Faculty achievement recognized with endowed chair positions

Twelve Mitchell Hamline School of Law faculty members were appointed endowed chair positions for the 2025-26 academic year. The prestigious awards recognize scholarly contributions, achievements, leadership, and future work in their respective areas of law.

The six new faculty chairs include:

Professor Laura Hermer was awarded the James E. Kelley Chair in Tort Law, which funds a full-time position to teach torts. This chair was established in 1966 by Margaret H. and James E. Kelley ’17 and their foundation.

Hermer’s current research focuses on reproductive rights and access to health coverage and care in the United States, with a particular focus on underserved populations and population health. One of 10 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Faculty Fellows in the Future of Public Health Law Teaching in 2014-15, Hermer founded and obtained funding for Mitchell Hamline’s medical-legal partnership with United Family Medicine.

Professor Jason Marisam was awarded the Judge Edward J. Devitt Professorship, which was created in 2011 by Judge Eric C. Tostrud ’90 who served as Judge Devitt’s clerk. It is awarded to a professor who demonstrates and promotes a high standard of ethics and professionalism in their teaching, writing, and outreach.

Marisam teaches constitutional law, administrative law, and civil procedure. His research focuses on voting rights, election law, and administrative law. His scholarship has appeared in the Election Law Journal, Administrative Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, Fordham Law Review, Ohio State Law Journal, and Arizona State Law Journal, among others.  His article on the first nationwide election held during a pandemic, “Judging the 1918 Election,” was widely cited and discussed during the run-up to the 2020 election.

Professors Nicole McConlogue and Natalie Netzel ’15 were awarded the John H. Faricy Jr. Professorship for Empirical Research in the Law for their leadership, past scholarship, and future empirical research into their respective areas of law. This professorship was created in 2014 by John H. Faricy, Jr. ’82.

McConlogue has a strong public interest background, including practice experience in consumer protection and disability benefits law. Her scholarly focus concerns economic mobility and fairness toward disadvantaged communities. She serves on the board at Neighborhood House in St. Paul and Mountain State Justice in West Virginia.

Netzel serves as the director of Mitchell Hamline’s clinical education program. Her teaching interests include criminal law, evidence, child welfare law, and resilient practice. Her scholarly interests include trauma-informed lawyering, trauma-informed pedagogy, and law student and attorney mental health and well-being. She is involved with the American Association of Law Schools’ Section on Balance and Well-Being in Legal Education and the Minnesota State Bar Association’s Well-Being Committee. She serves on the board of directors for Minnesota Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers.

Professor Sharon Press, director, Dispute Resolution Institute, was awarded the Robins Kaplan Distinguished Professorship of Litigation Skills and International Dispute Resolution to build a premier advocacy skills program that includes an international focus in trial advocacy, as well as commercial negotiation and arbitration. This professorship was created in 2000.

Press teaches mediation and negotiation, as well as a mediation clinic. In addition, Press directs the Israel Study Abroad Program: Conflict Resolution from Religious Traditions, coaches the mediation representation team, and serves as the academic advisor to the students who are completing a certificate in conflict resolution theory and practice. She currently serves as co-president of Community Mediation Minnesota and is a board member for Community Mediation and Restorative Services and the Institute for the Study of Conflict Transformation.

Professor Kim Vu-Dinh, director, Center for Law and Business, was awarded the Louis L. Ainsworth Distinguished Professorship in Business and Law, which funds a permanent position to advance research, teaching, and outreach in law and business. This professorship was created in 2011 by Louis L. Ainsworth ’77.

Vu-Dinh founded the first Arkansas chapter of the National Lawyers’ Guild, which coordinated election protection workshops in Black churches and barbershops, trained over 50 law students and lawyers to be legal observers after George Floyd’s murder, and coordinated litigation that resulted in every 2020 absentee ballot being counted.

The six returning faculty chairs include:

President and Dean Camille Davidson holds the Bonner Family Chair, which, coupled with the Bonner Innovation Fund, supports the president and dean with leading the school’s efforts to advance innovation in legal education, as well as its reputation regionally, nationally, and internationally. This chair, along with the innovation fund, were established in 2011 by Stephen B. Bonner ’72.

Dean Davidson is a balanced, insightful, and innovative higher education leader with significant experience in accreditation procedures, organizational management, strategic planning, budgeting, fundraising, faculty development and evaluation, curriculum design, and academic advising for first generation students. She joined Mitchell Hamline in 2024 after a successful tenure as dean of Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School.

Professor Mark Edwards holds the Austin J. and Caroline M. Baillon Chair in Real Estate Law, which was created to support salary increases, load reductions, scholarly activities, and programmatic efforts related to this position. This chair was established in 1988 by Austin J. Baillon ’54 and Caroline M. Baillon and their family foundation.

Edwards’ focus of research and writing has been on behavior that is either formally illegal but socially acceptable, or formally legal but socially unacceptable, and the struggle of legal institutions to respond to such behaviors. He has also written about dispossession and restitution, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. Edwards is interested in exploring innovative teaching methods and developing interactive teaching materials.

Professor Mehmet Konar-Steenberg holds the Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP/Xcel Energy Chair in Energy and Environmental Law, created by the Briggs and Morgan Foundation and Mitchell Hamline alumni at the Briggs and Morgan. The chair, created in 2013, honors the firm’s work in this area of law by recognizing a nationally recognized scholar who can advance teaching, research, and outreach in the areas of energy and environmental regulation and policy.

Konar-Steenberg teaches U.S. and comparative constitutional law, administrative law, environmental law, and property law. His most recent scholarship explores the potential application of the Thirteenth Amendment to environmental justice claims.

Joelle Lester, executive director, Public Health Law Institute, holds the Robins Kaplan Directorship in Public Health, which funds a portion of the director’s time, as well as costs for travel, conferences, and development of sustainable programs that leverage the center’s legal expertise to address public health issues globally. This directorship was created in 2000.

Lester is a respected national leader in commercial tobacco control law and policy, who spearheaded the center’s work partnering with Black-led organizations to advocate for a federal ban on menthol cigarettes. After years of advocacy by these organizations, the FDA proposed a regulation to this effect in April 2022. She received the Velvet Fist Award for steadfast commitment to saving Black lives, awarded by the Center for Black Health and Equity and the African American Tobacco Control Leadership Council, at the National Conference on Tobacco or Health in New Orleans.

Professor Sharon Sandeen holds the Robins Kaplan Distinguished Professorship in Intellectual Property, established in honor of the firm’s 75^th anniversary to recruit and retain a leading scholar and teacher in the growing field of intellectual property law. This professorship was created in 2013.

Sandeen is an internationally recognized expert on trade secret law, having written three books (with E. Rowe) and more than 25 articles and book chapters on trade secret law and other intellectual property topics, including the first casebook on trade secret law in the United States (“Cases and Materials in Trade Secret Law”), a book on international trade secret protection (“Trade Secrecy and International Transactions”), and detailed examinations of the drafting histories of the Uniform Trade Secrets Act and Article 39 of the TRIPS Agreement. She is also the editor of the “IP Deskbook for Business Lawyers,” now in its third edition.

Professor Michael Steenson holds the Larry and Christine Bell Distinguished Professorship, which honors and supports the work of a faculty member who serves as an advisor to the Mitchell Hamline Law Review. The professorship also recognizes Steenson’s commitment and work, having served as the Law Review’s advisor since its inception in 1974. This professorship was created in 2011 by Larry Bell ’79 and Christine Bell. The Law Review is one of the most cited journals in the U.S.

Steenson has taught a wide range of courses to thousands of students over the years, with torts remaining his primary focus. In 2023, he received an honorary degree in recognition of his 50 years of service to Mitchell Hamline. A prolific writer and respected scholar, Steenson is frequently sought after as an expert on constitutional law, as well as various aspects of Minnesota statutes and case law.