to these clerkships, he was engaged in the private practice of law where his practice was focused on civil litigation involving a wide variety of matters, including constitutional law and civil liberties. Professor Gillen teaches Constitutional Law, Evidence, and Moral Foundations of Law.   He has also taught courses in Civil Procedure, Federal Courts, Appellate Practice, Florida Constitutional Law, and American Legal History.

Professor Gillen is currently working on a mission-course offered to all students who attend Ave Maria School of Law, Moral Foundations of Law, a signature course designed to help students understand the inevitable intersection of law and moral values and to provide them with background knowledge and conceptual framework needed to think well about this vitally important issue.  He is also advising pro-life groups about how to further their mission in the face of state laws which seek to undermine their ability to promote and protect life.  In connection with that pro bono work, he is researching the speech/conduct distinction that pro-abortion legislators often rely upon when seeking to thwart pro-life groups.

Professor Gillen is grateful for the support of his colleagues and Dean Czarnetzky’s decision to confer this honor him because he regards working at Ave Maria as a great privilege.  His post gives him the opportunity to help students appreciate the myriad ways in which the natural law and natural rights thinking central to the Catholic Intellectual Tradition provided the essential foundation for the American Founding, centered around the pursuit of happiness, understood as the pursuit of a virtuous life, and the Framing, with its focus on limited government and ordered liberty.  He regards the mission of the school as vitally important, particularly at this moment in history, because for decades the vast bulk of law schools have indoctrinated lawyers with radical ideas and those lawyers have, in turn, shaped the law in ways inimical to human flourishing.  At Ave Maria he has a chance to pass on the best of what has been thought and said about law with the hope that Ave Maria graduates will, in time, reform the law as they seek to serve their clients well.

Kevin H. Govern

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs & Professor of Law

Education

      • L.L.M., 2004, International and Comparative Law, University of Notre Dame School of Law
      • L.L.M., 1995, International and Operational Law, The Judge Advocate General’s School
      • J.D., 1987, Marquette University Law School
      • B.A., 1984, History and German Major, Marquette University

Areas of Expertise

      • International and Comparative Law, National Security, Military Law, Law and Religion, Ethics

Professional Experience

Professor Govern began his legal career as an Army Judge Advocate, serving 20 years at every echelon during peacetime and war in worldwide assignments involving every legal discipline. He has also served as an Assistant Professor of Law at the United States Military Academy and has taught at California University of Pennsylvania and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He has published widely and spoken frequently on international and comparative law, national security and homeland security, cyber security and cyber defense, military operations, law and religion, and professional ethics.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

      • Vice-Chair Advisory Board and Volunteer, Catholic Charities of Collier County, Naples, FL (2018 – present).
      • Co-President, West Point Parents Club of Southwest Florida and Board Member, West Point Society of Naples, Naples, FL (2018 – 2019).
      • Field Force Volunteer, United States Military Academy (2018 – present).
      • Volunteer and Governance Board Member, Wounded Warriors of Collier County (2018 – present).
      • Executive Board Member, Center for Ethics and the Rule of Law, University of Pennsylvania Law School, Philadelphia, PA (2012 – present).
      • Federalist Society Junior Scholar Recognition (2012)
      • Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) Research Grant awarded for research into Islamic attitudes towards legitimacy of international law and international agreements (2007).
      • Phi Kappa Phi International Honor Society (Induction awarded for excellence in teaching and scholarship)(2007).
      • Knights of Columbus (4th Degree)(Unanimously elected Council Recorder, Trustee)(2006 – present).
      • Army Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS) (awarded full law school tuition) – Master of Laws (LLM) in International and Comparative Law (2003 – 2004).
      • Legion of Merit (Twice awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements, while serving as a Commissioned Army Officer); eighteen other individual and unit awards and other U.S. and foreign decorations (1987-2007), and Most Outstanding Legal Professional in United States Special Operations Command (Major General William Garrison Award)(awarded 2000).
      • Phi Delta Phi International Legal Fraternity Certificates of Appreciation – Magister (1987), Assistant Province President (1993), Active Life Member (1993 – present), Province President (1994).
      • Active Licensed Real Estate Broker, State of Wisconsin (1986 – Present).
      • Member, Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States (1995 – present), and Bar of Eastern and Western Federal District Courts and Supreme Court of the State of Wisconsin (1987 – present).
      • Den Leader, Parent Volunteer, Merit Badge Counselor, Boy Scouts of America (2004 – 2015). Volunteer, Alpha House Interfaith Hospitality Shelter (2007 –2009) Habitat for Humanity (2003-2007), West Point Women’s Club Scholarship Fundraiser Events (2004-2007), and Catechism Instructor (2006-2007).
      • George C. Marshall ROTC Award (Top 1% nationwide) (1984), Distinguished Military Graduate (Top 20% nationwide) (1984), Superior Cadet Award (Top in class) (1981, 1984), Association of the U.S. Army Award (Highest accomplishment in class) (1982, 1983) Army ROTC Distinguished Military Student (Top 33% in class) (1983), Army ROTC Scholarship Award (Full university tuition) (1981-1984), American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in Labor Arbitration and Collective Bargaining (1987).

Key Works

Theresa Reid

Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

Education

  • J.D., 2020, Ave Maria School of Law
  • B.A., 2015, Theology and Psychology with Minor in Human Life Studies, Franciscan University of Steubenville

Professional Experience

Professor Reid is an Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research.  She received her B.A. from Franciscan University of Steubenville and her J.D. from Ave Maria School of Law.  After receiving her B.A., Professor Reid spent seven months working at Maggie’s Place—a home for women in crisis pregnancies and their children—in Cleveland, Ohio.  Once she completed her service at Maggie’s Place, Professor Reid taught high school theology and psychology.  She then attended law school.  During her law school career, Professor Reid interned with the Honorable Carol Mirando, United States Magistrate Judge, at the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Honorable John L. Badalamenti at the Florida Second District Court of Appeal.  Professor Holt also served as the Executive Articles Editor for the Law Review.  After graduating summa cum laude from law school, Professor Holt clerked for the Honorable J. Andrew Atkinson at the Florida Second District Court of Appeal. 

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Member of the Florida Bar
  • Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Ave Maria School of Law
  • Executive Articles Editor, Ave Maria Law Review
  • Member of the Federalist Society

Publications

Theresa Holt Reid, Note, A Question of Coercion: When Does Legislator-Led Prayer Cross the Constitutional Line?, 18 Ave Maria L. Rev. 168 (2020).

Ulysses Jaen

Director of the Law Library and Associate Professor of Law

Education

  • M.L.I.S. Master’s in Library and Information Sciences
  • J.D. Juris Doctorate
  • M.P.A. Master’s in Public Administration
  • B.S. Business Administration

Areas of Expertise

  • Advanced Legal Research, Elder Law, and Immigration Law at Ave Maria School of Law. Director of the Law Library at Ave Maria School of Law

He received his J.D. from the WVU College of Law, with a focus in the Clinical Law program; Immigration Law Clinic; and the Appalachian Law Center for Public Interest. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Fairmont State University, a Master’s in Public Administration from West Virginia University, where he served as President of SAPA (Student Association of Public Administrators), and a Master’s in Library and Information Sciences from Florida State University with a focus on Leadership. Professor Jaen has worked as an entrepreneur, business manager, and legal professional and has presented at numerous conferences and various organizations and agencies. He was the president of the Southwest Florida Library Network, the AALL Diversity Committee, and the AALL Latino caucus. Before joining the Law School, he worked for the Law Offices of Angotti & Straface from 2006 to 2009 and Hamstead, Williams & Shook from 2009 to 2012. He worked at the West Virginia University College of Law Library from 2005 to 2012 lectured on a variety of Advanced Legal Research topics and was awarded Staff Member of the year by the class of 2009 and the class of 2010. He also taught at the WVU Master in Legal Studies and the WVU Master in Public Administration Programs. Professor Jaen was a Court-appointed mediator and is a Special Advocate for abused and neglected children. He teaches Advanced Legal Research, Law Practice Technology, Practice Ready Entrepreneurship, Elder Law, and Immigration Law. He speaks Spanish fluently and is a learner of Italian, Portuguese, and German. His interests include learning science, instructional design, online education, and access to justice programs.

Jennifer Jenkins

Associate Professor of Law

Before arriving at Ave Maria School of Law, Professor Jennifer (Barrow) Jenkins was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard University School of Law. Professor Barrow was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. Professor Barrow received a B.S. in the American Legal System from the United States Military Academy at West Point. She served as an Army intelligence officer in Afghanistan and Iraq, receiving the Bronze Star in 2010. Professor Barrow is a graduate of Harvard Law School and was an editor for the International Law Journal, Journal of Law and Public Policy, Journal on Legislation, and the National Security Journal. After law school, Professor Barrow clerked for Judge Ralph K. Winter on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She then served as a Supreme Court Fellow, placed at the U.S. Sentencing Commission, where she helped revise a draft amendment to the career offender provision of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. Her primary teaching interests include criminal law and procedure, torts, and military law. Her scholarship focuses on criminal law and military law, with an emphasis on sentencing. Her research scrutinizes the increased power of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches at the expense of the jury and suggests reforms.

Antony Kolenc

Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Veterans and Servicemembers Law Clinic

Antony “Tony” Kolenc joined the Ave Maria School of Law faculty in 2022 as the Director of the Veterans and Servicemembers Law Clinic (VSLC), which gives students the opportunity to help those who have served in the U.S. Armed Forces, representing them in litigation, administrative proceedings, and veterans treatment courts. Professor Kolenc taught in several law schools after serving over 21 years in the United States Air Force, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel from the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps. During his career as a JAG, he litigated both civil and criminal cases before trial and appellate courts, including the Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit. He has also taught at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs and Florida Coastal School of Law as a tenured professor.

Professor Kolenc received his Juris Doctor degree in 1999, graduating at the top of his class from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. While there, he served as a senior editor on the Florida Law Review and as a competitor and coach on the Justice Campbell Thornal Moot Court Board. He also earned his Master of Arts degree in Theology and Christian Ministry from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. His professional writings have focused on matters of constitutional law and military policy, especially focusing on Freedom of Religion. His articles have appeared in several academic legal journals and magazines. He also writes a regular legal column for homeschooling families in Practical Homeschooling Magazine and has penned an award-winning historical fiction trilogy for teens. He and his wife, Alisa, homeschooled their five children. You can learn more about him at www.antonykolenc.com.

Stephen L. Mikochik

Visiting Professor of Law

Stephen L. Mikochik is a professor emeritus at Temple Law School in Philadelphia where he taught Constitutional Law and Jurisprudence for over thirty years. Before joining the Temple faculty, he was an expert on disability law with the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice. For several years, he chaired the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, established four decades ago to implement the 1978 Pastoral Statement on People with Disabilities of the U.S. Catholic bishops. He has published extensively on the civil rights of disabled people, focusing particularly on current threats to their right to life. His courses at Ave Maria School of Law examine constitutional theory in light of Catholic moral teaching.

Courses

  • The Church, the Court, and Human Dignity
  • Natural Law in American Constitutional Law
  • Equality and the Law

Education

  • B.A., New York University
  • J.D., Fordham University School of Law
  • LL.M., Harvard University School of Law
  • M.A. in Theology, St. Charles Borromeo Seminary
  • M.A. in Philosophy, Temple University
  • Post-master’s Certificate in Philosophy, Holy Apostles College and Seminary

J. Kirkland Miller

Associate Professor of Law

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • J.D., 1993, Michigan State University College of Law, cum laude
  • B.A., 1986, Oakland University

Areas of Expertise

  • Insurance Defense, Products Liability, Alternative Dispute Resolution

Professional Experience

Professor Miller has a broad range of substantive experience as a litigation attorney serving as both defense and plaintiff counsel. His areas of practice include real estate and construction law, insurance defense, premises liability, first and third-party no-fault, governmental immunity, ERISA, workers’ compensation, and EMS liability (Professor Miller was Partner at a law firm that served as Regional Counsel for American Medical Response). Professor Miller began as an Adjunct Professor at Ave Maria School of Law and has been teaching full-time with the law school since 2008. Throughout his professional career Professor Miller has been a frequent presenter at symposia and workshops.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Member of Michigan State Bar 1993-present
  • Licensed in Federal District Courts for both the Eastern and Western Districts of Michigan.
  • Executive Director – Moot Court Board; Michigan State College of Law
  • Eve August Moot Court Award
  • Ralph Rose and Samuel Helper Award in Oral Advocacy
  • Moot Court Executive Board Award
  • Book Award: Estates and Future Interests
  • Professor of the Year Award, Student Bar Association 2014-15
  • Professor of the Year Award, Student Bar Association 2013-14
  • Professor of the Year Award – Moot Court Board 2011-12
  • Professor of the Year Award – Moot Court Board 2009-10
  • Member Phi Alpha Delta Legal Fraternity

Key Works

  • Presentations
    • Speaker at 2014 Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop at University of Detroit-Mercy Law School: Where the Rubber Meets the Road – Teaching the Current Law Student.
    • Speaker at 2013 Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop at Nova Southeastern School of Law: Teaching Litigation Skills.
    • Speaker at North Naples Rotary Club 2013.
    • Presenter at client training and development workshops for emergency medical service providers 2000-2004.
    • Guest lecturer, Michigan State University College of Law “Effective Oral Advocacy” 1998.

Maureen M. Milliron

Associate Dean for Student Affairs & Visiting Associate Professor of Law

Education

  • J.D., 1993, Michigan State College of law, Magna Cum Laude 
  • B.A., 1988, University of Michigan

Areas of Expertise

  • Tort

Professional Experience

Professor Milliron began her career in insurance defense litigation and appellate advocacy. She has written and argued numerous appeals including appeals to the United States Court for the Sixth Circuit. She specialized in areas of medical malpractice, EMS and first responder defense, governmental immunity, employment law, no-fault litigation and general tort litigation. Professor Milliron has taught for over 20 years at law schools including Michigan State College of Law, Wayne State University College of law and Thomas M. Cooley Law School. She has been the Director of the RWA program since 2009. She has spoken at several legal writing conferences and workshops. In addition, Professor Milliron spoke at a Lexis Nexis national conference and participated in the Lexis Nexis Summit meeting in 2010.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Member of Michigan State Bar since 1993
  • Licensed in Federal Sixth Circuit Court since 1997
  • Licensed in Federal District Courts for both the Eastern and Western District of Michigan since 1993
  • On the advisory board for St. John Neumann Catholic High School from 2014-2015
  • Member of Association of Legal Writing Directors since 2010
  • Member of Legal Writing Institute since 1996
  • Recognized as a Women of Distinction of Southwest Florida representative on behalf of the law school 2011-2012
  • Editor-In-Chief Detroit College of Law Review 1993
  • Recipient of Elizabeth A. Oehmke Memorial Award 1993
  • Recipient of William B. Giles Award for Academic Excellence 1993

Key Works

  • Presentations
    • Speaker at 2014 Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop at University of Detroit Mercy Law School: Where the Rubber Meets the Road-Teaching the Current Law Student
    • Speaker at North Naples Rotary Club 2013
    • Speaker at 2013 Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop at Nova Southeastern School of Law: Teaching Litigation Skills
    • Part of 2012 LexisNexis LRW Summit Meeting
    • Speaker at 2011 Southeastern Legal Writing Conference: Bridging the Gap between Doctrinal Learning and Skills Training—Incorporating skills across the curriculum and creating legal writing problems which employ doctrinal learning.
    • Speaker/Panelist at LexisNexis 2010 Annual Meeting
    • Presenter at CLE–iPad for Litigation 2013

Mollie A. Murphy

Professor of Law

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • J.D., 1980, University of Notre Dame, cum laude
  • B.A., 1977, St. Mary’s College, summa cum laude

Areas of Expertise

  • Antitrust and Complex Civil Litigation, Torts

Professional Experience

Professor Murphy began her legal career as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Edward A. Tamm of the United States Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit. Thereafter, she worked for several years in the D.C. office of Jones, Day, where she specialized in the areas of antitrust and litigation. She began her teaching career at Case Western Reserve University School of Law, and later spent several years as a faculty member with the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law. Professor Murphy was one of the first members of Ave Maria’s faculty.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Member, Ohio Bar
  • Member, District of Columbia Bar (inactive)
  • Member, Bar of the United States Supreme Court
  • Valedictorian, St. Mary’s College

Key Works

  • Mollie A. Murphy, Rule 23(B) after Wal-Mart: (Re) Considering a “Unitary” Standard, 64 Baylor L. Rev. 721 (2012)
  • Mollie A. Murphy, The Intersystem Class Settlement: Of Comity, Consent, and Collusion, 47 U.Kan. L. Rev 413 (1998-1999)
  • Mollie A. Murphy, Personal Jurisdiction and the Stream of Commerce Theory: A Reappraisal and a Revised Approach, 77 Ky. L. Rev. 243 (1988-1989)
  • Kenneth F. Ripple and Mollie A. Murphy, World-Wide Volkswagen Corp. v. Woodson: Reflections on the Road Ahead, 56 Notre Dame Law. 65 (1980)

Richard S. Myers

Professor of Law

SSRN

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • J.D., 1980, Notre Dame Law School, Summa Cum Laude
  • B.A., 1977, Kenyon College, Summa Cum Laude

Areas of Expertise

  • Antitrust, Bioethics, Constitutional Law, Religious Freedom

Professional Experience

Professor Myers began his legal career clerking for Judge John F. Kilkenny of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. He then worked for Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Washington, D.C., focusing on antitrust law and appellate litigation. He began his teaching career at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law before moving to Ann Arbor to help start Ave Maria School of Law. He has also taught as a visitor at Notre Dame Law School. Professor Myers is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Kenyon College and graduated first in his class from Notre Dame Law School. Professor Myers has published extensively on constitutional law in the law reviews of Catholic University, Case Western Reserve University, Notre Dame University, and Washington and Lee University. Professor Myers is the co-editor of St. Thomas Aquinas and the Natural Law Tradition: Contemporary Perspectives (2004). He is also the co-editor of the Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy (original two volumes, 2007; 3rd volume 2012). He was the President of University Faculty for Life (2004-2011) and is now its Vice-President. He is the Executive Secretary of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Pope Pius XI Award from the Society of Catholic Social Scientists (2010).

Key Works

Publications

  • Books–Co-Editor, Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, Social Science, and Social Policy (Michael L. Coulter, Stephen M. Krason, Richard s. Myers & Joseph A. Varacalli eds., 2007, 2012). Co-Editor, St. Thomas Aquinas and the Natural Law Tradition: Contemporary Perspectives (John Goyette, Mark Latkovic & Richard Myers eds., 2004).

Articles

  • The Virtue of Judicial Humilty, 13 Ave Maria L. Rev. 207 (2015).
  • Re-Reading Roe v. Wade, 71 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1025 (2014).
  • The Implications of Justice Kennedy’s Opinion in United States v. Windsor, 6 Elon L. Rev. 323 (2014).
  • Same-Sex Marriage, Education, and Parental Rights, 2011 BYU Educ. & L. J. 303
  • The Right to Conscience and the First Amendment, 9 Ave Maria L. Rev. 123 (2010).
  • Pope John Paul II, Freedom, and Constitutional Law, 6 Ave Maria L. Rev. 61 (2007).
  • The Public Policy Doctrine and Interjurisdictional Recognition of Civil Unions and Domestic Partnerships, 3 Ave Maria L. Rev. 531 (2005).
  • A Critique of John Noonan’s Approach to Development of Doctrine, 1 St. Thomas L. J. 285 (2003).
  • Physician-Assisted Suicide: A Current legal Perspective, 1 Nat’l Cath. Bioethics Q. 345 (2001).
  • The Supreme Court and the Privatization of Religion, 41 Cath. U. L. Rev. 19 (1991).

Presentations

  • The Implications of Obergefell v. Hodges for families, Faith, and the Future. Symposium at BYU Law School. Lecture entitled Obergefell and the Future of Substantive Due Process. October 12, 2015.
  • University Faculty for Life Conference. Lecture entitled A Critique of Carter v. Canada. May 30, 2015.
  • The Future of Families and of Family Law in America. Symposium at BYU Law School. Lecture entitled The Virtue of Judicial Humility. October 10, 2014.
  • University Faculty for Life Conference. Lecture entitled Physician-Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia in the United States: A Current Legal Perspective. June 7, 2014.
  • Symposium on Roe at 40—The Controversy Continues at Washington & Lee University School of Law. Lecture entitled Re-Reading Roe v. Wade. November 7, 2013.
  • Symposium on The Implications of United States v. Windsor and Hollingsworth v. Perry for Family Law, Constitutional Law, Tax Law, and Society at Elon Law School. Lecture entitled The Implications of Justice Kennedy’s Opinion in United States v. Windsor. November 1, 2013.
  • Society of Catholic Social Scientists Conference. Lecture entitled A Catholic Perspective on Church and State. October 26, 2013.

Brittney Riordan, JD

Assistant Professor of Academic Success & Bar Preparation Strategies

D. Brian Scarnecchia, M.Div., J.D.

Professor of Law

Education

  • J.D. at University of Akron
  • M.A. at Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology
  • B.A. at Youngstown State University

Areas of Expertise

  • International Law, Jurisprudence, Bioethics

Professional Experience

2009 – present Associate Professor of Law, Ave Maria School of Law, Naples, Florida 2008 – 2009 Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, Michigan 2005 – present President, International Solidarity & Human Rights Institute, Inc. (ISHRI) 2004 – 2015 Associate Professor of Legal Studies and Human Life Studies, Franciscan University of Steubenville 2003 – 2004 Assistant County Prosecutor, Jefferson County, Ohio 2002 – 2014 Director of Legal Studies program, Franciscan University of Steubenville 2000 – 2001 Director of Humanities and Catholic Culture program, Franciscan University of Steubenville 2000 – 2009 Chairman of the Department of Humanities & Catholic Social Thought, Franciscan University of Steubenville 1994 – 2014 Director of Human Life Studies program, Franciscan University of Steubenville 1994 – 2014 Human Life International Chair in Honor of Fr. Paul Marx, Franciscan University of Steubenville 1991 – present Attorney at Law (in private practice, State of Ohio)

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Board of Directors member for Population Research Institute (PRI), 2014 – present.
  • Director of the Human Rights Protection Systems of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) section of the International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family (ICOLF) – Rome, (2013-present).
  • Appointed to the Committee of Experts for the Rome Forum of NGOs of Catholic Inspiration an affiliate of the Office of the Secretariat of State of the Holy See (2007) and the Pontifical Council for the Family (2009) – present.
  • Main NGO representative to the United Nations for the Society of Catholic Social Scientists (2004 – present)
  • Board of Directors member, Treasurer and Legal Counsel for the Society of Catholic Social Scientists (1997 – present)
  • Appointed to the Ave Maria School of Law Board of Visitors (2000 – 2008)
  • Member of the Secular Order of Franciscans, Saints Louis and Elizabeth chapter, Steubenville, Ohio (1999 – present)
  • Knights of Columbus, 3rd Degree, Naples, FL Ave Maria School of Law chapter (2009-present)
  • Jefferson County Bar Association, State of Ohio (1996 – present)
  • Admitted to the practice of Law in the State of Ohio (1991- present)
  • Admitted to the U.S. District Court, Northeast District OH (1991 – present)

Key Works

  • Publications (books)
    • Bioethics, Law and Human Life Issues: A Catholic Perspective on Marriage, Family, Contraception, Abortion, Reproductive Technology and Death and Dying (Lanham, MD, Scarecrow Press, 2010)
    • Brian Scarnecchia and Terrence McKeegan, The Millennium Development Goals in Light of Catholic Social Teaching, (New York, Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-Fam), 2009).
    • Publications (book chapters)
    • Contributing author – Through a Lens More Clearly: A Catholic Perspective on Law, editor Ronald Rychlak, Chapter on Property Law, (New York, Roman & Littlefield), forthcoming in March, 2015.
    • Contributing author – Response to Robert Fastiggi, “St. Paul, the Natural Law, and the Catholic Tradition,” Chapter 2, St Paul, the Natural Law, and Contemporary Legal Theory. (Lanham, MD, Lexington Books, 2012)
    • Contributing author – “The Millennium Development Goals,” Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, by the Society of Catholic Social Scientists Vol. 3 (Lanham, MD, Scarecrow Press, 2012)
    • Contributing author – “Human Life International,” Encyclopedia of Catholic Social Thought, by the Society of Catholic Social Scientists Vols. 1 and 2. (Lanham, MD, Scarecrow Press, 2008)
    • Contributing author of “The Tension between Law and Culture,” Dialogue between Faith and Culture: Toward Integral Human & Social Development, Asian Bishops Conference & Pontifical Council for Culture, February, 1998.
    • Publications (scholarly articles)
    • Book Review of Monica Migliorino Miller’s Abandoned: The Untold Story of the Abortion Wars (Charlotte, NC, St. Benedict Press, 2012), Vol. 19 The Catholic Social Science Review, forthcoming (2015).
    • Response to a Call for Papers from World Health Organization, Health in the Post-2015 Development Agenda, Measurement of Progress towards the Health Goals: What are the best Indicators and Targets for Health? “Recommendation: Preeclampsia should be included as an Indicator for improving Maternal Health and reducing Child Mortality, Millennium Development Goal 4 and Goal 5” submitted by D. Brian Scarnecchia, on behalf of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists and International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute, December 30, 2012. Published in the documentation section, Vol. 19 The Catholic Social Science Review forthcoming (2015)
    • Amici Curiae of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptists Convention and Prof. D. Brian Scarnecchia in Support of Petitioners, On Writ of Certiorari to the Supreme Court of the United States, Association For Molecular Pathology, et al. v Myriad Genetics, Inc., et al. 569 U.S. ____ (June 13, 2013).
    • Human Rights Mechanisms in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (AESAN), presented at the “The Foundation of Human Rights: Catholic Contributions,” co-sponsored by Ave Maria School of Law, Ave Maria University and Sacred Heart Seminary, March 3-4, 2011 and also presented at the “World Congress of Families” conference in Sydney, Australia, May 15-18, 2013. Published in 2 Ave Maria International Law Journal, 2 (2013)
    • Public Policy Recommendation Concerning Prenatal Adoption of Frozen Embryos in Light of Fetal Microchimerism, Ave Maria Law Review, Vol. 11, No. 2 (2013) pp. 263-297.
    • Publications (popular articles, electronic)
    • (Co-author) Brian Scarnecchia and Brian Simboli, Hobby Lobby won: now it’s time they firmly reject Obama’s immoral ‘accommodation,” http://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/hobby-lobby-won-now-its-time-they-firmly-reject-obamas-immoral-accomodation July 8, 2014.
    • Presentations
    • Legal Services: Filed a successful federal 1983 class action Civil Rights in Federal District Court, Northern District of Ohio, 1990-1991against the City of Youngstown for cruel and unusual punishment which resulted in the closing of the City Jail of Youngstown, Ohio, and punitive damages for the mistreatment of pro-life rescuers, students from Franciscan University of Steubenville serving as the class representatives.
    • Panelist: “Capital Punishment and Just War,” Franciscan Focus, EWTN television program, March, 1995.
    • CLE Lecture: “The Defense of False Charges of Child Abuse” continuing legal education (CLE for the Supreme Court of Ohio) at FUS, April, 1995.
    • Philippines: Lectured with Human Life International for three weeks at universities in Manila and other localities in the Philippines, October 1995.
    • Philippines: Lectured for two weeks in the Philippines and presented a paper at the School of Law, Santo Tomas, in Manila and at Symposium on Faith and Culture sponsored by the Asian Bishops Conference and the Pontifical Council on Culture “The Tension between Law and Culture,” January, 1996. These papers were subsequently published.
    • Legal Services: Obtained tax exempt status from the IRS for the Society of Catholic Social Scientists, Inc., August, 1996.
    • Lecture: Invited lecturer, Society of Catholic Social Scientists, Seton Hall University, NJ, “Population Trends,” April 1998.
    • Lecture: Invited lecturer at the Defending the Faith conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, “Defending the Gospel of Life,” July, 1999.
    • Lecture: Lecturer Fall conference, Society of Catholic Social Scientists “Population Crisis,” Franciscan University of Steubenville, October, 1999.
    • Commendation: Presented Thomas Monaghan with Frederic Osmund award by Society of Catholic Social Scientists, in Ann Arbor, MI, April, 2000.
    • Bioethics Taught a graduate bioethics course for Franciscan University of Steubenville at Our Lady of the Cenacle campus in Clearwater, FL, August, 2000.
    • China: Lecture at the Beijing Catholic Seminary, Beijing, China, on “Veritatis Splendor and Moral Absolutes,” October, 2000.
    • Lecture: Lecturer, Catholics United for the Faith conference, Cincinnati, Ohio “Splendor of Truth,” November, 2000.
    • Legal Services: Prepared on behalf of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists their application with the United Nations for non-governmental organization (NGO) status with the United Nations Organization. Official NGO status granted May, 2001.
    • Lecture: Invited lecturer, Defending the Faith Conference, Franciscan University, “Veritatis Splendor & Moral Absolutes,” July, 2001.
    • Testified: Testified before Ohio House of Representatives in Columbus, Ohio on House Bill 223, Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), October, 2001.
    • Lecture: Invited lecturer, Population Research Institute Global Conference, Santa Clara, CA “About FACE (Federal Access to Clinic’s Act)” April 2004
    • Lecture: Lecturer, Nursing and Social Work continuing education conference “Living Wills and Powers of Attorney,” Franciscan University, May, 2002.
    • Austria: Lecturer at the Third Annual Prince of Liechtenstein Catholic Leaders Fellowship, Vienna, Austria, “Religion and Public Life in America,” May 2002.
    • Lecture: Lecturer, the Defending the Faith Conference at Franciscan University, “Law, Culture and Morality,” August, 2002.
    • Lecture: Lecturer 11th Annual Review in Emergency Medicine, Medical Univ. of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, “A Good Death: Changing Attitudes Towards Suicide,” 9/21/2002.
    • Academic Program: Designed curriculum and was the founding Director of the Legal Studies program at Franciscan University of Steubenville, fall semester, 2002.
    • Course development: Team-taught a graduate theology course in Bioethics with Bishop Gilbert I. Sheldon at Franciscan University, spring semester, 2003.
    • Youth retreat: Lectures to Catholic high school students at the Youth Mission for the Immaculata retreat, Libertyville, IL, 7/5-8, 2003.
    • Canada: Lecturer, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, Berry Bay, Ontario, Canada “Law & Culture,” September, 2003.
    • US Supreme Court: Drafted appendix to an appeal to United States Supreme Court in, Jane Roe, II v. Aware Woman’s Center for Choice, April, 2004.
    • UN NGO: Participated as the main NGO representative of the Society of Catholic Social Scientists at UN 3rd Session of the Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 5/ 24 – 6/ 3, 2004.
    • Prosecutor: Provide free legal representation to Children’s Service Board of Jefferson County, OH to off-set the budget deficit, May, 3-September 1, 2004.
    • Austria: Lecture on “Human Rights at the UN” at the Gaming campus of the Franciscan University of Steubenville, November 9, 2004.
    • Founded NGO: Founding president and Chairman of the Board of International Solidarity and Human Rights Institute, Inc. (ISHRI) (see www.ishri.net), January, 2005
    • UN NGO: Brought faculty and 25 students as NGO representatives to the UN conference, Beijing + 10, 3/13-17, 2005.
    • UN NGO: Brought faculty and 8 students as NGO representative for the Society of Catholic Social Scientists to the UN conference on Population and Development, 4/ 2-8, 2005.
    • Conference: Hosted the 2nd Pro-life Leaders Conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, 4/16-17, 2005.
    • Award: Awarded the student life “St. Francis of Assisi Award” 2005 for the faculty member who embodies ideals of St. Francis of Assisi, April 29, 2005.
    • UN NGO: Participated in the UN conference on HIV/AIDS and lobbied for the Millennium Summit, 5/29-6/4, 2005.
    • New Course: Developed new course at Franciscan University of Steubenville on issues in Disability Law, Fall semester 2005
    • UN NGO: Led faculty and student NGO representatives to UN 6th Session, Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons 8/1-12, 2005.
    • UN NGO: Led student NGO representatives to UN 7th Session of the Convention on the Rights of Disabled Persons January, 22-27, 2006.
    • UN NGO: Led students NGO representatives from the Eagle Forum to the UN for Beijing+11, February, 27-29, 2006
    • France: Addressed Bioethics Committee of the European Parliament on legal status of frozen human embryos, Strasbourg, France, March, 16 2006.
    • UN NGO: Led student NGO representatives to final session of the Human Rights Commission, Geneva Switzerland, March 22-24, 2006.
    • UN NGO: Led student NGO representatives to first session of the Human Rights Council, Geneva, Switzerland, May 25-27, 2006
    • Mexico: Led students to Washington, DC and then to Tijuana, Mexico (ISHRI’s Capital to Village program) to consider policy and implementation of Immigration reform and efforts to combat Trafficking as well as building a home for a poor Mexican family, July 2-15, 2006.
    • Philippines: Human Life International Asia conference – lecture on the “International Push for Abortion Rights,” October 10, 2006.
    • Philippines: Catholic Conference of the Philippines, Couples for Christ – lecture on “UN Millennium Development Goals in Light of Catholic Social Teaching,” October 16, 18, 2006.
    • New course: Developed new course at Franciscan University of Steubenville on issues in International Development, spring semester, 2007.
    • Law School: Lectured at Ave Maria, School of Law, Ann Arbor, MI on “Frozen Embryo Adoption,” March 15, 2007.
    • UN NGO: Led students to 52nd session of the UN Conference on the Status of Women, March 8-12, 2007.
    • Civil rights Amish: Defended Amish “beard cutters” (before they were prosecuted under the federal hate crimes act for cutting the beards of fellow Amish men in 2011) in their domestic relations dispute and federal lawsuit against the Sheriff of Jefferson County, Ohio for kidnapping an Amish woman and then, after she escaped, surrounding her one-room Amish school house with a SWAT team deployed with fully automatic machine guns and battering ram while 22 Amish children ages 6-13 were inside, May 2007-2011.
    • Lecture: Panelist on Ectopic Pregnancy, Franciscan University, sponsored by Students for Life, October 11, 2007
    • Symposium: Sponsor and MC at symposium on “The Lost Children of China” – a report on a hospice for dying orphans in Beijing and China’s One Child Policy, October 17, 2007
    • Lecture: Society of Catholic Social Scientists conference at St. John’s University – lecture on the “UN Millennium Development Goals in Light of Catholic Social Teaching,” October 25, 2007
    • Rome: Invited to Rome, Italy to attend the founding meeting of NGOs of Catholic Inspiration, November 28 -December 2, 2007 hosted by the Secretariat of the Holy See. I was one (the first) of ten NGOs out of eight-five NGOs who personally greeted Pope Benedict XVI in the Celestine Hall of the Papal apartment.
    • Lecture: Gave lecture to Juniper Sierra Club, Wintersville Country Club, on Pope Benedict’s approach to China, January 24, 2008.
    • Rome: Invited to Rome, Italy to attend a conference by the Pontifical Council for the Laity on the encyclical On the Dignity of Women, February 7-9, 2008 and was invited to a private audience with Pope Benedict XVI in the Celestine Hall of the Papal apartment.
    • UN NGO: Led students to 53nd session of the UN Conference on the Status of Women, NYC, March 1-8, 2008.
    • Conference: Participated in closed meeting by Heritage Foundation on International Affairs on issue of “Defamation of Religion” Washington, DC, May 16, 2008
    • Law Professor: Visiting Associate Professor of Law at Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, MI. Taught 1L students Property Law and upper class students Origins of the Constitution, Property II and International Bioethics, July 20, 2008-2009.
    • Philippines: Lead human rights trip to the Philippines, July 21-27, 2008: Meet President Gloria Arroyo hand delivered to her a letter from the SCSS urging her to veto a bill that would have legalized contraception, 7/25; Lecture at the University of Asia and Pacific on the role of Catholic NGOs, 7/25; Lecture to international leadership of Charismatic Renewal in Manila on Theology of the Body.
    • China: Lead human rights trip to China, July 27-August 12, 2008: Went to orphanage in Beijing, 7/28; Went to Our Lady of Sheshan in Shanghi, 7/29; Met Bishop of Shanghi, 7/30; Did beach Christian outreach, 7/31; Participate in Church music competition in Wenxio, 8/2; Went to US Women’s Soccer Olympic game, 8/6; Watched opening fireworks of Summer Olympics in Tiannimen Sq., 8/8; met officials of Patriotic Association at Beijing National Seminary, August, 2008.
    • Conference: Attended Mulieris Dignitatem conference sponsored by CUA and Ave Maria School of Law in Washington, DC as a follow up to the Mulieris Dignitatem conference I was invited to attend in Rome, October 3-4, 2008.
    • Lecture: Read paper on “Saint Paul and the Natural Law” at Ave Maria School of Law, Ann Arbor, MI, part of a series of lectures between Ave Maria law faculty and St. Mary’s Seminary of Detroit theology professors, November 21, 2008.
    • Course development: Developed new course at Ave Maria School of Law, “International Bioethics,” spring semester, 2009.
    • March for Life: Traveled to Washington, DC with FUS bus for March for Life. Met Ave Law students and also marched with them, January 22, 2009.
    • UN NGO: Led students to the 54th session of the UN Conference on the Status of Women, February 28-March 7, 2009.
    • Rome: Invited by Cardinal Martino to participate in Rome at a conference on “The Role of Women in Development and Human Rights” by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, March 20-21, 2009.
    • Holy See: Appointed to the Expert Committee of the Rome Forum for NGOs of Catholic Inspiration, in association with the Secretariat of State of the Holy See. March 27, 2009
    • Radio: Invited to speak on “Kresta in the Afternoon” live radio on the United Nations and my recent intervention there at the 53rd session of the Conference on the Status of Women, March 30, 2009.
    • Radio: Interviewed twice by Al Kresta in the Afternoon for his radio program about my new book, Bioethics, Law and Human Life Issues, August 25 2010.
    • Moderator: Moderated two panels at the SCSS annual conference at Holy Cross University, South Bend, IN, October, 22-23, 2010.
    • Lecture: Lectured on my book, Bioethics, Law and Human Life Issues at Ave Maria University and at the Donahue Academy on November 23, 2010.
    • Respondent: Was a respondent at Ave Maria School of Law “Distinguished Guest Lecture” by Ronald J. Rychlak, Associate Dean of the University of Mississippi, on “The International Criminal
    • Court: An Obstacle to Peace?,” February 1, 2011.
    • Radio: Interviewed twice by Al Kresta in the Afternoon for his radio program about my new book, Bioethics, Law and Human Life Issues, February 2, 2011.
    • Theology on Tap: Lectured on Pope Benedict’s comments on condom use by male prostitutes at “Theology on Tap” in New York City, Bronx’s chapter, March 1, 2011.
    • Moderator: Moderated a workshop in Rome at a conference sponsored by the Secretariat of State for the Holy See and the Pontifical Council for the Family on “Using Positive Language – a Handbook for NGOs,” June 3, 2011 funded by Ave Maria School of Law.
    • Paper: Presented paper on Frozen Embryo Adoption at the 19th Annual National Meeting of the Society of Catholic Social Scientist, Steubenville, OH Oct 28, 2011
    • UN Accreditation: International Solidarity and Human Rights Organization (ISHRI), after being deferred for two years by the People’s Republic of China, finally received provisional accreditation in January of 2011 and final approval in July 2011 by the United Nations organization.
    • UN Conferences: Prepared and accredited students form Franciscan University and Ave Maria School of Law to participate in the 55th session of the Conference on the Status of Women, February 27-March4, 2011 and again for the UN Youth Conference, July 22-28, 2011.
    • Rome Conference: Invited to Chair the working session on positive language of the Rome Forum of the Pontifical Council of the Family, January 29-31, 2012.
    • UN Conference: Prepared and accredited students to participate in the 56th session of the Conference on the Status of Women, March 6-13, 2012
    • Respondent: Responded to the lectures of Rev. Terrence Henry, TOR, President of Franciscan University and Eugene Milhizer, President and Dean of Ave Maria School of Law on the HHS Contraceptive Mandate, March 30, 2012.
    • Social Scientists: Responded to presentation by Dr. William Donahue and Atty. Robert Destro at the SCSS Spring Conference at Catholic University of America, April 26-28, 2012.
    • Colloquium: Invited to participate in the academic colloquium of the World Congress of Families in Madrid, Spain, May 25-27, 2012.
    • Legal Services: Part of a team of attorney’s willing to defend pro bono the City of Steubenville in its First Amendment contest over the City’s inclusion of a cross in its logo. Several meetings were held with lawyers and City Council, August, 2012.
    • Rome lectures: Invited to give two lectures, one on “Human Rights Mechanisms in ASEAN” and another on “Demographic Issues,” in Rome for the Secretariat of State of the Holy See and the Pontifical Council for the Family, September 14-16, 2012.
    • Lecture: Invited to present on my book, Bioethics, Law and Human Life Issues at the SCCS fall conference at Nassau Community College, Long Island, NY, October 27, 2012.
    • UN Statement: Drafted a student submission for the UN conference on “The World We Want post 2015 development and health goals,” February 19, 2013.
    • Geneva: Brought student NGOs to the UN headquarters in Geneva and met privately with Archbishop Tomasi, Holy See Permanent Observer to the United Nations in Geneva.
    • Sydney: Presented lecture on “Human Rights Mechanisms in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)” at the World Congress of Families in Sydney, Australia, May 17-20, 2013.
    • Rome: Provided introductory talk on the Freedom of Education at the International Conference on The Rights of the Family and the Challenges of the Contemporary World, jointly hosted by the Holy See Secretary of State, Pontifical Council for the Family and the Union of Catholic Jurists, September 19-21, 2013.
    • Respondent: Provided response to Law Professor Teresa Collett’s paper on “Humane Vitae, Contraception and American Law” at the “Humanae Vitae at 45” conference, Franciscan University of Steubenville, September 27-28, 2013.
    • Lecture: Provided a lecture on the Public Trust Doctrine and Global Warming at the Society of Catholic Social Scientists annual conference at Franciscan University of Steubenville, October 26, 2013.
    • Open Letter: Signatory to an open letter from 130 Catholic scholars to the U.S. Bishops denouncing the “Common Core” State Standards as doing a grave disservice to Catholic education. Washington Post, 11/2/2013.
    • Consultant: Submitted information to Professor Jane Adolphe pertinent to the web page of the International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family (ICOLF – Rome) for the section I direct, the Human Rights Protection Systems of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), January, 2014.
    • Interview: Brian Farga from National Catholic Register interviewed me for an article that he published, “U.N. Committee to Vatican: Change Church Teaching,” http://www.ncregister.com/site/print/_article/40369, February 8, 2014.
    • OAS: Submitted ISHRI’s application for accreditation with the Organization of American States (OAS), on March 19, 2014.
    • Panelist: Defending Religious Liberty conference jointly sponsored by the Society of Catholic Social Scientists and the Veritas Center at Franciscan University, April, 2014.
    • Debate: Debated Professor Teresa Collett, St. Thomas School of Law, on Frozen Embryo Adoption sponsored by the Federalist Society at Ave Maria School of Law, October 16, 2014.
    • New Course: Designed and taught a new elective “Climate Change and the Public Trust Doctrine” at Ave Maria School of Law, spring semester 2015.
    • Meeting: Participated in a gathering of international experts on human rights at Ave Maria School of Law, February 19-21, 2015 hosted by Professor Jane Adolphe, President of ICOLF.
    • Conference: Participated and brought 2 faculty and 10 undergraduate students to the Conference on the Status of Women at United Nations headquarters in NYC, march 8-13, 2015.
    • Breakfast: Gave an inspirational talk at the prayer breakfast fundraiser on behalf of Providence House, Inc., a home for unwed mothers and their children, at the Naples Hilton hotel, April 16, 2015.
    • Article: Submitted for publication an article, ASEAN’s Declaration of Human Rights (ADHR): Human Rights, National Sovereignty and the Public Trust Doctrine to the International Center on Law, Life, Faith and Family, August 28, 2015.
    • Conference: Lectured on “The Public Trust Doctrine and Patents on Human DNA” presented at Cambridge University, St. Edmunds College, UK, conference entitled “Patents on Life: Through the Lenses of Law, Religious Faith and Social Justice,” Sept. 4-5, 2015.
    • Conference: Lectured on “The Public Trust Doctrine as the Foundation of Constitutional Law” at the conference entitled Constitutional Law: An International Perspective,” at Gaming Austria, Sept. 17-19, 2015.

Kate Shaffer

Assistant Professor of Academic Success and Bar Preparation

Prior to joining the Ave Maria School of Law faculty, Professor Shaffer practiced corporate law as in-house counsel in the manufacturing industry for 12 years. She earned a B.A. in Economics and International Studies from Northwestern University and a J.D. from Southern Illinois University School of Law. After law school, Professor Shaffer clerked for a judge on the Illinois Appellate Court and served as a state prosecutor in Illinois. She is an active member of the Sanibel community and is the President of the Sanibel School Fund, the foundation supporting enrichment programs at The Sanibel School.

Julie L. Simpson

Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

Education

  • D., DePaul University College of Law, 2002
  • S. in Nursing, University of Illinois, 1984
  • S. in Nursing, Bradley University, 1979

Areas of Expertise

  • Legal Analysis, Research, Writing, and Advocacy

 

Professional Experience

 

Professor Julie L. Simpson is an Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research. She received her J.D. from DePaul University College of Law, her B.S.N. from Bradley University, and her M.S.N. from University of Illinois. Professor Simpson’s early career was in nursing, treating and managing critically ill hospitalized patients.  She focused her last few years in nursing on hospital administration, with responsibility for the day-to-day management of critical care units.

 

Prior to joining AMSL, Professor Simpson had over sixteen years of experience litigating and advocating for clients in Illinois in both the federal and state courts. Her practice areas included personal injury, contracts, insurance coverage, toxic torts, real estate, trusts, estates and probate. Professor Simpson also taught for six years as an adjunct professor for upper-level students in legal writing and analysis at DePaul University College of Law.  She also has nine years’ experience conducting online instruction in legal studies, research, and writing for undergraduate and graduate level students.   Professor Simpson teaches LAWR I, LAWR II and LAWR III.

 

Honors and Professional Affiliations

 

  • Member of Illinois Bar
  • Graduated Magna Cum Laude from DePaul University College of Law
  • Awarded The Order of the Coif from DePaul University College of Law
  • Member of Law Review, DePaul University College of Law
  • Member of the DePaul University College of Law Moot Court team
  • Licensed Registered Nurse, Illinois

 

Key Works

Walking with Tradition v. Riding into the Future:  Olinger v. United States Golf Assn., 51 DePaul University Law Review 1 (2002)

 

Presentations

The Impact of Policy Type on the Obligations of Insureds and Insurers:  Issues that May Create Disagreement Between the Insurer and the Insured.  (Panelist)

Emerging Claim Issues (Panelist)

Estate Planning Overview

Creative Baby Steps:  Striding Toward Legal Writing Competence (Co-presenter), LWI Conference 2020.

Timothy J. Tracey

Professor of Law

Education

  • J.D., 2002, Wake Forest University School of Law
  • B.A., 1999, Christian Thought, Grove City College

Areas of Expertise

  • Public Interest Litigation

Professional Experience Professor Tracey began his legal career at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP in Atlanta, Georgia where we practiced commercial litigation and bankruptcy. After discovering his interest in the First Amendment, he practiced at the Center for Law & Religious Freedom in Northern Virginia, where he litigated numerous First Amendment free speech and religious liberty cases. His last year of legal practice was spent at the office of the Alliance Defense Fund in Washington D.C. where he litigated First Amendment Cases. Professor Tracey has handled appeals in the Fourth, Ninth, and Eleventh Circuits, the California Court of Appeals, and the Kentucky Court of Appeals.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Commentator in local and national media, including the Washington Post and Time Magazine.

Key Works Publications

  • Christian Legal Society v.Martinez: In Hindsight, U.HAW. L. REV. (forthcoming Fall2012)
  • Nondiscrimination Rules and Religious Associational Freedom, ENGAGE: J.FEDERALISTSOC’Y PRAC. GROUPS, Vol. 8, Issue 3 (Jun.2007), http://www.fed–‐org/doclib/20080428_ReLibBaylor.pdf.
  • New Supreme Court Appointment Could Surprise on Religion, Freedoms, NAPLES DAILY NEWS, Aug. 21, 2010, http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/aug/21/guest–‐commentary–‐new–‐supreme–‐court–‐appointment–‐cou/.
  • National Health-­Care Law, NAPLES DAILY NEWS, Dec. 15, 2010, http://www.naplesnews.com/news/ 2010/dec/15/guest–‐commentary–‐national–‐health–‐care–‐law/?partner=RSS.
  • More to the Texas Graduation/Prayer Case Than Meets the Eye, NAPLES DAILY NEWS, Jun. 7, 2011, http://www.naplesnews.com/ news/2011/jun/07/guest–‐essay–‐more–‐texas–‐graduationprayer–‐case–‐

Presentations

    • “A Return to the Original Understanding of University Students’ Rights,” Religious Legal Theory Conference, Pepperdine University School of Law (2012).
    • “The Demise of Equal Access and the Christian Response,” Young Legal Scholars Forum, Stetson University School of Law (2011).
    • “Integrating Faith and Legal Study,” Christian Legal Society National Conference, Orlando, Florida (2010).
    • “First Amendment Free Speech and Association: Trends and Challenges,” Christian Legal Society National Conference, Sandestin, Florida (2007). 2
    • Panel Discussion Concerning Christian Legal Society v. Kane, Hastings College of the Law, San Francisco, California (2007).
    • “Religious Freedom and University Nondiscrimination Policies,” University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina (2006).
    • Nondiscrimination Policies: Facing the New Threat to Religious Liberty,” Christian Legal Society Northeast Regional Conference, Speculator, New York (2006).
Scott M. Daniels

Assistant Professor
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Wendy L. Tenzer

Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research
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Eugene R. Milhizer

Dean Emeritus and Professor
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ADJUNCT FACULTY

Ave Maria School of Law

Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki †

Bishop of Springfield, Illinois
Adjunct Professor

Email: tpaprocki@avemarialaw.edu

The Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki† was named the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois on April 20, 2010 by his Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI.

For his episcopal motto Bishop Paprocki has retained the Latin motto “LEX CORDIS CARITAS.” This phrase, which is based on the texts from the Prophet Jeremiah (Jer. 31:33), Saint Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 13:10) and the Second Vatican Council’s Dogmatic Constitution on The Church (Lumen Gentium (LG-#9)), expresses Bishop Paprocki’s profound belief, as both a civil and a canon lawyer, that, truly, “the law of the heart is love.”

Bishop Paprocki studied law at DePaul University College of Law in Chicago, earning his Juris Doctor degree in 1981. He founded the Chicago Legal Clinic in his parish to assist the working poor and disadvantaged. Cardinal Joseph Bernardin named him vice-chancellor of the archdiocese in 1985. Bishop Paprocki later went to Rome to study at the Pontifical Gregorian University. He received a Licentiate of Canon Law in 1989 and a Doctor of Canon Law degree in 1991. Bishop Paprocki is known as the “Holy Goalie” due to his participation in an amateur ice hockey league.

Academic Background

  • St. Casimir School (Cermak Rd. & Albany Ave.) (June, 1966)
  • Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Chicago (May, 1970)
  • Niles College of Loyola University, Chicago (B.A.; May, 1974)
  • St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, Illinois
    (S.T.B., 1976; M.Div., 1978; S.T.L., 1979)
  • DePaul University College of Law, Chicago (J.D., June, 1981)
  • Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (J.C.L., June, 1989)
  • Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (J.C.D., March, 1991)
  • University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana, and Chicago, Illinois (M.B.A., 2013)

Professional experience

  • Associate Pastor, St. Michael Church, Chicago (1978‑83)
  • Administrator, St. Joseph Parish, Chicago (1983‑86)
  • President, (South) Chicago Legal Clinic (1981‑86; 1991‑2014)
  • Vice‑Chancellor, Archdiocese of Chicago (1985‑92)
  • Chancellor, Archdiocese of Chicago (1992‑2000)
  • Adjunct Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law (1999-2015)
  • Pastor, St. Constance Parish, Chicago (2001-2003)
  • Episcopal Vicar, Vicariate IV; Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago (2003-2010)
  • Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois (2010-    )
    President Emeritus and Of Counsel, (South) Chicago Legal Clinic (2014-2017)
  • Adjunct Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School (2016-2021)
  • Adjunct Professor of Law, Business & Bioethics, Quincy University Oakley School of Business (2022- )

Published Works

 

The Honorable Shannon H. McFee

Adjunct Professor

smcfee@avemarialaw.edu

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Shannon McFee to the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit on December 19, 2019. Judge McFee took the Bench on February 3, 2020.

Judge McFee has been a resident of Collier County since 1976. Judge McFee attended grade school at Golden Gate Elementary, Poinciana Elementary, Gulfview Middle School, and St. Ann’s School in Naples. A graduate of Saint John Neumann High School in Golden Gate, Judge McFee earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology from the University of South Florida in May 1990. In December 1992, Judge McFee graduated from the Florida State University College of Law and has been a member of the Florida Bar since 1993.

During his first fourteen months as a lawyer, Judge McFee served as an Assistant State Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit in Collier County. From March 1994 through his taking the Bench in February 2020, Judge McFee focused his entire practice of law on criminal and juvenile defense. For many of those years, Judge McFee worked alongside his law partners, Jerry Berry, Donald Day, and Janeice Martin. During his legal career, Judge McFee served multiple terms on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, was a member of the Florida Bar Traffic Rules Committee, and was a multi-term President of the Collier County Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.

The Honorable John N. Raudabaugh

Adjunct Professor

Email: jraudabaugh@avemarialaw.edu

SSRN

Curriculum Vitae

Education

  • J.D., 1977, University of Virginia School of Law
  • M.S., Labor Economics, 1974, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, Cornell University
  • B.S., Labor Economics, 1968, Wharton School of Finance and Commerce, University of Pennsylvania

Areas of Expertise

  • Labor Law

Professional Experience

Professor Raudabaugh served as an Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Senior Admiral in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps. He was nominated by President George H.W. Bush, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, and served as a Member of the U.S. National Labor Relations Board. He practiced labor law in nationally and internationally recognized law firms, represented U.S. employers at the International Labor Organization, assisted the U.S. State Department in international discussions regarding trade agreements and labor law compliance, and in advising foreign governments regarding domestic labor law.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • American, District of Columbia, Georgia, and Michigan Bar Associations.
  • University of Pennsylvania, Cornell University, and University of Virginia Alumni Associations.
  • Senior Advisor, Federalist Society Labor and Employment Practice Group

Key Works

Publications

  • “Labored Law: Bilateralism or Pluralism, Ossification or Reformation?,” 87 Indiana L.J. 105 (2012).
  • Response on behalf of Society for Human Resource Management to U.S. National Labor Relations Board’s December 22, 2010 Notification of Proposed Rulemaking Governing Notification of Employee Rights Under the National Labor Relations Act.
  • Amicus Brief on behalf of Center for Union Facts regarding right of access to employer private property by nonemployees.
  • Amicus Brief on behalf of United States Senator Orrin G. Hatch regarding voluntary recognition bar and card-check.
  • Amicus Brief on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers and 41 additional trade associations regarding voluntary recognition bar and card-check.
  • Response on behalf of Society for Human Resource Management to U.S. Department of Labor’s March 19, 2010 Notification of Proposed Rulemaking implementing Presidential Executive Order 13495, “Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers Under Service Contracts.”
  • Response on behalf of Society for Human Resource Management to U.S. Department of Labor’s August 3, 2009 Notification of Proposed Rulemaking implementing Presidential Executive Order 13496, “Notification of Employee Rights Under Federal Labor Laws.”
  • “Labor’s Law Reform,” Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers.
  • Statement of John N. Raudabaugh, “Protecting Private Ballot Rights for American Workers,” U.S. Senate Republican Conference.
  • Statement of John N. Raudabaugh, “NLRB Representation Elections and Initial Collective Bargaining Agreements: Safeguarding Workers’ Rights?” U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies of the Committee on Appropriations.
  • “National Labor Relations Board 2007 Year in Review: Fueling Union’s Demand for Euro-Centric Labor Law Reform,” CCH Labor Law Journal, Spring 2008, pp. 16–25.
  • “Employee Free Choice Act…or…Global Outsourcing Act?” 2007.
  • “Contract Modification and Unilateral Change—Bath Iron Works,” ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law.
  • Statement of John N. Raudabaugh, “Secret Ballot Protection Act of 2004,” U.S. House Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.
  • Amicus Brief on behalf of U.S. House of Representatives Chairman and Ranking Republican Members of Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding card-check agreement.
  • “Foreward,” A Guide to Sources of Information on the National Labor Relations Board.
  • “Employee Voting Rights: Industrial Stability vs. Employee Free Choice,” ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law.
  • “Electromation: An Opportunity Lost or Just Postponed?” Chapter 29, Non-Union Employee Representation.
  • “Employee Relations Law Reform,” Industrial Relations Research Associations 50th Anniversary Volume, Government Regulation of the Employment Relationship.
  • “One Former Board Member’s Recommended Changes to the National Labor Relations Act,” IRRA.

Publications

  • “80th Anniversary of the National Labor Relations Act – Time to Evaluate and Renovate,” 2015 National Lawyers Convention, Federalist Society, Speaker.
  • “Recess Appointments: Implications of Noel Canning,” 2013 National Lawyers Convention, Federalist Society, Speaker.
  • “Unionizing Through Regulation,” Heritage Foundation, Speaker.
  • “Labor and Employment Law under the Obama Administration,” Indiana University Maurer School of Law; Speaker.
  • “Organized Labor and the Obama Administration,” 2011 National Lawyers Convention, Federalist Society, Speaker.
  • “Avoiding the National Labor Relations Board,” Nixon Peabody, LLP Webinar; Speaker.
  • “HR’s Response to New Union Organizing: Countering Social Media, Employee Handbooks and EFCA-lite,” M. Lee Smith; Speaker.
  • “New Process Steel v. National Labor Relations Board,” Scotuscast, Federalist Society.
  • “Bargaining With Unions: Effective Techniques for Today’s Unique Issues, Including Healthcare Reform,” American Conference Institute; Speaker.
  • “Labor’s Law Reform,” Canadian Association of Counsel to Employers; Speaker.
  • “Ensuring Employee Free Choice—Learning from the Canadian Experience,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Speaker.
  • “Rethinking Sourcing Strategies—The Impact of New and Proposed Labor and Immigration Laws on Outsourcing and Offshoring,” Sourcing Interests Group; Speaker.
  • “The Employee Free Choice Act: Who Benefits?” audio event, Federalist Society.
  • “Labor and Employee Relations Law Outlook,” The Knowledge Congress; Speaker.
  • “Impact of Labor Reform Legislation on Outsourcing and Offshoring,” Everest Research Institute; Speaker.
  • “Re-unionizing America—EFCA, RESPECT, PATRIOT…and MORE!,” SHRM Annual Legislative Conference; Speaker.
  • “Labor Law Changes in the Obama Administration,” LERA; Speaker.
  • “The Proposed Employee Free Choice Act: Be Prepared for a New “New Deal,” Global Auto Industry; Speaker.
  • Guangzhou and Shanghai, China, U.S.—China Labor Law Cooperation Project, Center for China Employment and Labor Relations, Institute of Labor and Industrial Relations, University of Michigan, U.S. Department of Labor and China Ministry of Labor and Social Security; Lecturer.
  • “The National Labor Relations Board: Past, Present, and Future,” National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation; Speaker.
  • “Employee Free Choice Act…or Global Outsourcing Act?” Federalist Society; Speaker.
  • “Organized Labor’s Campaign for Survival and Resurgence,” Uniform & Textile Service Association, Annual Convention; Speaker.

Jo-Anne Herina Jeffreys

Adjunct Professor

JJeffreys@avemarialaw.edu

Jo-Anne Herina Jeffreys, Esq., CELA, is a Certified Elder Law Attorney, through the National Elder Law Foundation and concentrates her practice in the areas of Elder Law, Estate Planning and Special Needs Planning.  She is admitted to practice law in Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.

Mrs. Jeffreys is a former adjunct Professor of Law at Seton Hall University, School of Law.  Mrs. Jeffreys is a member of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and formerly served on its Board of Directors.  Mrs. Jeffreys has been distinguished as a Fellow of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys.  Mrs. Jeffreys is a former Vice-Chair of the American Bar Association’s Individual Rights and Responsibilities Elder Law Committee.  Mrs. Jeffreys is an active member of the Special Needs Alliance, a national network of lawyers dedicated to serving families of persons with disabilities.  Mrs. Jeffreys has been chosen as a New Jersey SuperLawyer by her peers every year since 2008.  She frequently lectures on Elder Law topics at both the State and National level.  She is a member of the Florida Bar Association, the Collier County Bar Association, and the Collier County Woman’s Bar Association.

Mrs. Jeffreys is the co-author of Representing the Elderly Client- Law and Practice, Panel Publishers 1999, now Wolters Kluwer.  Mrs. Jeffreys graduated from Boston College and received her Juris Doctor degree from Seton Hall University School of Law. She has offices located in Naples, Florida and Hoboken, New Jersey.

Lisa C. Williams, CFP®, M.B.A, J.D.

Adjunct Professor

Email: lwilliams@avemarialaw.edu

Courses

  • Estate Planning
  • General Practice Clinic

Ms. Williams is licensed to practice law in Florida, Illinois and Minnesota. She holds her Juris Doctor from The John Marshall Law School, Masters of Business Administration with Emphasis in Finance and Specialization in Derivatives from Loyola University Chicago, and Bachelor of Science in Finance from Indiana University. Ms. Williams has served others for over 25 years in the financial services and legal profession. Over her career, she has assisted high net worth individuals and families with estate, charitable, tax, business and securities planning. Ms. Williams’ career started in corporate accounting. As an Adjunct Professor at DePaul University in Chicago, she helped design and teach the Certificate in Financial Planning courses.

Ms. Williams has a passion for training, teaching, and mentoring others. She has been blessed with the opportunity to have owned her own business on three separate occasions. Ms. Williams uses her experience to volunteer teach for Junior Achievement at various local schools and serve on the Stewardship Committee of her church. Ms. Williams and her daughter enjoy serving the Lord together on mission trips. As a former Board of Director for the Humane Society Naples, Ms. Williams adopted a 125-pound great dane/lab rescue. Additionally, she supports several Human Care Ministries.

Louis X. Amato

Adjunct Professor

Education:  

  • St. Louis University, St. Louis, MO, B.A., cum laude, 1971.
  • University of Miami, Miami, FL, J.D., magna cum laude, 1973.
  • Member, Wig & Robe
  • Digest Editor, University of Miami Law Review.
  • Instructor, Legal Research and Writing, I and II.     

Mr. Amato has been practicing law in Southwest Florida since 1974 with an emphasis on bankruptcy law, having earned Board Certification in Business Bankruptcy by the America Board of Certification and the American Bankruptcy Institute.

Mr. Amato’s practice extends to the broad breadth of the Bankruptcy Code, having represented debtors, creditors and bankruptcy fiduciaries in Chapter 7, 11, 12 and 13 cases, as well as representing parties offering and securing debtor-in-possession financing in Chapter 7 and 11 cases. In addition to acting on behalf of bankruptcy fiduciaries, Mr. Amato has also been appointed by the bankruptcy court to serve as Chapter 11 Trustee in matters where the debtor-in-possession has been removed from operating the bankruptcy estate.

Mr. Amato was honored to serve in all leadership positions of the Southwest Florida Bankruptcy Professionals, to have been selected to author an article in The American Bankruptcy Institute Journal and present a paper  at the Stetson University International Bankruptcy Symposium in Varenna, Italy.

In addition to bar related activities, Mr. Amato was charter president of the Collier County Better Business Bureau and served for eight years as a Commissioner of the City of Naples Airport Authority.

Ann Howard Banzet

Adjunct Professor

Email: ahbanzet@avemarialaw.edu


Courses


  • Alternative Dispute Resolution
  • Business Planning and Corporate Tax

Ms. Banzet graduated Summa Cum Laude from North Carolina State University, with a B.A. in Political Science and a Minor in English. Upon graduating with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law, Ms. Banzet began her practice in a North Carolina general practice firm, focusing on real estate, estate planning, state tax issues, contract disputes, corporate and domestic law.

In 2004, Ms. Banzet received her LLM in Taxation from the University of Florida and relocated to southwest Florida.

Ms. Banzet is a Tax Attorney and Wealth Planning Strategist with a focus on successful financial planning services for high net worth clients and business owners. She has extensive experience in the areas of taxation, IRS controversy, estate planning, trust and estate administration, strategic wealth planning, asset protection,  alternative dispute resolution, as well as business entity work, including general corporate law, taxation of business entities, business planning, contracts and corporate taxation.

Currently, Ms. Banzet is a Vice-President, Senior Relationship Manage, Trust Administrator, and Wealth Planner for Huntington Trust, part of the Huntington Private Client Group, in Naples, Florida. She also consults on complex tax issues.

Ms. Banzet is a member of the Florida Bar and the North Carolina Bar. She is a member of the American Bar Association, as well as the ABA Real Property, Tax and Business Law Sections. She is a member of the Collier County Bar and the Collier County Women’s Bar. She is a former member of the Florida Academy of Mediators and was the Foreclosure Case Manager for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit, Administrative Office of the Courts. She also teaches Business Planning and Corporate Tax in addition to Alternative Dispute Resolution

Bradley W. Butcher

Adjunct Professor

bbutcher@avemarialaw.edu

Courses 

  • Real Estate Transactions

Bradley W. Butcher is the founding and managing member of Rojas & Butcher, P.L. His current practice focuses on the representation of condominium and homeowners’ associations as well as private individuals and business entities involved in a variety of residential and commercial real estate matters. His real estate practice runs from representing investors buying foreclosed properties, to handling commercial real estate workouts, to representing individuals and entities in real estate transactions and litigation. He graduated summa cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in 2001 and received his LL.M in Real Property Development from the University of Miami School of Law in 2006. Before moving to Florida in August 2005, he was an associate attorney at Sommers Schwartz, P.C. in Southfield, Michigan. Mr. Butcher also served in the United States Air Force from 1995 through 1999.

Joe Garagiola

Adjunct Professor


jgaragiola@avemarialaw.edu

Joe Garagiola, Jr. is currently the Senior Director of Special Projects for the Arizona Diamondbacks. In that capacity, Joe is one of the principals involved in the construction of the Diamondbacks’ new academy in the Dominican Republic. Previously, Joe had rejoined the Diamondbacks in 2019 as an Advisor to President and CEO Derrick Hall. Prior to returning to the Diamondbacks, Joe worked for many years in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball.  Joe was the Senior Vice President of Standards and On-Field Operations, which included oversight of on-field player discipline. Prior to joining the Commissioner’s Office in 2005, Joe had been the General Manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks from their inception in 1995


The Diamondbacks first season was 1998, a year which saw the team win 65 games. The next year, the Diamondbacks won 100 games, the greatest single-season turnaround in major league history. That year they also won the National League West Division championship, six years sooner than any other first-year franchise.


Two years later, the Diamondbacks recorded another “first”, winning the World Series in their fourth season, the fastest team ever to accomplish this feat. Garagiola’s effort was recognized when President George W. Bush invited the organization to the White House on December 13, 2001.  During the course of the visit, the President couldn’t resist bringing up a comparison between himself and Joe Jr. stating, “I’ve always been suspicious of guys who have a famous father.” The Diamondbacks successfully defended their Western Division championship in 2002, before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the Division Series.


Garagiola joined the Diamondbacks in March, 1995, when the franchise was awarded to the region, but it was his work on a variety of civic panels that served as a driving force in bringing major league baseball to the Valley.  He was the chairman of the Phoenix Metropolitan Sports Foundation, served as vice-chairman of the Governor’s Cactus League Task Force (which was instrumental in saving the Cactus League) and was a member of the Mayor’s Professional Baseball Committee as well as the Maricopa County Sports Authority, serving as its chairman.  Garagiola was also chairman of the Arizona Baseball Commission, the group best known for completing the task of convincing existing Major League clubs that Phoenix and the region were ready to possess their own club.


Upon graduation from law school, Joe joined the New York Yankees as Assistant to the President and In-House Counsel. Following his stint with the Yankees (where he collected his first World Series ring), Joe started his own law firm and was the editor and publisher of the Sports Law Reporter, the first publication devoted exclusively to sports and the law. Joe has taught Sports Law on both the undergraduate (St. John’s University) and law school (Pace University) levels, and has been a guest lecturer at Georgetown Law, his alma mater. He has taught Sports Law at the University of Arizona law school, as well as Ave Maria Law School in Naples, Fl. He is also an adjunct professor in the Selig Masters in Sports Business and Law program at Arizona State University.


  Garagiola moved to the Valley in 1982, practicing with the firm of Gallagher and Kennedy, concentrating on sports law. Joe was a partner at G&K, and was an integral part of the team that handled the franchise application process and well as the negotiations with Maricopa County involving Bank One Ballpark (now Chase Field).


Joe was the 1998 recipient of the prestigious Institute of Human Relations Award from the American Jewish Committee.  He was named the 1999 Anti-Defamation League “Leader of Distinction” and the 2003 “Father of the Year” by the Father’s Day Council.  He is a life member of the Fiesta Bowl Committee, as well as the Thunderbirds, the group that annually stages the highly successful WM Phoenix Open.


Joe graduated from the University of Notre Dame and earned his law degree from Georgetown University.  He is admitted to practice law in Arizona, California and New York.  He and his wife, Noel, have four children.

Brittney Riordan

Assistant Professor of Bar Preparation

briordan@avemarialaw.edu (239) 687-5348

Education: J.D., 2017, Ave Maria School of Law, summa cum laude; B.A., 2014, University of Florida, cum laude

Courses: Advanced Legal Analysis, Florida Legal Practice, Common Law Synthesis, and Advanced Essay Writing.

Shannon Puopolo

Adjunct Professor

Email: Spuopolo@avemarialaw.edu

Shannon M. Puopolo concentrates her law practice in the business litigation arena, with a focus on real estate disputes, creditor’s rights in bankruptcy, and appellate law. She represents a diverse clientele, guiding them through legal challenges such as bankruptcy and foreclosure proceedings, alternative finance transactions, and usury defense. Additionally, she handles matters related to title insurance claims, lien and tax deed sales, partnership disputes, trust litigation, association law, and residential and commercial eviction proceedings.

In addition, Shannon serves as the firm’s Hiring Chair and has been the Associate Coordinator for many years. She is also a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator and is featured on the approved mediator list of the United States District Court Middle District of Florida. Shannon is admitted to practice in Florida state courts, as well as the United States District Court for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida.

Seana Sugrue

Adjunct Professor

Email: seana.sugrue@avemaria.edu

Professor Sugrue is the Ambassador Michael Novak Chair of Politics at Ave Maria University.  She earned a B.B.A from Bishop’s University, LL.B., from University of Ottawa, and an LL.M. and D.C.L. in Civil Law from McGill University.

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(239) 687-5300

Wendy L. Tenzer

Assistant Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

 

Education
  • J.D., 1982, Syracuse University College of Law
  • M.A., 2003, Education, New York University
  • B.A., 1979, English with French Minor, New York University

Professional Experience

Professor Tenzer has over 20 years of experience in legal publishing as a Senior Legal Editor and Publications Manager in New York City for Matthew Bender Publishing, a division of Lexis/Nexis. In her role as a manager and editor, Professor Tenzer negotiated contracts with attorney-authors, researched, wrote, and revised thousands of pages of legal manuscript in preparation for publication, and supervised the writing and revision work of over 25 attorney- authors. Professor Tenzer also attended the Advisory Rules Committee meetings for proposed amendments and revisions to the Federal Rules of Procedure submitted to Congress. She has worked with many distinguished judges, law professors, and attorneys to provide direct editorial guidance on various substantive law topics including: criminal law, criminal procedure, banking, commercial law, federal practice and procedure, and intellectual property. Professor Tenzer began her career handling diverse legal issues for undergraduate students including: landlord-tenant, misdemeanor criminal, domestic issues, wills, and contracts. She then spent several years negotiating contracts with talent agencies for music rights and drafting client-agency contracts. Professor Tenzer has also taught writing and paralegal studies at the college level.



Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Admitted to the New York Bar
  • Member of the Law Review, Syracuse University College of Law
  • Graduated Summa Cum Laude from New York University Masters’ Program
  • Awarded Certificate of Appreciation by Law Review Editorial Board for outstanding contribution by a faculty member (2013-2014)
Key Works 

Publications worked on:

Criminal
  • Prosecution and Defense of Sex Crimes
  • Business Crime
  • Cross-Examination: Science and Techniques
  • Federal Habeas Corpus Practice and Procedure
  • Search and Seizure
  • Understanding Criminal Law
  • Understanding Criminal Procedure
     Intellectual Property
  • Gilson on Trademarks
     Federal Practice
  • Moore’s Federal Practice (criminal volumes)
  • Bender’s Federal Practice Forms
  • Federal Jury Instructions
     Banking
  • Bank Holding Company Compliance Manual
  • Asset-Based Financing
  • Lender Liability Law and Litigation
  • Letters of Credit;
  • Secured Transactions Under the U.C.C.

 Presentations and Panels

  • “Professionalism in the Workplace: How to Leverage Your Summer Job into Full-Time Employment” (Legal Writing Institute Workshop, December 2012) (co-presenter)
  • “Warren the Whining 1L: An Introduction to Legal Analysis” (Legal Writing Institute, Southeastern Regional Conference, April 2013) (co-presenter)
  • “But My Undergraduate Professor Said I Was a Great Writer: Helping Students Make the Transition to Legal Writing” (Legal Writing Institute, Biennial Conference, July 2014) (co-presenter)
  • “Alternative Careers in the Law,” panel member (2010, 2011)

           

Eugene R. Milhizer

Dean Emeritus and Professor of Law

Education

  • L.L.M., 1988, The Judge Advocate General’s School (First Honor Graduate)
  • J.D., 1979, University of Michigan School of Law
  • B.A., 1976, Political Science, University of Michigan (High Distinction)

Areas of Expertise

  • Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Military Law, National Security Law, Trial Advocacy

Professional Experience

As an Army Judge Advocate, Dean Emeritus Milhizer participated in hundreds of appeals, tried scores of criminal cases, and served in multiple leadership positions. For three years, he held a teaching appointment at the Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia. In 2001, he joined the Ave Maria faculty and his course of offerings have included Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, National Security Law and Military Law. Dean Emeritus Milhizer has been an invited presenter at law schools across the country and his legal scholarship has been published in many prestigious law journals. In May 2006, he was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, and in April 2009, he was appointed Acting Dean of the Law School. In January 2010, he was appointed the Law School’s second President and Dean, and he served in that position until his return to full-time teaching in the summer of 2014. In 2021, he was appointed Interim President and Dean for a three-month period, before he returned again to the faculty. During the summer of 2009, under his leadership, the Law School successfully accomplished the unprecedented feat of relocating from Michigan to Florida.

Honors and Professional Affiliations

  • Juris Doctorate (honoris causa), Ave Maria School of Law, 2015
  • Legion of Merit, United States Army, and numerous other military awards and ribbons.
  • Professor of the Year 2006-2007, Ave Maria School of Law, Association of American Law Schools.
  • Professor of the Year 2003-2004, Ave Maria School of Law, as selected by students.
  • Moot Court Board Professor of the Year 2006-2007, Ave Maria School of Law.
  • The Saint Thomas More Distinguished Jurist Award, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio.
  • Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Advocate Award, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio
  • Honoree 2010, Legal Aid Services of Collier County, Florida
  • Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary International
  • Recognition in Who’s Who for Legal Professionals.
  • Fellow, American Bar Foundation.
  • Member, Board of Governors, Ave Maria School of Law.
  • President and Director, Ave Maria School of Law Foundation.
  • Member, Florida Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism.
  • Member, Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, established by the Michigan Supreme Court (Mar. 12, 2002 – Dec. 31, 2005).
  • Member, Constitutional Protections and Privacy Advisory Board of the Florida Region 6 Fusion Center.
  • Member, American Bar Association.
  • Member, State Bar of Michigan.
  • Former Member, Legatus.
  • Former Advisor on Law and Faith, Cephas Institute, Kingston, New York.
  • Admitted to practice: United States Supreme Court, United States Court of Claims, United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, United States Army Court of Criminal Appeals, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan.

Publications

 

  • Law Review Articles (Selected)

 

    • Dissecting “Anatomy of a Murder”: The Author, the Crime, the Novel, and the Film, 20 Ave Maria Law Review (publication pending).
    • Miranda’s Near Death Experience: Reflections on the Occasion of Miranda’s Fiftieth Anniversary, 66 Catholic University Law Review 577 (2017)
    • Applying the Digital Search Incident to Arrest Doctrine to Predigital Content, 61 St. Louis University Law Review 165 (2017)
    • Hobby Lobby and Beyond: Considering Moral Responses to the HHS Mandate Litigation, 81 Prudentia Iuris 149 (2016), available here.
    • The Morality and Legality of the HHS Mandate and “Accommodations”, 11 AVE MARIA LAW REVIEW 211 (2013).
    • Debunking Five Great Myths about the Fourth Amendment Exclusionary Rule, 211 MILITARY LAW REVIEW 211 (2012).
    • “The Exclusionary Rule Lottery” Revisited, 59 CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY LAW REVIEW 747 (2010).
    • So Help Me Allah: An Historical and Prudential Analysis of Oaths as Applied to the Current Controversy of the Bible and Quran in Oath Practices in America, 70 OHIO STATE LAW JOURNAL 1 (2009).
    • Confessions After Connelly: An Evidentiary Solution for Excluding Unreliable Confessions, 81 TEMPLE LAW REVIEW 1 (2008).
    • The Exclusionary Rule Lottery, 39 TOLEDO LAW REVIEW 755 (2008).
    • Rethinking Police Integration: Encouraging Reliable Confessions While Respecting Suspects’ Dignity, 41 VALPARAISO Law Review 1 (2016)
    • Group Status and Criminal Defenses: Logical Relationship or Marriage of Convenience?, 71 MISSOURI LAW REVIEW 547 (2006)
    • Justification and Excuse: What They Were, What They Are, and What They Ought to Be, 78 ST. JOHN’S LAW REVIEW 547 (2006)

 

  • Presentations and Media

 

  • Featured presenter at numerous Law Schools and Universities including Yale University Law School, University of Michigan Law School, The Judge Advocates General School, and Franciscan University. Click here to see presentation.
  • Invited presenter before legislative and rule-making bodies, bar associations, practitioner groups, and religious and other organizations on subjects ranging from criminal law and procedure, religious freedom, national security and military affairs, trial advocacy, and other topics.
  • Frequent guest and commentator on national network television, and nationally syndicated radio (including Fox News Network, EWTN, National Catholic Radio, Relevant Radio, Sirius Radio, Kresta in the Afternoon), as well as local television and radio, and national print media. Click here to see media appearance.

 

Scott M. Daniels

Assistant Professor

 

Education
  • J.D., 1988, Benjamin Cardozo School of Law
  • B.A., 1985, New York University
Areas of Expertise
  • Professor Daniels teaches LAWR III, which is the required upper-level legal analysis, writing, and research class, as well as Trial Advocacy.
Professional Experience Professor Daniels has over 20 years of experience litigating thousands of cases. His practice areas included criminal law, real estate, family law, wills, trusts and estates, and probate. He has tried several high-profile cases and had a case featured on Court TV. He has written extensively for many legal publications including Moore’s Federal Practice, Collier on Bankruptcy, and Criminal Defense Techniques. Professor Daniels also served as an arbitrator in the Civil Court of the City of New York. His detailed practice areas are: Criminal Defense Litigation: Litigated thousands of felony and misdemeanor cases, from shoplifting to homicide; conducted extensive pre-trial motion and hearings, jury and bench trials, and post-trial relief; presented oral argument before the Appellate Division, Second Department Family Court Litigation: Represented petitioners, respondents, and defendants in custody, visitation, paternity, orders of protection, and neglect cases Estate Practice: Drafted wills, trusts, health care proxies, living wills, powers of attorney; represented executors through probate process in surrogate’s court Real Estate: Represented buyers, sellers, and banks in the purchase and sale of residential real estate; drafted leases for residential and commercial properties Administrative Hearings: Represented clients at various administrative trials, including license suspension proceedings at the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission, and school suspension hearings before the NYC Board of Education


Honors and Professional Affiliations
  • Member of the Florida Bar and New York Bar
  • Member of the New York State Appellate Division, Second Department
  • Member of the New York State Eastern and Southern Federal District Courts
Key Works Publications
  • Criminal Defense Techniques (Matthew Bender) Lead update author for ten-volume treatise on all areas of criminal law
  • Collier on Bankruptcy (Matthew Bender) Extensive analysis of the Bankruptcy Code and Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
  • Collier on Bankruptcy Exemption Guide (Matthew Bender) Author-in-charge of twice-yearly updates of statutory bankruptcy exemptions for all 50 states and U.S. territories
  • Moore’s Federal Practice (Matthew Bender) Complete revision of Search and Seizure chapter; updated and revised Volume 25, Chapters 614-617.1 and Volume 28, Chapters 647-660, 670
  • New York Criminal Practice (Matthew Bender) Update and revision author
  • A Practical Guide to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (Law Journal Seminars-Press) Complete publication update with annual revisions
  • Use of Statistics in Equal Employment Opportunity Litigation (Law Journal Seminars-Press) Complete publication update with annual revisions