Category: News

Sep. 16, 2025
Mizzou Law faculty member named Curator’s Distinguished Teaching Professor
Anne Alexander, a teaching professor of law at Mizzou Law was just named a Curator’s Distinguished Teaching Professor by the University of Missouri Board of Curators. Professor Alexander is one of 10 Mizzou faculty members across campus elevated to this title in 2025. The designation is the highest and most prestigious academic rank the Board of Curators awards. It is awarded to a select few outstanding scholars with established reputations. Professor Alexander is known for her innovative approach to teaching and her deep commitment to student learning. Since joining Mizzou in 2012, she has taught courses in…

Sep. 11, 2025
Faculty Spotlight – Meet Bailey Barnes
by Tanner O’Neal Riley When it comes to underdog stories, people often think of mismatches: the tortoise versus the hare, Rocky versus Apollo Creed, or Mizzou versus Kansas basketball this past December. These are the stories where the odds lean heavily in one direction until the right person, with the right amount of determination, changes everything. Bailey Barnes, a first-year law professor at Mizzou Law and a civil rights scholar, is one of those people. “I don’t like bullies. That probably comes from being from small-town Appalachia—scrappy,” Barnes said. “When it’s government agents harming people in the government’s name,…

Sep. 10, 2025
Professor Gamage publishes article on how states should respond to corporate profit shifting
Professor David Gamage, along with co-author Darien Shanske of the University of California-Davis School of Law, published an article in the September issue of Tax Notes State. In their article, Gamage and Shanske explore how states should respond to the persistent challenge of corporate profit shifting. To read the full article, click here.

Sep. 9, 2025
Professor Sperino publishes new article on employment discrimination
Sandra Sperino, the Elwood L. Thomas Missouri Endowed Professor of Law, recently published a new article in the Washington University Law Review titled “When Is Discrimination Harmful?” The article discusses the wide-ranging effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Muldrow v. St. Louis. The decision likely restructures employment discrimination law, including potentially collapsing the distinctions between harassment and non-harassment discrimination. Read the article here.

Sep. 4, 2025
Mizzou Tax Law Colloquium hosts Albany Professor
On Sep 8 (Monday), Zhaoyi Li (Albany) will present the draft paper, “The Fiscal Theory of Corporate Governance” , at the Mizzou Law Tax Policy Colloquium, from 2:00 to 3:15 pm Central Time. The Mizzou Law Tax Policy Colloquium is convened by Professor David Gamage of Mizzou Law. Most sessions will be open to guest participants via zoom, from 2:00 to 3:15 pm Central Time. This session will be open to guest participants via zoom. Anyone who would like to join as a guest participant should e-mail Professor Gamage directly at dgamage@missouri.edu for details, the zoom login, and to be sent…

Aug. 27, 2025
Mizzou Law Tax Colloquium announced, begins with presentation from Emory professor
On Aug. 27, Alex Zhang (Emory) will present his draft paper, “Racial Integration and Tax Exemption”, at the Mizzou Law Tax Policy Colloquium, from 2:00 to 3:15 pm Central Time. The Mizzou Law Tax Policy Colloquium is convened by Professor David Gamage of Mizzou Law. Most sessions will be open to guest participants via zoom, from 2:00 to 3:15 pm Central Time. This session will be open to guest participants via zoom. Anyone who would like to join as a guest participant should e-mail Professor Gamage directly at dgamage@missouri.edu for details, the zoom login, and to be sent the…

Aug. 4, 2025
For the love of books
Mizzou Law Library director’s lifelong passion fuels a remarkable career in law and learning — an inspiring story for National Book Lovers Day. by Sara Diedrich Cindy Bassett has never been one to accept limits for herself. When she wants something, she finds a way to make it happen — a defining trait that has shaped both her personal journey and her professional role as director of the University of Missouri Law Library. As a young girl with an insatiable love for stories, Bassett grew tired of waiting for someone to read to her. So, she taught herself.

July 18, 2025
Criminal Practice Clinic Prepares Mizzou Law Students for the Courtroom and Beyond
In just its first full year of operation, the University of Missouri School of Law’s Criminal Practice Clinic is earning praise from students, judges and attorneys across the state for preparing graduates to hit the ground running in the courtroom. Launched in the fall of 2024 as a replacement for the long-standing Innocence Clinic, the Criminal Practice Clinic (CPC) offers third-year law students a full-year, hands-on experience in criminal litigation, combining a rigorous classroom curriculum with real-world practice under Missouri’s Rule 13 certification. Professor Chelseá R. Mitchell, director of the clinic and a former public defender, designed CPC to…

July 17, 2025
Professors Lietzan, Vacca, Conklin added to leadership team
University of Missouri School of Law Dean Paul Litton has announced three new appointments to his leadership team: Professor Erika Lietzan has been named Associate Dean for Faculty Research and Development; Professor Ryan Vacca will serve as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs; and Professor Carli Conklin will serve as Director of the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution. “I’m thrilled to add such accomplished scholars and teachers to our leadership team,” Dean Litton said. “Professor Lietzan brings an outstanding record of scholarship and mentoring to the position. She will support our first-rate scholars and foster a…

July 7, 2025
Legal lift: Mizzou law clinic helps small business take next step
When Dana Chole, BS ’11, DPT ’14, and her partners at Switched Adapted Toys had taken their small startup as far as they could, the team of two physical therapists and an entrepreneur knew it was time to grow and establish themselves as a nonprofit — but they didn’t have the resources to make that happen on their own. They had already invested everything they had into their online business, which offers tutorials on how to adapt toys for children with disabilities. The demand for their services was clear, and they were determined to meet it. A quick Google search…