Marybeth Herald
Marybeth Herald
Professor of Law
J.D., Harvard University, cum laude;
B.A., Michigan State University, with high honors
Professor Marybeth Herald’s interest in public interest law inspired her decision to pursue a legal career. Her experience includes clerking for the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, and working with Micronesian Legal Services in Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands, representing low-income and nonresident contract laborers.
While in the Northern Mariana Islands, Professor Herald founded a private law firm, where she practiced for seven years serving as counsel for public entities as well as engaging in trial and appellate work. Numerous Thomas Jefferson alumni have followed her adventurous path to work in the Marianas as law clerks, in the government, and in private practice.
Whether teaching constitutional law or law and psychology, she encourages students to become masters of their own learning, a philosophy she describes in her 2014 book YOUR BRAIN AND LAW SCHOOL. The message of the book is to “[b]e the pilot, not the passenger as you navigate law school.” Adopt a growth mind-set. Become an expert learner and those learning skills will bring you success, not only in law school, but also in the lawyering work that lies ahead. Her book and teaching emphasize the cognitive errors that distort attorney decision-making. She focuses students on becoming practice ready by understanding the psychology of presentation and persuasiveness.
More information about Professor Marybeth Herald can be found here.
Ellen Waldman
Ellen Waldman
Professor of Law
L.L.M., University of Virginia in Mental Health Law, with an emphasis on Conflict Resolution
J.D. New York University
B.A. Brown University, magna cum laude
An instructor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law since 1992, Professor Ellen Waldman founded and supervises the school’s Mediation Program. She also teaches Remedies, Advanced Mediation and Negotiations.
Her approach to teaching includes introducing broader concepts when covering doctrine and helping students to understand that the skills taught in Mediation and Negotiation classes are invaluable life skills, important, not simply when representing clients but in a wide variety of contexts and endeavors.
Professor Waldman’s current research is focused on mediation and social inequality, and in particular on the increasing gap between the haves and have nots in society and how that is affecting mediation practice. She is the author of a book on mediation entitled Mediation Ethics: Case and Commentaries, an in-depth treatment of the difficult cases that can arise in mediation practice.
More information about Professor Waldman can be found here.
Ilene Durst
Ilene Durst
Associate Professor of Law
Academics Legal Writing ll Director
M.F.A., University of California, Irvine;
J.D., New York Law School, summa cum laude;
B.A., State University of New York at Albany, magna cum laude
Since she was a young child, Professor Illene Durst has had a strong sense of injustice and fairness, and enjoyed a good argument. Those inclinations, combined with her interest in writing, politics, and languages, led Professor Durst to a career in immigration law.
She joined the faculty at Thomas Jefferson School of Law 22 years ago, after practicing litigation and immigration law with law firms and public service organizations in New York City. Professor Durst’s early career also included a judicial clerkship with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, State of New York, and adjunct teaching at New York Law School.
The courses she teaches include the first year Legal Writing sequence, Immigration Law, Refugee and Asylum Law, Law and Literature, Evidence and Interviewing & Counseling. She also directs the Legal Writing II program. Professor Durst embraces an interactive teaching style, viewing the classroom as a conversation and a place where she can help students develop their critical thinking skills.
More information about Professor Durst can be found here.
Ben Templin
Ben Templin
Professor of Law
J.D., University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall);
B.A., Grinnell College
Over the last three years, Professor Templin has worked with his students to develop a new type of law book that engages millennials while building the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to become an attorney. Unlike traditional casebooks, Professor Templin’s new title, Contracts: A Modern Coursebook, provides clear and concise explanations of the law followed by topical cases and problems. With a coursebook, students come to class understanding the rules, so that class time is spent developing critical thinking skills by working through problems.
Professor Templin says, “This project is very much a collaborative effort with my students. Over three years, I tested out different methods of learning with my students to find the most effective way to reach this generation.” The book has been used by Professor Templin’s students since 2012 but will be officially published in 2016 in the Aspen Casebook Series by Wolters Kluwer, one of the country’s largest legal publishers.
A member of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law faculty for 12 years, Professor Templin teaches a variety of courses including Contracts, Remedies, International Intellectual Property and Introduction to Intellectual Property.
More information about Professor Ben Templin can be found here.
Susan Tiefenbrun
Susan Tiefenbrun
Professor of Law
J.D., New York University School of Law;
Ph.D., Columbia University, magna cum laude;
M.S., University of Wisconsin, magna cum laude;
B.S., University of Wisconsin, magna cum laude
Professor Susan Tiefenbrun describes law as her second career. Prior to entering law school, she earned a Ph.D. in French from Columbia University, a master’s degree in French and Education and a bachelor’s degree in French, Russian and Education.
She spent several years teaching foreign languages and literature at various schools including Columbia University, Brooklyn College and also Sarah Lawrence College. Professor Tiefenbrun also spent many years mastering foreign languages and now speaks 10 fluently including Mandarin, French, Russian and Italian.
A fascination with legal discourse inspired Professor Tiefenbrun to enter New York University Law School in 1983, where she concentrated on international law.
In 1999, she joined the staff of Thomas Jefferson School of Law, and has taught a variety of courses since then, among them Business Associations, Business Planning, International Law and the Humanities, International Human Rights, International Intellectual Property and also Women’s International Human Rights. In 2003, the President of France, Jacques Chirac, awarded Professor Tiefenbrun France's most prestigious medal, the French legion of honor medal, for her work in fostering cooperation between France and the United States through legal education.
She specializes in international law and is the director of the school’s Center for Global Legal Studies. Additionally, she founded and continues to teach in two study abroad programs focused on international and comparative law in China and in France.
More information about Professor Tiefenbrun can be found here.
Julie Greenberg
Julie Greenberg
Professor Emeritus
J.D., University of Michigan, cum laude
B.A., University of Michigan, cum laude
Professor Emeritus Julie Greenberg has been with Thomas Jefferson School of Law for 25 years. During her more than two decades in academia, she has taught a variety of courses, including Business Associations, Women and the Law, and Gender, Sexuality and the Law.
In 2013, her book, “Intersexuality and the Law: Why Sex Matters” received the Bullough Book Award for the most distinguished book written for the professional sexological community Professor Greenberg is an internationally recognized expert on legal issues related to gender, sex, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Her work has been cited by more than a dozen courts and in hundreds of books and articles.
She describes working one-on-one with law students, helping them to understand difficult or challenging concepts, as one of the most fulfilling parts of her time as law instructor.
Professor Greenberg’s current research is focused on legal issues affecting the intersex, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender communities.
More information about Professor Julie Greenberg can be found here.
Maurice R. Dyson
Maurice R. Dyson
Associate Professor of Law
J.D. Columbia University School of Law, with honors distinctions;
A. B. Columbia College, Columbia University, Deans List
Professor Maurice Dyson’s career was inspired by the likes of Charles Hamilton Houston and Marian Wright Edelman. As a legal practitioner he has endeavored to be a voice for the voiceless.
An instructor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law for the past nine years, he specializes in education law, civil rights law and critical race theory. Among the courses Professor Dyson teaches are Torts I & II, Scholarly Legal Writing; and Resistance, Reform and Revolution. Professor Dyson is also the faculty co-founder of the Crawford Legal Institute Mentorship Bond (CLIMB) program, an educational pipeline mentorship initiative with Crawford High School that recently won the California State Bar Diversity Award for Excellence.
He takes an interactive and engaging approach to teaching, often seeking to show students that the answers already lie within. “I merely guide them as we take the intellectual journey together, pointing out the highlights, issues and complexities and modeling the critical thinking process so that they can develop their own,” he says.
Professor Dyson’s most fulfilling moments as a professor involve witnessing students developing and exhibiting the intellectual curiosity, spiritual compassion and moral courage to challenge injustice. He encourages students to challenge the legal system, helping to make marginalized voices heard and to translate their narratives into legally cognizable doctrine in order to achieve justice.
More information about Professor Dyson can be found here.
Alex Kreit
Alex Kreit
Associate Professor of Law
Co-Director, Center for Criminal Law & Policy
J.D., University of Pennsylvania Law School, cum laude;
B.A., Hampshire College
Professor Alex Kreit is equally well-versed in the topics of criminal law and drug law. Courses taught by Professor Kreit include: Controlled Substances, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Evidence, and International Drug Control.
As an expert in drug law and policy, Professor Kreit has authored a casebook on drug abuse and the law and is co-authored of a forthcoming marijuana law and policy casebook. He has been a speaker on drug policy at events across the country, including a recent drug law and policy roundtable at Vanderbilt University. He will be a speaker at a symposium on marijuana law at UC Davis in January.
As a professor at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, he finds the most fulfilling part of teaching is seeing a student discover and pursue their passion in the law. “I love seeing a student go from studying the introductory criminal law course in their first year to lining up internships and taking on research projects their second and third years, to landing their first position practicing criminal law after graduation,” said Professor Kreit.
More information about Professor Kreit can be found here.
Kaimipono David Wenger
Kaimipono David Wenger
Associate Professor of Law
J.D., Columbia University School of Law;
B.A., Arizona State University, cum laude
Professor Kaimipono David Wenger has long been drawn to the many issues examined under the umbrella of civil rights law. His current research interests include reparations and apology for slavery and Jim Crow, theories of justice in mass restitution, LGBT rights, law and religion and Native Hawaiian rights.
In additional to teaching Critical Race Theory at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Professor Wenger also guides his students in Business Law and Wills. He understands that students learn in a variety of ways. In this way, he strives to engage with students of all learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
In his ten years at Thomas Jefferson Law, Professor Wenger has seen his students grow and become successful attorneys. He is most fulfilled knowing that he played a role in that development.
More information about Professor Wenger can be found here.
A. Thomas Golden
A. Thomas Golden
Professor of Law, Director International Trade & Investment Law and
American Legal Studies (LL.M. Programs)
J.D., University of California, Los Angeles;
B.A., Kent State University, cum laude
Professor A. Thomas Golden has been a member of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law faculty for nearly four decades. His many students have graduated to become accomplished legal professionals including judges, prosecutors, public defenders, private practitioners, corporate lawyers, and professors.
Professor Golden believes strongly that student preparation and classroom engagement are indispensable to success in law school. He lives to see the moment when his students "get it" through their own hard work and openness to instruction and guidance. Professor Golden’s high expectations of all students motivate them to surpass even their own ideas of what they can accomplish.
In addition to teaching, he has been a trusted consultant to practicing attorneys. His intimate knowledge of current trends in the legal field are indispensable to student learning.
More information about Professor Golden can be found here.
Kevin J. Greene
Kevin J. Greene
Professor of Law
J.D., Yale Law School;
B.A., State University of New York at Old Westbury, summa cum laude
Professor Kevin Jerome (“KJ”) Greene was drawn to academia to explore the dynamics of entertainment and intellectual property law at a deeper level. Before joining the faculty at Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1997, Professor Greene built a successful career in New York representing major celebrities and powerhouse companies in the entertainment industry.
His expert knowledge of entertainment AND intellectual property law makes him an invaluable resource for students interested in the field. His teaching and mentoring style produces lawyers who are rigorous thinkers making a positive contribution to the profession. For Professor Greene, fulfillment comes from watching students and graduates succeed and reach their goals, whether it is publishing an article from a paper that started in his class, using principles from his Contracts to win a contracts case, or thriving as an intellectual property in-house counsel in London or LA.
“Our students and graduates have had tremendous success in the field of entertainment law, and that is most rewarding to see and nurture. The law — like life — is about winning or losing, and helping students win in law and life is the goal,” said Greene.
More information about Professor Greene can be found here.
Amy Day
Amy Day
Assistant Professor of Lawyering
J.D., Georgetown University Law Center;
B.S., Boston University College of Communication, cum laude;
B.A., Boston University College of Arts and Sciences, cum laude and with distinction
As a military spouse, Professor Amy Day leads discussions in areas of her particular expertise — assault and domestic violence in the military, and issues concerning military spouses. Even during law school and before becoming a practicing attorney, she found it rewarding to have already acquired the skills to assist domestic violence survivors.
In addition to having taught Legal Principles and Family Law, she specializes in teaching Legal Writing. She provides students with individualized feedback on written work so they develop into strong advocates. Professor Day is motivated to mentor bright people who are making big decisions about what to do with their lives.
For Professor Day, her career aspirations led her outside the legal profession. During the 2002 Massachusetts gubernatorial campaign, she served as the deputy press secretary for former Democratic National Committee Chairman Steve Grossman. She has again reinvented herself as an academic at Thomas Jefferson School of Law.
More information about Professor Day can be found here.
Ken Vandevelde
Kenneth Vandevelde
Professor of Law
J.D., Harvard University, cum laude;
Ph.D., University of California;
B.A., University of Louisville, summa cum laude
After originally entering law school to prepare for a planned future in journalism or politics, Professor Ken Vandevelde has built an impressive career as a respected legal practitioner, author and educator.
Professor Vandevelde is an expert in international law whose experience includes six years at the U.S. State Department. There, he negotiated treaties on international economic law and represented the United States in international arbitrations in The Hague. He has also served as a consultant to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the United Nations. During his 2014 sabbatical leave, he worked for the White House providing legal advice on international trade and investment treaties.
A 24-year member of the Thomas Jefferson Law faculty, Professor Vandevelde combines his experience with an intellectually stimulating teaching style. By helping students gain a deep understanding of how the law fits into larger historical, social and intellectual frameworks, Professor Vandevelde prepares students to succeed in a rapidly changing global economy.
More information about Professor Vandevelde can be found here.
Linda M. Keller
Linda M. Keller
Vice Dean
Associate Professor of Law
J.D., Yale Law School;
B.A., University of Richmond, summa cum laude
Professor Linda M. Keller’s passion for spirited debate developed long before she entered law school. When she was just eight, her mother declared, “You like to argue so much, you should be a lawyer.” That idea blossomed during her high school years, but it was after she joined Amnesty International that Professor Keller discovered her passion for international human rights law.
In her teaching at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, she works to foster that passion for justice and human rights. A recent Visiting Professional at the International Criminal Court, Professor Keller brings real-world insight to her international criminal law students.
Professor Keller encourages critical thinking in her classes, whether students are learning to be self-critical editors in Legal Writing I, or mastering the nuances of criminal law. Her most fulfilling moments as a teacher come when she hears alumni success stories and when she sees the “light bulb” moment in her students when they grasp an important concept.
More information about Professor Keller can be found here.
Aaron Schwabach
Aaron Schwabach
Professor of Law
J.D., University of California, Berkeley (Boalt Hall);
B.A., Antioch College
Professor Aaron Schwabach believes learning the law is a challenge that teachers and students take on together. “The professor is neither a guardian at the gate nor a bureaucratic obstacle, but a coach and a guide,” he says.
Since joining Thomas Jefferson School of Law in 1994, Professor Schwabach has taught more than two dozen courses. He currently teaches Property I & II, Professional Responsibility, and Mastering the Performance Test, as well as Internet Law and International Environmental Law.
Professor Schwabach is an expert on copyright law. “I’d like to see the balance of rights shift from content owners to consumers and content creators, but I’m not optimistic,” he says. His students discover aspects of copyright law are constantly changing—something Professor Schwabach says makes the study of law increasingly interesting.
More information about Professor Schwabach can be found here.
Brenda M. Simon
Brenda M. Simon
Associate Professor of Law
J.D., University of California, Berkeley (intellectual property certificate);
B.S., University of California, Los Angeles, summa cum laude
While studying chemistry as an undergrad, Professor Brenda M. Simon was drawn to the analytical aspects of science. After an internship with the District Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles, she was inspired to go to law school and combine her passions for science and legal analysis. After attending law school at Berkeley, Professor Simon learned how to apply the law practically, working as an intellectual property attorney for more than five years and then joining Stanford Law School as a teaching fellow. Her research has been published in leading legal and scientific journals.
In her five-year Thomas Jefferson Law teaching career, Professor Simon has taught Property I, Property II, Patent Law, Mastering the Performance Test, and Scholarly Legal Writing, as well as in the IP Practicum. Professor Simon believes in being a partner in learning with her students. She approaches each topic as if it was new to her, and makes it accessible and understandable through discussion, exercises, and problem solving.
Professor Simon cherishes the opportunity to interact with a diverse student body with a wide range of life experiences. “I am proud of their accomplishments—starting with seeing them pass the bar and then become successful attorneys,” Professor Simon says.
More information about Professor Simon can be found here.
Julie Cromer Young
Julie Cromer Young
Associate Professor of Law
Director, Center for Law and Intellectual Property
J.D., Harvard Law School;
B.A., University of Alabama, summa cum laude
Professor Julie Cromer Young lives to see that “aha” moment in students; that moment when they finally realize, "Okay, I get it." She strives for her students to have that moment much sooner than she did in her own education at Harvard Law School.
During her 12-years at Thomas Jefferson Law of School, Cromer Young has taught Civil Procedure, Copyright, Food and Drug Law, Conflict of Laws, Administrative Law, Introduction to Intellectual Property, Mastering the Performance Test, and Lawyers in American Film. Her teaching is guided by a strong belief that legal concepts are best learned through active classroom discussions, which she encourages.
Students who take her classes soon discover she has high expectations, especially in her Civil Procedure course. Cromer Young considers that class to be her greatest success as a law professor. Through constant evaluation, memory tools, and a rigorous big-picture final exam, Cromer Young provides her students with a complete understanding of Civil Procedure that prepares them well for future practice.
More information about Professor Cromer Young can be found here.
William Slomanson
William Slomanson
Professor of Law
LL.M., Columbia University;
J.D., California Western School of Law;
B.A., University of Pittsburgh
Professor William Slomanson has been part of the Thomas Jefferson School of Law faculty for nearly four decades. Over the years, he has witnessed many classroom transformations. He recalls watching many students enter their first semester as smart college students, then growing to become wise legal advocates.
Slomanson’s passion for the legal profession developed unconventionally. His father guided him towards law school, but at 22 the future professor decided that he couldn’t just pursue a career laid out by someone else. Later, after a number of years in the military, Slomanson says, “I matured enough to decide to start a legal career for myself.”
Having struggled with his own decision, Slomanson empathizes with students entering law school. He notes, though, that he is old-fashioned when it comes to things like attendance, preparedness, and high expectations. Combining Socratic and online teaching methods, he has adapted his teaching in ways that benefit today’s students. Slomanson also prides himself on being ready and willing to do whatever it takes, in and out of the classroom, to support his students.
More information about Professor Slomanson can be found here.
Steven Semeraro
Steven Semeraro
Professor of Law
J.D., Stanford Law School, with distinction;
B.A., Rutgers, with highest honors
Professor Steven Semeraro believes that students learn best in a comfortable environment. He encourages students to think analytically or in his words, “think like a lawyer.” His goal is to lead students in the application of precise, analytical thinking, which is what originally attracted him to the legal profession.
In his 15 years at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Semeraro has fostered a passion in his students for antitrust law and the relationship of antitrust and intellectual property law. This led him to establish the Intellectual Property Fellowship Program at Thomas Jefferson Law, and the Patent and Trademark clinics that operate in conjunction with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
Over the years he has enjoyed seeing students develop confidence, knowing they can represent clients and play a vital role in the legal profession.
More information about Professor Semeraro can be found here.
Marjorie Cohn
Marjorie Cohn
Professor of Law
J.D., Santa Clara University School of Law;
B.A., Stanford University, with departmental honors
in Social Thought and Institutions
As a former criminal defense attorney, Professor Marjorie Cohn teaches criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, and international human rights. Her specialty is criminal justice and human rights, which she teaches with a combination of lecture, Socratic method and discussion. Cohn believes strongly in the presumption of innocence and the right to a fair trial, including due process.
Having been with Thomas Jefferson Law since 1991, she has sparked a passion for the law through interaction, both inside and outside the classroom, discussing the law with students and supervising their scholarly work.
According to Cohn, “My greatest success is when I teach students not simply the black letter law, but to also think critically. When I see my students or former students trying to change the law to make it more just, I feel I have contributed something significant.”
More information about Professor Cohn can be found here.
Steve Berenson
Steve Berenson
Professor of Law
Director, Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic
LL.M., Harvard University;
J.D., Harvard University, magna cum laude;
B.A., Franklin and Marshall College, magna cum laude
Professor Steven Berenson was motived to affect positive social change when he founded the Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic at Thomas Jefferson Law. Veterans, who might not otherwise have the means to hire an attorney, recieve the services they need to remain a productive member of society. In turn, students volunteering in the Clinic gain first-hand knowledge of the legal system and its practical application.
Berenson believes learning should be interactive, much like his work with the Veterans Clinic. He involves students in classroom discussion and activities, and he designs homework exercises that involve students in simulated practice situations.
He is currently writing a course book in the area of family law that walk students through the entire process of a family law case from start to finish.
More information about Professor Berenson can be found here.
Richard Winchester
Richard Winchester
Professor of Law
J.D., Yale Law School;
A.B., Princeton University
Professor Richard Winchester guides students in Federal Income Tax, Corporate Tax, Partnership Tax, International Tax, Estate Tax, Gift Tax, and Business Associations (Corporations, Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies). His expertise in the taxation of the closely held business provides students with an exceptional background in business operations and financial transactions.
Winchester’s research focuses on the way the nation’s employment tax rules apply to self-employed individuals, including those who work for a business that they own and control. His published writings are regularly cited by the Congressional tax writing committees.
In his 12 years at Thomas Jefferson Law, Winchester encourages students to teach themselves. This skill will serve them well in their chosen careers. In fact the most fulfilling aspect of his teaching is working and advising students as they decide which career to pursue.
More information about Professor Winchester can be found here.
Susan Bisom-Rapp
Susan Bisom-Rapp
Professor of Law
J.S.D., Columbia University;
LL.M., Columbia University;
J.D., University of California, Berkeley, Order of the Coif;
B.S., Cornell University
Even as a child, Susan Bisom-Rapp was concerned about those less fortunate. She was motivated by social justice before she knew the term. This passion blossomed into a 19-year teaching career at Thomas Jefferson Law.
Professor Susan Bisom-Rapp weaves this sensibility into her first year Torts courses through extended discussions with her students about how the law affects real people in real life situations. Working with the law and legal concepts – learning to be a lawyer – is challenging and should be enjoyable. She feels something truly transformational happens during the first year of law school. Students begin to understand law and the legal system in a multifaceted way, and it inspires them to embrace their new profession.
Professor Bisom-Rapp is a recognized expert in international and comparative employment law. She is published widely, regularly speaks internationally and recently paved the way for a partnership between Thomas Jefferson Law and an Italian university to further the discussion of global labor topics.
More information about Professor Bisom-Rapp can be found here.