About Dean Wilson

With over a decade of law teaching experience, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Law Jodi Wilson is a nationally recognized authority on Legal Writing and Legal Methods. She has served as President of the Association of Legal Writing Directors (ALWD) and in several other leadership positions with the organization and within the Legal Writing Institute (LWI). Additionally, she was the inaugural recipient of the President's Distinguished Service Award from LWI in recognition for her service to the Legal Research and Writing community through her work with that organization and LWI. Also included amongst her track record of success is her recognition for creative and innovative methods for including ethics and professionalism into teaching, marked by her being the inaugural recipient of the Patricia and Dan Murrell Ethics and Professionalism Teaching Award.

Dean Wilson came to the University of Memphis School of Law in 2009 to accept the Director of Legal Methods position. Dean Wilson was awarded tenure in 2015 and promoted to Associate Professor of Law. While leading the Memphis Law Legal Methods program, she instituted and oversaw a substantial change in the administration and teaching of the law school's Legal Methods program. When Dean Wilson became Director in 2009, Memphis Law's Legal Methods program was supported by several dedicated and excellent adjunct faculty. As our curricular needs and priorities grew, Dean Wilson ushered in a "sea-change" in the way the program was supported, shifting away from an adjunct-based program to a model supported by full-time legal writing faculty. This shift allowed an expansion of the legal research, writing, and analysis training the Legal Methods program provides to its students and recognized that full-time faculty members dedicated to the pedagogy of the legal research and writing field were critical to preparing students for the increased complexity of practice in today's legal environment. Soon after bringing the Legal Methods Program to new heights, Dean Wilson accepted the position of Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs in 2018 and a year later removed the interim title altogether to become the law school's current Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. Dean Wilson continued to serve as the Director of Legal Methods until fall 2020, when the program transitioned from a director-led model to a coordinated program.

In addition to her work as the Director of Legal Methods and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Dean Wilson has a passion for teaching practical courses that equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become competent, talented attorneys. Dean Wilson's teaching areas include Legal Methods, Arbitration, Professional Responsibility, and Bar Preparation.

During her time at the law school, Dean Wilson has published and presented in the areas of pedagogy, legal research, arbitration, and professional responsibility. In addition to her academic publications and her presentations at regional and national academic conferences, Dean Wilson is passionate about remaining connected to the broader legal community. She regularly presents CLEs to attorneys and judges and writes practical pieces intended to support practicing attorneys.

Dean Wilson also dedicates much of her time to serving the law school and its students through both informal and formal roles. Among other service, Dean Wilson has served as Advisor to the Freshman Moot Court; Advisor to Association for Women Attorneys – Student Chapter; Chair of the ABA Standards Committee; Chair of the Curriculum Committee; Chair of the University's Teaching and Learning Advisory Committee; and an active member of many other committees, including the Dean's Advisory Committee, the Self-Study Committee.

Dean Wilson is a graduate of Washington University School of Law.  After law school, Dean Wilson was a litigator with a national civil litigation and arbitration practice, focusing on business disputes and securities industry arbitrations. In 2002, the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery presented Dean Wilson with the Board of Governors Chair Award in honor of her work in health care litigation on behalf of physicians and other health care providers.

As a member of the community, Dean Wilson has provided pro bono legal services through Memphis Area Legal Services and the Community Legal Center. In connection with her pro bono work, Memphis Area Legal Services awarded her the Advocate Circle Award for Individuals in 2006.

Education

B.A., University of Arkansas, with honors; J.D., Washington University, with honors.

Admitted

Tennessee; Illinois (inactive); Missouri (inactive); U.S. District Court for the Western District of Tennessee; U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois; U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Experience

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2019-present); Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2018-2019); Associate Professor of Law, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2015-present); Director of Legal Methods, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2009-2020); Assistant Professor of Law, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2009-2015); Adjunct Professor of Legal Methods, Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law (2007-2009); Associate, Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC (2007-2009); Associate, Tate, Lazarini, Brady & Davis, PLC (2005-2007); Associate, Cates, Kurowski, Bailey & Shultz, LLC (2003-2005); Associate, Carr, Korein, Tillery, Kunin, Montroy, Cates, Katz & Glass, LLC (and successor firms) (2001-2003).

Teaching Interests

Legal Methods; Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis; Advocacy; Arbitration/Alternative Dispute Resolution; Professional Responsibility; Bar Preparation

Publications

Please see professor Wilson's CV and SSRN page for details about her scholarly research.