Oct. 1, 2024

Adjunct Professor Richard Middleton discusses immigration law with KMOX

Richard T. Middleton, an adjunct professor at Mizzou Law and a professor of political science at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, spoke with KMOX radio about immigration law. To hear the full interview, visit: https://www.audacy.com/podcast/total-information-am-2922c/episodes/law-professor-immigration-law-is-strictly-the-jurisdiction-of-the-federal-government-fee33.

Sep. 25, 2024

Professor Ryan Vacca publishes article in Harvard journal

Ryan Vacca, the John D. Lawson Professor of Law at Mizzou Law, this week published a new article, Revisiting the Federal Circuit En Banc, in the Harvard Journal of Law and Technology. Professor Vacca’s article examines the recent move by the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to abandon en banc review in utility law patents. The piece also evaluates the need for the court to revive its previous en banc practices to ensure an effective and consistent patent law landscape and to effectively guide patent stakeholders. En banc review is when all active judges…

Sep. 18, 2024

Veterans Clinic staffer wins Missouri Bar Award

Eugene O’Loughlin, intake coordinator and veterans benefits specialist in the Veterans Clinic at the University of Missouri School of Law, today was awarded the 2024 Liberty Bell Award from the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers’ Section Council. The Liberty Bell Award acknowledges a non-lawyer or non-legal organization engaged in public service activities that enhance the legal community or are dedicated to the advancement of justice. O’Loughlin is the veteran advocacy coordinator at the Mizzou Law Veterans Clinic, which helps veterans with discharge upgrades and VA disability compensation appeals at the agency level and in federal appellate courts.

Sep. 17, 2024

Faculty Spotlight — Meet Eric Hintz

To poet John Donne, no man is an island. To Eric Hintz, one of Mizzou Law’s newest professors, no area of the law is, either. With an undergraduate degree in economics and a graduate degree in global security studies, Hintz has always enjoyed approaching academic questions from a trans-substantive perspective. “I really liked the interdisciplinary component of [the law], and the sort of aspect that you can be a generalist, and learn all sorts of different things,” Hintz said. “One of the meta points that I enjoyed about economics and global security studies was that you’re thinking about all…

Sep. 13, 2024

Faculty Spotlight — Meet Ryan Vacca

When Ryan Vacca, ‘04, gave his first guest lecture to students studying the entertainment business at St. Louis Community College, the then-attorney at Stinson LLP began considering going back to school — as a professor. “I could see the light bulb was going off [for students,]” Vacca recalled. “They understood it and were asking great questions. It was a lot of fun, and at that point, I started thinking maybe academia might be for me.” Becoming a law professor was a far cry from what Vacca originally planned to pursue as an undergraduate at Amherst College, where he entered as…

Sep. 4, 2024

Alumni Spotlight — Meet Kristen Evans

Going into law school at the University of Missouri, Kristen Evans, ’22, already had her eyes on a coveted position after graduation: a federal clerkship. “I felt that it would be really resourceful to do,” Evans said. “[Judicial clerks] gain a lot of knowledge about how the courts work, and that includes learning the court system, learning how to cater your arguments, your motions, your orders, to judges’ preferences.” However, Evans felt discouraged by the pervasive message that clerkships were out of her reach. Outside of Evans’ friends and mentors at Mizzou Law, many emphasized the exclusivity of federal clerkships.

Aug. 22, 2024

Class of 2027 has highest credentials ever

Incoming 1Ls at Mizzou Law have achieved something no other Mizzou Law class has ever achieved. Their credentials (GPA and LSAT scores) are the highest ever on record for an incoming Mizzou Law class. Median GPA for the class of 2027 sits at a stellar 3.75, which is the highest mark in history at Mizzou Law. Further, the median LSAT score for the class sits at an excellent 160, which ties the highest mark ever. Congratulations to the promising Class of 2027!…

Aug. 12, 2024

Alumni Spotlight — Meet Keesha-Lu Abrahams-Mitra

by Anna Sago As the first female senior vice president and general counsel at State Farm, Keesha-Lu Abrahams-Mitra, ‘89, still finds herself relying on a skill she learned on her very first day of law school at Mizzou. “My very first day of law school — civil procedure,” Abrahams-Mitra said, “I happened to have Professor Carl Esbeck. My maiden name was Abrahams and he called on students alphabetically. So Pennoyer vs. Neff is indelibly etched in my mind, not necessarily positively.” Though Abrahams-Mitra can now laugh at her first-day cold call blunder, it taught her a valuable lesson that…

April 9, 2024

Mizzou Law Raises Record $70,000 at 20th Annual Tim Heinsz 5K

Mizzou Law’s hosted the 20th annual Tim Heinsz Race on last weekend. Students, faculty, alumni and community members enjoyed clear skies, a catered meal and the usual lineup of foot and bike races all in support of student scholarships. This year’s race set a new record, raising over $70,000 across all of the events. Maura Corrigan, a 3L from St. Louis, served as a student organizer this year. She was inspired to volunteer her time by the lasting legacy of Dean Heinsz and Dean Devine, who she said made the Mizzou Law community what it is today. “I was prompted…

March 25, 2024

Mizzou Law receives record $10 million gift

This spring, the University of Missouri School of Law received a $10 million estate gift from a confidential donor. This gift is the largest single donation to Mizzou Law in the school’s 152-year history. The gift was giving to support the dean’s discretionary fund, which will allow Dean Paul Litton to utilize the funds to support the school’s areas of greatest need. “We cannot thank our generous alumnus enough for this incredible gift,” Dean Litton said. “Our primary mission is to educate the finest lawyers for Missouri and beyond, and this record-setting gift will significantly benefit our students and…