April 8, 2022

Gone the Influencer, Not the Influence

One of the five job offers I had coming out of law school was the one “everyone” wan­ted.  I turned it down.  Instead, I chose the job offer out of the five that paid the least.  That brought me to Springfield, Missouri and Ransom A. Ellis, Jr.  Why? Because he did exactly what I wanted to do (labor and employment law, rep­resenting management), he did it in a non-urban area (I did not want to go back to St. Louis, or to any other big city to practice law), and he had an impeccable professional repu­tation and was highly regarded…

March 29, 2022

Mizzou Law LLM Student/Alumna Brings Legacy of Advocacy to the Classroom

Elizabeth Kaganda, who earned her LLM in dispute resolution from Mizzou Law and is currently pursuing an LLM in American law at Mizzou Law, also teaches Swahili at Mizzou. Read this great story about Elizabeth in the Columbia Missourian. 

Feb. 1, 2022

LLM Alumna Spotlight — Sharanya Rao

After years in the legal field, Sharanya Rao, LLM ’03, decided she wanted to pursue a career path where she could help people gain clarity and fulfillment in their professional lives. Rao says pivoting from a career in law to a career in coaching was made possible in part by the time she spent within the Mizzou Law dispute resolution LLM program. “The LLM program gave me deep insights into what I really wanted to do and helped me carve my career as a leadership coach,” Rao said. “The foundation I received in the program in mindfulness and cross-cultural communication…

Oct. 28, 2021

LLM Alumni Spotlight — Md. Harun-Or-Rashid

Serving as a sitting judge in his native Bangladesh for more than 13 years, Hon. Md. Harun-Or-Rashid, LLM ’19, knew he needed to gain knowledge and skills in dispute resolution to best perform his role and serve his community. After completing his LLM in dispute resolution from Mizzou Law, Judge Rashid says he is even better positioned to fulfill his role. “My duties and responsibilities are to settle disputes and perform any other job assigned by the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, or the Bangladesh Supreme Court, by using various methods of dispute resolution,” Rashid said. “Gaining an…

Oct. 28, 2021

LLM Alumni Spotlight — Rev. Philip Bené

LLM students come to Mizzou for reasons ranging from its high ranking to its knowledgeable professors. But Philip J. Bené, LLM ’14, may have received a higher calling to learn about alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Before coming to Mizzou, Bené, a Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, served stints as legal attaché of the Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations and at the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome. After hearing about the LLM program from a law professor in St. Louis, Bené knew he wanted to expand his knowledge in…

Oct. 25, 2021

13 Mizzou Law Alumnae Honored with 2021 Women’s Justice Awards

Thirteen Mizzou Law alumnae were among the women honored by Missouri Lawyers Media with 2021 Women’s Justice Awards. Whittney Dunn, ’11, and Amy Moore Harris, ’10, were honored with the Corporate Award as women who serve as general or in-house counsel, advising businesses on complex legal matters. Ashley Benoist, ’12; Susan Brown Miles, ’00; Lauren Collins, ’13; Brenda Hamilton, ’90; Meghan Lewis, ’09; Camille Roe, ’12; and Megan Stumph-Turner, ’08; were honored with the Litigation Practitioner Award as women who have made their careers in the courtroom — criminal or…

Sep. 28, 2021

LLM Alumna Spotlight — Tojan Rahhal

The fields of engineering and dispute resolution may not seem to be a natural combination. For Tojan Rahhal, ’20, however, the LLM in Dispute Resolution program at the University of Missouri School of Law was the perfect transition to prepare her for a leadership position in the engineering field. Now serving as CEO and President of Engineering World Health, Rahhal says that the LLM program inspired her to “think outside of the box,” and encouraged her to leverage her skillset to her current position. Rahhal first came to Mizzou for a position at the College of Engineering.  She had previously…

Sep. 28, 2021

LLM Alumnus Spotlight — Sentebale Makara

Living in his home of Johannesburg, South Africa, Sentebale Makara, ’11, is enjoying a flourishing career as the director at the law firm Norton Rose Fulbright South Africa. He specializes in construction, engineering, mining and energy disputes with experience in arbitration procedures and alternative dispute resolution. Makara attributes much of his success to his time at Mizzou Law, where he earned his LLM in Dispute Resolution. “As a direct result of the opportunities and doors opened by the LLM program, I am today a qualified mediator,” Makara said. During his time at Mizzou, Makara said he gained confidence in his…

Sep. 28, 2021

LLM Alumnus Spotlight — Jose Rodriguez

Nearly a decade ago, Jose Dario Rodriguez, LLM ’15, realized the importance of commercial relations and the need to use alternative mechanisms for dispute resolution. Now serving as legal counsel of international contractor China Harbour Engineering Company Ltd. in Panama, Rodriguez credits his move to Columbia, Missouri to learn at one of the top dispute resolution centers in the world with gaining those necessary skills and knowledge. “I chose the University of Missouri beyond any other school, after a long research time, finding that Mizzou Law is not only one of the top five dispute resolution programs in United States,…

Aug. 17, 2021

LLM Alumna Spotlight: Kuenzang Dolma

When joining the faculty of the only law school in her native country of Bhutan, Kuenzang Dolma (LLM ‘20) knew she needed to advance her knowledge of dispute resolution. This is because, as a new member of the teaching faculty at the Jigme Singye Wangchuck School of Law, Dolma was tasked with developing and leading the school’s new Alternative Dispute Resolution Clinic. After deliberation, Dolma chose one of the leading alternative dispute resolution (ADR) programs in the world at the University of Missouri School of Law. “My experience at Mizzou Law was very enriching,” Dolma said. “It was…