Dean; J. Gilbert Reese Chair in Contract Law, Moritz College of Law, The Ohio State University
Kent Barnett is the 21st dean of the Michael E. Moritz College of Law at The Ohio State University and the J. Gilbert Reese Chair in Contract Law. He is focused on bringing people in—by enriching the College’s inclusive community and increasing financial support for students—and then bringing them up—by focusing on community-building, career development, and rigorous legal training.
As a scholar of separation of powers and administrative law, his scholarship has been published in, among other places, the New York University, Michigan, Duke, Vanderbilt, and Notre Dame Law Reviews. Barnett’s work has been cited by leading administrative law casebooks, federal district and appellate courts, and the U.S. Supreme Court. He has taught contracts and sales, consumer law, legal ethics, and administrative law.
Prior to joining Ohio State, Barnett served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the J. Alton Hosch Professor at the University of Georgia School of Law. He received the C. Ronald Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching, the school’s highest teaching honor, and was selected to serve as a faculty marshal by three graduating classes for commencement ceremonies. Barnett also clerked for Judge John Rogers of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and practiced law at Weil, Gotshal & Manges in its complex commercial litigation and appellate groups.
After years as an appointed public member, Barnett is a Senior Fellow of the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) and was the chair of AALS Administrative Law Section.
Judge, United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Prior to joining the bench, Judge Beaton was a Partner at Squire Patton Boggs LLP, where he co-chaired the firm’s Appellate & Supreme Court practice group. Judge Beaton’s represented clients engaged in complex commercial litigation in Federal and State courts, and before administrative agencies. Judge Beaton also served as an adjunct professor at the University of Louisville Brandeis School of Law, where he taught constitutional interpretation. Before joining Squire Patton Boggs, Judge Beaton practiced in the Washington, D.C. office of Sidley Austin, LLP, and also served as a legal fellow with the International Justice Mission in Kampala, Uganda. Upon graduation from law school, Judge Beaton served as a law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg of the United States Supreme Court, and to Judge A. Raymond Randolph of the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Judge Beaton earned his B.A., summa cum laude, from Centre College, and his J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he served as an Articles Editor on the Columbia Law Review.
Dean, University of Louisville School of Law
Dean Melanie B. Jacobs is an internationally and nationally recognized expert in Family Law and has published extensively on the subject. In particular, she has advocated for legal recognition of non-traditional family units and the evolution of parentage law to engage with continuing developments in assisted reproductive technologies. Her most recent research explores the links between procreative autonomy and intentional parenthood. She is a former chair of the Association of American Law Schools’ Family and Juvenile Law Section. Dean Jacobs is also a notable as a feminist voice in legal scholarship and has several pieces in the Feminist Judgements Project series.
Dean Jacobs has entries in three books and published articles in a dozen law reviews. She has presented her scholarship at conferences and universities around the world and has also given many presentations on best legal education pedagogy practices. Dean Jacobs has taught courses in Child, Family & the State; Assisted Reproductive Technologies & the Law; Trusts & Estates; Property; and Law & Gender.
Dean Jacobs received her B.A from Columbia University in New York City, and her J.D. from Boston University, shortly after which she was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar, later gaining her LL.M. from Temple University.
Law Clerk, U.S. District Court, Western District of Kentucky
Benjamin Pontz is a law clerk on the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. He previously clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit and served as President of the Harvard Federalist Society
The State of Legal Education
Louisville Lawyer Chapter
Louisville, KY