Education:

• University of Pittsburgh School of Law
  Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
  J.D., magna cum laude, May 1983

• Haverford College
  Haverford, Pennsylvania
  B.A., Religion, 1978
  

Areas of Expertise :

• Civil Procedure
• Insurance
• Professional Responsibility
• Conflict of Laws
  
  

Professional Experience:

• Owen Cooper Professor of Law
  Tenured & Full Professor, August 1994 - present
  Associate Professor of Law
  August 1990 - August 1994 (on leave 1991-93) Assistant Professor of Law August 1987 - August 1990, Mississippi College School of Law

• Government:
  Research Analyst
  September 1992 - August 1993
  Justice Tom C. Clark Judicial Fellow
  August 1991 - September 1992
  Administrative Office of United States Courts

• Associate Attorney
  Rose Padden & Petty, L.C. Fairmont & Morgantown, West Virginia
  
  

Courses Taught:

• Civil Procedure -- Fall & Spring 1994-98; 99-present.

• Insurance -- Fall 1990; Spring 1995, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004.

• Professional Responsibility -- Fall 1993-2005, Spring 2002.

• Conflict of Laws -- Spring 1991, 1993, Fall 1995, Spring 1996, 1997, Fall 1998, Spring 2000, 2002, 2004.

• Contracts I & II -- Fall and Spring 1988-91, 1993-94.

• Evidence -- Spring 1990.

• Trial Practice -- Fall 1987; Pretrial Practice -- Spring 1988.

• Legal Writing -- Fall 1988.
  
  

books & Treatises:

• ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MISSISSIPPI LAW (West Group Publishing; 10 vol. 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004)(Lead Author & Editor w/ M. Miller)

• MISSISSIPPI INSURANCE LAW AND PRACTICE (MLI Press 2001; second edition, 2005, Thomson West)

  MISSISSIPPI CIVIL PROCEDURE (Lawyers Cooperative Publishing/Thomson West, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 Editor and Lead Author)(9th. ed. 2005)

• MISSISSIPPI RULES ANNOTATED, (Mississippi State Bar 1991 & Supp. 1992, 1994)(founding Editor and Author w/ M. Miller and R. Morton)
  

Articles & Monographs:

• Teaching Ethics to Law Students, XLVI Miss. Lawyer 15 (Nov./Dec. 1999)

• Foreword: Parallel and Distinctive Roles of Federal Courts, 17 Miss. Col. L. Rev. 203 (1997)

• After the Split-- The Recent Workload of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Judicial Circuit, 14 Miss. Col. L. Rev. 281 (1994)(w/ Wm. T. Rule)

• Judicial Independence, Adequate Court Funding, and Inherent Judicial Powers, 52 Md. L. Rev. 217 (1993)

• JUDICIAL BRANCH PLANNING GUIDE -- READINGS ON LONG RANGE PLANNING (with Lucianovic, Hoffman & Rule; Lucianovic, ed.) (Admin. Ofc. of the US. Cts, August 1993)

• Access to Federal Courts, Working Papers of the Long Range Planning Committee of the United States Judicial Conference (Admin. Ofc. of U.S. Cts. 1993)

• Legislative Reform of Statutes of Limitations in Mississippi: Proposed Interpretations, Potential Problems, 9 Miss. Col. L. Rev. 231 (1989)

• REPORT TO THE MISSISSIPPI SUPREME COURT BY THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON RULES - ANALYSIS OF RECOMMENDED REVISIONS TO RECONCILE MISSISSIPPI CODE WITH THE MISSISSIPPI RULES OF CIVIL PROCEDURE AND MISSISSIPPI RULES OF EVIDENCE - With Supplementary Recommendations (1989)

• No Place Like Home: Public Policy & Prudent Practice in the Conflict of Laws, 90 W. Va. L. Rev. 1195 (1988)
  
  

Honors and Awards:

• Named Justice Tom C. Clark Fellow
  January, 1992, by the Judicial Fellows Commission
  
  
• Named Owen Cooper Professor of Law, January 2001
  
  
• Awards for Teaching Excellence (by vote of law students) Mississippi College School of Law 1988-89; 1989-90; 1990-91; 1993-94; 1994-1995; 1995-96, 1996-1997, 1997-98 (two awards), 1998-99, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2004-05 (two awards)
  
  

Lectures, Panels and Papers Presented:

• Panelist, Class Actions, Charles Clark American Inn of Court, Jackson, Mississippi, July 26, 2004

• Panelist, State Class Action Symposium, CLE Co-sponsored by the Mississippi Supreme Court and Mississippi College School of Law CLE, Jackson, Mississippi, June 14, 2004

• Presenter, Mississippi Insurance Law and Practice, Six hour CLE, Biloxi, Jackson & Tupelo, Mississippi, March 26, April 9 & April 16, 2004

• Panelist, Judicial Ethics (program for the justices and judges Mississippi Supreme Court and the Mississippi Court of Appeals), Jackson, Mississippi, March 31, 2004

• Moderator and Program Chair, Aggregate Settlements, Charles Clark American Inn of Court, Jackson, Mississippi, November 2003

• Speaker, The Ethics and Practice of Judicial Recusal, Mississippi State Prosecutor's Conference, Gulfport, Mississippi, April 25, 2002

• Moderator, Charles Clark American Inn of Court. Program: Breaking Up is Hard to Do (Law Firm Break-ups and the Ethical and Legal Consequences Thereof), November 27, 2002

• Moderator, Panel Discussion on the Constitutionality of Tort Reform in Mississippi, in Symposium on Tort Reform, November 8, 2002

• Speaker, Bridging the Gap Seminar, Mississippi Bar Association, September 27th, 2002. Topic: Ethics for Young Lawyers.

• Panelist, 17th Annual Federal Bar Association CLE, Jackson, Mississippi, June 2002. Topic: Ethical Implications when Dealing with Electronic Data

• Moderator, Panel Discussion on Judicial Selection in Mississippi, in Symposium of Judicial Selection, sponsored by the Mississippi College Law Review, November 8, 2001

• Speaker, Hinds County Bar Association Meeting, Annual Ethics Hour CLE. Topic: Fees and Conflict of Interest, August 24, 2001

• Panelist, Association of Oil and Gas Attorneys. Topic: Ethical Issues for Oil and Gas Attorneys and Landmen. April 20, 2001

• Moderator, Charles Clark Inn of Court. Program: Forum Selection - Gaming the System or Ethical Responsibility. May 24, 2001.

• Speaker, Real Property Section Meeting, Mississippi State Bar Convention. Topic: Ethical Issues in Transactional Practice. July 12, 2001

• Instructor, Summer School for Lawyers, Annual Convention of the Mississippi State Bar, Sandestin, Florida, July 2000. Paper presented: Conflict of Laws in Mississippi

• Panelist, 15th Annual Federal Bar Association CLE, Jackson, Mississippi, May 2000. Paper presented: Removal: An Outline of Current Issues (paper co-authored with P. Bennett & M. Miller)

• Seminar Speaker, Magnolia Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 1999, Biloxi, Mississippi. Paper presented: Six Issues of Professional Responsibility

• Conference Lecturer, Mississippi Prosecutor's Association, Annual Meeting, April 1998, Biloxi, Mississipppi. Paper presented: Professional and Ethical Responsibilities of Prosecutors

• Speaker, Federal Bar Association Luncheon, March 1998, Jackson, Mississippi. Topic: Planning for the Future of Federal Courts

• Panelist, Charles Clark Inn of Court, March 25, 1996, Jackson, Mississippi. Topic: Federal Sentencing Guidelines

• Seminar Speaker, Magnolia Bar Association Annual Meeting, May 1994, Biloxi, Mississippi. Paper presented: Experts and Discovery in Mississippi's State Courts; Some Pervasive Problems

• Conference Speaker, Retreat, Office of Judges Programs, Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Westfield Conference Center, Virginia, February 1993. Topic: Societal, Branch and Agency Implications of the Proposed Long Range Plan for the Federal Judiciary.

• Conference Faculty, Conference of Chief Judges, United States District Court, Denver, Colorado, May 1992. Topic: Stakeholder Input into Federal Judicial Planning: Views offered by District Court Judges to the Federal Courts Study Committee

• Conference Lecturer, Conference of Chief Justices, sponsored by the Conference of Chief Justices and the National Center for State Courts, Jackson, Mississippi, January 28, 1992. Paper presented: Maintaining Judicial Independence: Inherent Judicial Powers.

• Seminar Speaker, Conference for Mississippi's Public Defenders, sponsored by The Mississippi Judicial College, Jackson, Mississippi, May, 1991. Topic: "Evidence Update, 1990-91."

• Seminar Speaker, Spring Conference for Mississippi's Trial and Appellate Judges, sponsored by The Mississippi Judicial College, April, 1991. Paper presented: Inherent Judicial Power in Mississippi and Beyond: Some Observations on the Doctrine in Hosford and Hall.

• Seminar Speaker, Spring Conference for Mississippi's Court Administrators, sponsored by The Mississippi Judicial College, April, 1991. Paper presented: Mississippi\'s Court Rules: Common Knowledge and Common Sense.

• Seminar Speaker, University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Jackson, Mississippi, April 1991. Topic: "Tarasoff and Duties under Mississippi Law to Protect Third Parties: What You Don't Know May Hurt You (or Someone)."

• Seminar Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminar for State Attorneys, sponsored by the Office of the Attorney General, Jackson, Mississippi, December, 1990. Paper presented: Some Observations on Civil Discovery in Mississippi's State Courts.

• Seminar Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminars sponsored by University of Mississippi School of Law, Jackson & Oxford, Mississippi, August 17 & 31, 1990. Paper presented: Mississippi Supreme Court Rules: What We've Learned after Two Years of Practice.

• Seminar Speaker, University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Jackson, Mississippi, June 1990. Topic: "Law & Psychiatry: How to Deal Effectively with Attorneys, Malpractice and your Insurance Carrier."

• Panelist, Symposium on Liability of Health Care Providers, sponsored by the Department of Health, State of Mississippi, Jackson, Mississippi, June 1990.

• Speaker, law firm luncheon sponsored by Watkins & Eager, Jackson, Mississippi, February, 1990, Topic: "Joint and Several Liability: Problems Caused by Recent Legislation (and Some Proposed Solutions)."

• Seminar Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi, January 1990. Paper Presented: Recent Developments in Mississippi's Insurance Law.

• Panelist, Southeast Regional Meeting of the Association of American Law Schools, Biloxi, Mississippi, August 1989. As panelist, discussed proposed statement on ethics for law professors. Criticized proposed statement in response to Dean Thomas Morgan's presentation in support thereof.

• Instructor, Summer School for Lawyers, sponsored by the Mississippi State Bar, Sandestin, Florida, July, 1989. Paper presented: Expert Opinions and Discovery under Rule 26(b)(4) of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.

• Seminar Speaker, University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry, Jackson, Mississippi, June 1989. Topic: "Tort Reform in Mississippi from the Perspective of Psychiatrists and Patients."

• Seminar Speaker, Continuing Legal Education Seminar sponsored by Mississippi College School of Law, Jackson, Mississippi, January 1989. Paper presented: Discovery of Opinions of Experts under Rule 26 of the Mississippi Rules of Civil Procedure.
  
  

Memberships and Admissions:

• West Virginia State Bar Association
• Pennsylvania Bar Association
• American Bar Association
• Judicial Fellows Alumni Association
• Bencher, Charles Clark Inn of Court
• Admitted to practice in West Virginia and Pennsylvania (inactive) Life Member, Friends of
• Mississippi State Hospital Former Member, Advisory Committee for Madison County Civic Ballet
  
  

Professional Activities:

• Member, Mississippi Supreme Court's Complex Litigation Committee, 2005
  
  
• Founder and Former Publisher, MLI Press, Mississippi Law Institute at Mississippi College School of Law. Formed university press at the law school. Responsible for operations of publisher including the solicitation of titles, handling promotions, contracting with authors, creation of website and on-line bookstore, and the like. Publisher currently has five titles and is actively seeking to enlarge catalogue on matters of Mississippi state law.
  
  
• Member, Committee to Review Bar Admissions; Chair, Subcommittee on Grading & Evaluation. Committee is charged with assessing all aspect of the bar admission process in Mississippi, including exam preparation, grading, appeals, and character and fitness review. February 2001- 2003
  
  
• Member, Study Committee on Multi-Disciplinary Practice, Mississippi State Bar. December 1999 - present.
  
  
• Program Chair, Charles Clark American Inns of Court, 2002-03; Member, Membership Committee, 2002-present
  
  
• Consultant, United States Judicial Conference Committee on Long Range Planning (June 1993-Sept. 1995). Provided research support for long range policy formulation for first intra-branch plan for the federal judiciary. Projects included analysis of access policies for federal courts, structural and governance alternatives for federal courts, and extension of Article III status to bankruptcy judges.
  
  
• Conference Reporter: Fourteenth Seminar on the Administration of Justice, The Brookings Institution. Annapolis, Maryland. March 20, 1992.
  
  
• Conference Reporter: Seminar on Long-Range Planning, jointly sponsored by the Committee on Long Range Planning, the Federal Judicial Center and the Administrative Office of the United States Courts. Washington, D.C. March 17 & 18, 1992. Participants included chief judges of each Court of Appeals and chairpersons of each committee of the Judicial Conference.
  
  
• Reporter, Mississippi Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules, Project to Reconcile Statutes and Rules (1988-1989, 1991). Analyzed Mississippi Code and recommended statutory changes to eliminate or reduce inconsistencies and redundancies between statutes and court-promulgated rules governing procedure, evidence, and appeals. Authored final report on behalf of Advisory Committee. Statutory revisions contained in S.B. 2792, passed and signed in March, 1991, restructured Code as recommended and thereby shifted control of procedure from legislature to the Supreme Court.
  
  
• Reporter, Subcommittee on Appellate Rules, Mississippi Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Rules (1989-1991). Monitored court decisions and suggestions from the bench and bar, and recommended changes to the appellate rules to improve administration of justice by the Mississippi Supreme Court. Studied and reported on proposed rule changes.
  
  

law School and Institutional Service :

• Dean's Search Committee, 2002-03

• Strategic Planning Committee, Chair, 1999-2000
• Rank & Tenure Committee - 1994-1997, 1999-present
• Insurance Committee, 1999-present
• SACs Study Committee, Principles and Philosophy of Accreditation, 2000-present
• Faculty Recruitment Committee - 1994-95, 1997-98
• Student Service Committee,1997-98, 1998-99 (Chair)
• Academic Standards Committee - 1993-94
• Academic Program Committee - 1988-1991; 1995-1999, (Chair) 2000-present
• Admissions Committee - 1987-1990
• Faculty Council, 1995-96
• Ad Hoc Committee on Outside Employment - 1989
• Ad Hoc Oversight Committee on Placement - 1989
• Revenue Task Force - 1999
• Computer Committee 1989-90
  
• Founder and Organizer, Moot Court's Annual United States Supreme Court Practice Series
  
• Speaker, Law Review Alumni Banquet, Topic: "LawSchool - Bar Relations: Appreciating and Respecting Differences between the Academy and the Practicing Bar." April, 1991.
  
• Organizer and Coordinator for Host Committee for Southern Regional Trial Competition - 1990
  
• Coach, Trial Teams - 1988-89
  
• Legal Eye Advisor - 1987-90
  
• Placement Seminar Speaker - Annual
  
• Acceptance Day Speaker, Annual