The Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota, has announced the appointment of six faculty members to endowed professorships. Five of the new appointments have gone to women.
Laura Hermer was awarded the James E. Kelley Chair in Tort Law, which funds a full-time position to teach torts. Professor 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. Earlier in her career, she was an assistant professor in the department of preventive medicine and community health and a member of the Institute for the Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Professor Hermer is a graduate of Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. She earned her juris doctorate at Northeastern University in Boston.
Nicole McConlogue was awarded the John H. Faricy Jr. Professorship for Empirical Research in the Law. Professor McConlogue has a strong public interest background, including practice experience in consumer protection and disability benefits law. Her scholarship focuses on concerns of economic mobility and fairness toward disadvantaged communities. She previously taught at the West Virginia University College of Law. Professor McConlogue is a graduate of Towson University in Maryland, where she majored in French literature. She earned her law degree at the University of Maryland.
Natalie Netzel was named to the John H. Faricy Jr. Professorship for Empirical Research in the Law. She is also the director of the Clinical Education Program at the law school. Her scholarly interests include trauma-informed lawyering, trauma-informed pedagogy, and law student and attorney mental health and well-being. Prior to joining the faculty, Professor Netzel was a judicial law clerk for the Minnesota Court of Appeals. She received a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctorate from Hamline University. She also holds a master’s degree in counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.
Sharon Press was awarded the Robins Kaplan Distinguished Professorship of Litigation Skills and International Dispute Resolution. Professor Press teaches mediation and negotiation and is the director of the Dispute Resolution Institute at the law school. Prior to coming to Hamline, Professor Press served as director of the Florida Dispute Resolution Center. She holds a bachelor’s degree and a juris doctorate from George Washington University.
Kim Vu-Dinh was awarded the Louis L. Ainsworth Distinguished Professorship in Business and Law. She is the director of the Center for Law and Business at the law school. Professor Vu-Dinh came to Hamline in 2022 after five years as a professor and director of the Business Innovations Clinic at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she majored in development studies. Professor Vu-Dinh earned a juris doctorate at the City University of New York.