SOUTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF LAW

1150 DOUGLAS DR.

CARBONDALE, ILLINOIS 62901-2578

Telephone: (618) 536-7711

URL: http://www.law.siu.edu

 

ABA Approved Since 1974

HISTORY

The Southern Illinois University School of Law began instruction in the fall of 1973, and graduated its first class in the spring of 1976. Hiram H. Lesar, for whom the law building is named, was the founding dean. Since 1976, the School of Law has graduated some 3150 students. The School of Law is fully accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools.

 

Twenty-six full-time faculty are involved in research and publication in addition to their teaching duties. A dynamic, personalized educational environment is the result of a student body around 360 and a student-faculty ratio of 12-1. The community is small enough so that faculty and students can know each other but large enough to justify the variety of courses that should be available in a modern law school. Clinical, library adjunct and visiting professors add additional depth to the faculty and curriculum.

 

The School has particular strengths in the areas of health law and dispute resolution. It also has an outstanding clinical/skills program and a remarkable law library.

 

PURPOSES

As the School of Law has grown and matured, its mission has followed. The primary initial focus of the School was providing lawyers and legal services to Southern Illinois, a mission that the School of Law has accomplished. The SIU School of Law now seeks no less than to become the best small (enrollment of 400 or less) public law school in the nation. As a corollary to this basic mission, the SIU School of Law seeks to be viewed as the best school to attend for those who wish to practice in the state of Illinois. The achievement of this mission has three components. They are: fully preparing its students to enter the legal profession or other intellectually demanding work; contributing to legal scholarship; and serving the legal profession and the general public.

 

The school believes that all of its graduates must have the basic substantive knowledge and legal skills to become competent to practice law or to perform other work involving legal doctrine and skills, both at the time of graduation and throughout their working lifetime. Thus, SIU graduates should possess a broad knowledge of legal doctrine which serves as the foundation for the abilities to recognize legal issues, manipulate legal concepts and build a strong body of substantive knowledge in their chosen specialty. Each student should have a knowledge of the American legal institutions and traditions in and the role of lawyers in our society. Each student should possess a basic grounding in the fundamental lawyering skills and a strong sense of professional responsibility and professionalism. Finally, SIU graduates are expected to have the ability to integrate non-legal disciplines into their legal analysis. The primary aspect of the law school’s mission is to provide a program sufficiently broad in scope that its students are introduced to these skills and qualities by the time they graduate.

 

Dean: Peter C. Alexander (618) 453-8761

Assistant Dean for Administration: John F. Lynn (618) 453-8760

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs: Frank Houdek (618) 453-8788

Acting Director of Admissions and Financial Aid: Akami Marik (618) 453-8858

Director of Alumni Affairs: Elizabeth Murphy (618) 453-4811

Director of Development: Judi Ray (618) 453-8135

Director of Communications and Outreach: Alicia Ruiz (618) 457-8700

Library Director: Douglas Lind (618) 453-8787

Director of Law Student Development: Tasha Stewart (618) 453-8752

 

FULL TIME FACULTY

 

FRANK G. HOUDEK, (Law Professor), born Long Beach, California, December 22, 1948; admitted to bar, 1974, California. Education: University of California at Los Angeles (B.A., 1971; J.D., 1974; M.L.S., 1976). COURSES:Lawyering Skills (Legal Research), Law Librarianship. Email:houdek @ siu.edu

 

JILL ADAMS, (Law Professor), born Durham, North Carolina, July 9, 1952; admitted to bar, 1982, New Mexico; 1986, Illinois. Education: University of North Carolina (B.A., with highest honors, 1974); University of Massachusetts (M.A.T., 1978); University of New Mexico (J.D., summa cum laude, 1982). COURSES:Civil Procedure, Civil Rights, Legal Profession, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Legal Writing and Argumentation. Email:jeadams @ siu.edu

 

PETER C. ALEXANDER, (Law Professor), born Suffern, New York, October 10, 1958; admitted to bar, 1983, Illinois. Education: Southern Illinois University (B.A., 1979); Northeastern University (J.D., 1983). COURSES: Bankruptcy, Criminal Law. Email:petera @ siu.edu

 

CHERYL L. ANDERSON, (Law Professor), born January 23, 1964; admitted to bar, 1988, State-Minnesota, North Dakota; 1989, Federal-Minnesota, North Dakota; 1992, Washington. Education: University of North Dakota (B.A., 1985; J.D., 1988); Temple University School of Law (LL.M., 1995). COURSES:Labor Law, Employment Law, Products Liability. Email:cheryla @ siu.edu

 

W. EUGENE BASANTA, (Law Professor), born Norwalk, Connecticut, January 21, 1950; admitted to bar, 1975, Kentucky. Education: Williams College (B.A., 1972); University of Kentucky (J.D., 1975); Temple University School of Law (LL.M., 1980). COURSES:Health Law, Contracts. Email:basanta @ siu.edu

 

CHRISTOPHER W. BEHAN, (Law Professor), born Scottsbluff, Nebraska, October 13, 1968; admitted to bar, 1995, Nebraska. Education: Brigham Young University (B.A., 1992; J.D., 1995); The Judge Advocate General’s School, U.S. Army (LL.M., 2003). COURSES: Evidence, White Collar Crime, International Criminal Law, Sentencing, Military Law, Trial Advocacy. Email:cbehan @ siu.edu

 

KEITH H. BEYLER, (Law Professor), born Indianapolis, Indiana, August 11, 1947; admitted to bar, 1974, California. Education: Princeton University (A.B., 1969); University of Chicago (J.D., 1974). COURSES:Civil Procedure, Conflict of Laws, Federal Courts, Legal Argumentation, Pretrial Advocacy. Email:kbeyler @ siu.edu

 

THOMAS C. BRITTON, (Law Professor), born Evansville, Indiana, November 12, 1948; admitted to bar, 1976, Illinois. Education: Southern Illinois University (B.A., 1970; M.S.Ed., 1973; J.D., 1976). COURSES: Administrative Law, Education Law. Email:tbritton @ siu.edu

 

CINDY GALWAY BUYS, (Law Professor), born Newark, New York, November 2, 1965; admitted to bar, 1992, New York. Education: Syracuse University (M.A., 1991; J.D., 1991); State University of NY at Albany (B.A., 1987); Georgetown Law Center (LL.M., 1999). COURSES:International Law. Email:cbuys @ siu.edu

 

LUCIAN EMERY DERVAN, (Law Professor), born Adelaide, Australia, 1976; admitted to bar, 2002, Georgia; 2004, U.S. District Court, District of Northern Georgia and U.S. Court of Appeals, Eleventh Circuit; 2007, Florida and U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Education: Davidson College (B.A., with honors, 1998); Emory University (J.D., with high honors, 2002). COURSES:Criminal Law, Corporate Law.

 

WILLIAM A. DRENNAN, (Law Professor), born St. Louis, Missouri, May 17, 1960; admitted to bar, 1985, Missouri. Education: St. Louis University (B.S.B.A., 1982); St. Louis University Law School (J.D., 1985); Washington University (LL.M., 2003). COURSES:Taxation, Trusts & Estates, Estate Planning, Business Tax, Nonprofit Entities. Email:wdrennan @ siu.edu

 

JOHN F. ERBES, (Law Professor), born Rockford, Illinois, January 27, 1954; admitted to bar, 1979, Illinois. Education: Western Illinois University (B.A., 1976); Southern Illinois University (J.D., 1979). COURSES:Elder Law. Email:erbes @ siu.edu

 

LEONARD GROSS, (Law Professor), born Brooklyn, New York, December 15, 1951; admitted to bar, 1977, Massachusetts; 1977, New York; 1984, Illinois. Education: State University of New York at Binghamton (B.A., 1973); Boston University (J.D., 1976); New York University. COURSES:Legal Profession, Corporations, Agency and Partnership, Remedies. Email:lgross @ siu.edu

 

MARSHALL KAPP, (Law Professor), born Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 22, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Florida. Education: Johns Hopkins University (B.A., 1971); George Washington University National Law Center (J.D., 1974); Harvard University School of Public Health (MPH, 1978). COURSES: Health Law and Policy. Email: kapp @ siu.edu

 

MARK R. LEE, (Law Professor), born St. Louis, Missouri, January 23, 1949; admitted to bar, 1974, Texas. Education: Yale University (B.A., 1971); University of Texas (J.D., 1974). COURSES:Antitrust, Corporations, Agency and Partnership, Securities Regulation, Regulated Industries, Law and Economics, Criminal Law. Email: markrlee @ siu.edu

 

SUSAN P. LIEMER, (Law Professor), born Chicago, Illinois, May 14, 1958; admitted to bar, 1986, Connecticut; 1987, New York. Education: Princeton University (B.A., 1979); University of Virginia (J.D., 1986). COURSES:Lawyering Skills (Legal Writing). Email:sliemer @ siu.edu

 

DOUGLAS LIND, (Law Professor), born Gary, Indiana, July 31; Education: Purdue University (B.A., 1989); University of Michigan (M.I.L.S., 1994); Valparaiso University School of Law (J.D., 1992). COURSES:Legal Research. Email:dlind @ siu.edu

 

R. HOKULEI LINDSEY, (Law Professor), admitted to bar, 2003, Hawaii. Education: University of Hawaii at Manoa (B.A., 1999); University of Hawaii William S. Richardson School of Law (J.D., 2002); University of Wisconsin Law School (LL.M., 2006). COURSES:Property, Real Estate Transactions, Race &Law. Email:hlindsey @ siu.edu

 

MELISSA MARLOW, (Law Professor), born April 5, 1970; admitted to bar, 1996, Illinois. Education: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (B.S., 1991); Southern Illinois University School of Law (J.D., 1996). COURSES:Lawyering Skills. Email: mmarlow @ siu.edu

 

PATRICIA ROSS MCCUBBIN, (Law Professor), born Boulder, Colorado, August 27, 1963; admitted to bar, 1990, Georgia; 1991, District of Columbia. Education: University of Virginia (B.A., 1985; J.D., 1990). COURSES:Administrative Law, Environmental Law. Email:mccubbin @ siu.edu

 

PAUL E. MCGREAL, (Law Professor), born New York, New York, July 21, 1967; admitted to bar, 1992, Texas. Education: Williams College (B.A., 1987); SMU Law School (J.D., 1992); Yale Law School (LL.M., 1994). COURSES:Constitutional Law, Legal Ethics, Corporate Compliance. Email:pmcgreal @ siu.edu

 

MICHELE MEKEL, (Law Professor), born Danville, Illinois, 1970; admitted to bar, 2002, Missouri; 2003, Illinois. Education: University of Missouri, Columbia (B.J., 1992; J.D., 2002; M.H.A., 2003; M.B.A., 2003). COURSES: Administrative Law, Torts. Email:mmekel @ siu.edu

 

ALICE M. NOBLE-ALLGIRE, (Law Professor), born Woodstock, Illinois, January 11, 1957; admitted to bar, 1990, Illinois. Education: Southern Illinois University (B.S., 1980; J.D., 1990). COURSES: Property, Professional Responsibility. Email: nobleall @ siu.edu

 

REBECCA O’NEILL, (Law Professor), born Benton, Illinois, April 2, 1963; admitted to bar, 1988, Illinois; 1990, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois; 1993, U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit; 1994, U.S. Supreme Court and U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals. Education: Southern Illinois University (B.S., 1985; J.D., 1988). COURSES: Clinical Courses, Family Law. Email:rjoneill @ siu.edu

 

CORNELIUS A. PEREIRA, (Law Professor), born Bombay, India, June 20, 1965; Education: Illinois State University (M.M., 1995); University of Illinois (M.S.L.I.S., 2003). Email:cpereira @ siu.edu  

 

TRACIE PORTER, (Law Professor), born Chicago, Illinois, 1969; admitted to bar, 1994, Illinois. Education: Cornell College (B.A., 1990) Drake University Law School (J.D., 1994). COURSES: Real Estate, International Business Law. Email: porter @ law.siu.edu

 

RALPH J. ROBERTSON, JR., (Law Professor), born Humansville, Missouri, July 9, 1951; admitted to bar, 1976, Missouri. Education: University of Missouri (A.B., 1973; J.D., 1976). COURSES: Contracts, Insurance, Remedies, Sales, Negotiable Instruments. Email:rjrobert @ siu.edu

 

SUZANNE J. SCHMITZ, (Law Professor), born Breese, Illinois, December 3, 1947; admitted to bar, 1981, Illinois and U.S. District Court, Central District of Illinois; 1988, U.S. District Court, Southern District of Illinois; 1990, Missouri. Education: St. Xavier College (B.A., 1969); Southern Illinois University (M.S.Ed., 1976); St. Louis University School of Law (J.D., 1981). COURSES: Alternative Dispute Resolution. Email: sschmitz @ siu.edu

 

WILLIAM A. SCHROEDER, (Law Professor), born Chicago, Illinois, March 19, 1943; admitted to bar, 1972, Massachusetts; 1990, Missouri. Education: University of Illinois (A.B., 1966); University of Illinois College of Law (J.D., 1969); Harvard University Law School (LL.M., 1977). COURSES: Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Evidence. Email:wschroe @ siu.edu

 

MARK SCHULTZ, (Law Professor), born Cleveland, Ohio, August 23, 1967; admitted to bar, 1993, Maryland; 1996, Illinois. Education: George Washington University Elliot School of International Affairs (B.A., 1989); George Washington University National Law Center (J.D., 1993). COURSES: Intellectual Property, Copyright Law, Trademarks & Unfair Competition, Cyberlaw, Legal Profession. Email: mschultz @ siu.edu

 

SHEILA SIMON, (Law Professor), born Troy, Illinois, March 13, 1961; admitted to bar, 1987, Illinois. Education: Wittenberg University (B.A., 1983); Georgetown University Law Center (J.D., 1987). COURSES: Lawyering Skills. Email: ssimon @ siu.edu

 

GAIL THOMAS, (Law Professor), born Perryville, Missouri, 1953; admitted to bar, 1996, Illinois. Education: Southern Illinois University (B.S., 1993) Southern Illinois University School of Law (J.D., 1996). COURSES: Domestic Violence. Email: gthomas @ siu.edu

 

CANDLE WESTER-MITTAN, (Law Professor), born Lincoln, Nebraska, March 26, 1977; Education: Nebraska Wesleyan University (B.S., Business, 2000); University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (M.S., Library, 2006); University of Nebraska - Lincoln Law School (J.D., 2004). COURSES: Lawyering Skills (Legal Research). Email: cwester @ siu.edu