Curriculum Vitae of
MOLLY TOWNES O'BRIEN
Australian National University office: 02-6125-0437
ANU College of Law
Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia E-mail:
Education
Temple University School of Law, LL.M., 1997
Northeastern University School of Law, J.D., 1986
Brown University, A.B., 1982
Professional Employment
Academic Positions
Australian National University, Associate Professor, 2008-present
Associate Director for Educational Development 2009
Director of Teaching and Learning 2010 to present
University Of Wollongong, Senior Lecturer in Law, 2006-2008
University of Akron, Fellow of Constitutional Law Center, 2006-Present
Akron University School of Law, Associate Professor of Law, 2001-2006
Emory University School of Law, 1997 -2001
Administrative Professor of Law
Director of Advocacy Programs
Director, Kessler Eidson Program For Trial Techniques
Temple University School Of Law, 1995-1997
Honorable Abraham L. Freedman Fellow and Lecturer In Law
Litigation Experience
Lancaster County Public Defender, Assistant Public Defender, 1993 - 1995
Joseph F. Roda, P.C., Litigation Associate, 1992 - 1993
Judicial Clerkships
Chief Justice Harold G. Clarke, Supreme Court Of Georgia, 1988 - 1992
Honorable Marvin H. Shoob, United States District Court, 1986 – 1988
Scholarship
Books
Trial Advocacy Basics (2nd edition), co-authored with Gary Gilden, (forthcoming) National Institute for Trial Advocacy Press
Trial Advocacy Basics, co-authored with Dent Gitchel, (2006) National Institute for Trial Advocacy Press
Book Chapters
‘Alternative Dispute Resolution’ in Stephen Colbran, et al., Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (6th edition, 2015) Lexis Nexis.
‘The Cosmic Context of the Millenium Development Goals: Maximum Entropy
and Sustainability’ in (2015) Nanotechnology For a Secure and Sustainable Future, Tom Faunce, editor, Pan Stanford Publishing, co-authored with Charles Lineweaver.
‘The Challenge of the How: Developing a Process for Legal Educational Program Renewal,’ in (2014) The First-Year Experience in Law School: A New Beginning, Leon Wolff and Maria Nicolae, editors, co-authored with Anthony Connolly.
‘Mother Tongue Education as a Legal Right’ in (2014) Intersections: Applied Linguistics as a Meeting Place, Elke Stracke, editor, Cambridge Scholars Publishing, co-authored with Peter Bailey.
‘Alternative Dispute Resolution’ in Stephen Colbran, et al., Civil Procedure: Commentary and Materials (4th edition, 2009) Lexis Nexis.
‘Desegregation and the Struggle for Equal Schooling: Rolling the Rock of Sisyphus’ in Our Promise: Achieving Educational Equality for America’s Children, pp.3 -24. Maurice Dyson & Daniel B. Weddle, eds., (2009) Carolina Academic Press
‘Plessy v. Ferguson’ Encyclopedia of Race and Racism (2007) Macmillan Reference USA, Thompson Press
Articles, Essays & Refereed Conference Proceedings
‘The Learning Journey: Please Take Me with You,’ (2014) 35 Adelaide Law Review 23-34.
'The Power of Naming: the Multifaceted Value Of Learning Students' Names', (2014) 14 QUTLR, no. 1, 114-128, co-authored with Tania Leiman and James Duffy.
'Connecting Law Student Wellbeing To Social Justice, Problem-Solving And Human Emotions', (2014) 14:1 QUT Law Review, 52-62.
'Bring Your Whole Self to Law School', (2013) National Wellness for Law Forum, University of Melbourne, Melbourne.
‘Stop the struggle for the struggle’s sake: Make it meaningful’ (Paper presented at the 2013 International First Year in Higher Education Conference, Wellington, 8 July 2013) <http://fyhe.com.au/past_papers/papers13/5A.pdf> co-authored with Stephen Tang
‘No Time to Lose: Negative Impact on Law Student Wellbeing May Begin in Year One’.
(2012) 2(2) The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education, 49-60. Co-authored with Stephen Tang and Kath Hall.
'Criminal Law's Tribalism', 2012 Connecticut Public Interest Law Journal, 31-50.
‘An Active Learning Smorgasbord for Teaching Evidence’ 2011 Journal of the Australasian Law Teachers Association, 31-40.
‘Walking the Walk: Using Student-Faculty Dialogue to Change an Adversarial Curriculum’ 2011 Journal of the Australasian Law Teachers Association, 129-135.
‘Changing Our Thinking: Empirical Research on Law Student Wellbeing, Thinking Styles and the Law Curriculum,’ 2011 Legal Education Review. Co-authored with Stephen Tang and Kath Hall.
‘Facing Down the Gladiators: Law School’s Hidden Adversarial Curriculum’ (2011) 37(1) Monash Law Review 43-56.
‘Developing a Professional Identity in Law School: A View from Australia’ (2010) 4 Phoenix Law Review 19-50. Co-authored with Kath Hall and Stephen Tang.
‘Exploring The Group Identity Function Of Criminal Law’ (2008) Proceedings of the 2008 Critical Criminology Conference [electronic resource at http://www.cjrn.unsw.edu.au] conducted by the Crime and Justice Research Network and the Australian and New Zealand Critical Criminology Network, Chris Cunneen & Michael Salter, eds., 285 -310.
‘Using Assessment Practice to Evaluate the Legal Skills Curriculum’ (2008) 5(1) Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice 61-76. Co-authored with John Littrich.
‘Essay Review: Final Test and Class and Schools’ (2006) 40(1) Educational Studies 77-83
‘Jury Reform Is Coming: Making the Most of Trial Practice Changes’ (2004) 39 (3) International Society of Barristers Quarterly 429-441
‘Brown on the Ground: A Journey of Faith in Public Schooling’ (2004) 35 U. Toledo Law Review 813-839.
‘The Constitutional Common School’ (2004) 51 Cleveland State Law Review 581-642, Co-authored with Amanda Woodrum.
‘At the Intersection of Public Policy and Private Process: Court Ordered Mediation in School Finance Litigation’ (2003) 18 Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution 391-438
‘Essay Review: The White Establishment and the Character of Change’ (2002) 42(4) History of Education Quarterly 579 – 601, Co-authored with Thomas V. O’Brien.
‘Questioning the Power of Consumerism to Reform Public Education’ (2001) 75 St. John’s Law Review 233- 250
‘Free at Last? Charter Schools and the ‘Deregulated’ Curriculum’, (2000) 34 Akron Law Review 137-175
‘Discriminatory Effects: Desegregation Litigation in Higher Education in Georgia’ (1999) 8 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 1-51
‘John Marshall Harlan as Prophet: the Plessy Dissenter’s Color-blind Constitution’ (1998) 6 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 753-84
‘The Private School Tuition Voucher Movement and the Realities of Racial Politics’ (1997) 64 Tennessee Law Review 359-407
‘1990 Eleventh Circuit Survey: Trial Practice and Procedure’ (1991) 42 Mercer Law Review. 1543
‘1989 Eleventh Circuit Survey: Trial Practice and Procedure’ (1990) 41 Mercer Law Review 1421
Published Reports, Parliamentary Submissions, and Teaching Materials
‘Inquiry into Access to Justice,’ Parliamentary submission co-authored with Simon Rice, Department of the Senate, Parliament House, 2009.
‘Inquiry into language learning in Indigenous Communities’ Parliamentary submission co-authored with Peter Bailey and Jo-Anne Weinman, 16 September 2011.
‘Uniform Evidence Law in Context,’ a DVD for use in teaching Evidence, with Gregor Urbas. (2009)
‘Learning from Experience: An Audit and Evaluation of the Legal Skills Curriculum’, published to the University of Wollongong Faculty of Law (August 2007) 46 pages
Report and Recommendations of the Supreme Court of Ohio Task Force on Jury Service, Joseph T. Clark, Chair (2004) 59 pages <http://www.sconet.state.oh.us/publications/juryTF/jurytf_proposal.pdf> at 10 April 2007.
‘Jury Trial Practice Innovations Pilot Project’ Vindicator: The Official Journal for the Ohio Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Fall 2003) 26-31
‘Kessler-Eidson Program for Trial Techniques Teaching Notes’ published to 500 visiting faculty for Emory Law School’s Techniques Program in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003.
Report on the Emory Law School Skills Curriculum, published to the Emory Law School Faculty, January, 1999.
Williamson v. Shrackle, simulated case file in book form, co-authored with Steven Friedman and Kevin Prins, NITA Press, Colorado, 1999
Techniques and Strategies for Upper Level Law School Teaching, materials and source list used for adjunct faculty training sessions, February, 1999.
Adjunct Faculty Survival Guide, published to the adjunct faculty, Emory Law School, 1998.
Grants
2009-2010 Australian National University Teaching Enhancement Grant, ‘Law Student Well-being and the Law Curriculum: Exploring the Links’ with Kath Hall.
2009-2010 Australian National University Women’s Academic Advancement Grant, ‘Gender Issues Group’ with Juliet Behrens, Miriam Gani, Margaret Thornton and others.
2008-2009 Australian National University Teaching Enhancement Grant, ‘Evidence in Context: The DVD’ with Gregor Urbas.
College of Law Internal Grant for research (2008)
2006-2007 University of Wollongong Internal Grant, ‘Legal Skills Curriculum Audit and Evaluation’
Professional Service, Activities & Honours
Tuckwell Fellow, 2015 – present
Senior Fellow Higher Education Association, 2014 - present
Australian Learning and Teaching Council, Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning 2010
The ANU College of Law, Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning 2009
The Dean’s Cup 2009
Alternative Law Journal, Editorial Board 2008-2010
Fulbright Selection Committee 2009- present
Branch Committee Member, NTEU (2009- present).
University of Wollongong Teaching and Learning Scholar 2006
American Bar Association, Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar
Legal and Clinical Skills Education Committee
Member (2000-present)
Co-Chair (2004-5)
Annual Program Sub-Committee Chair (2002 - 2004)
Association of American Law Schools (AALS)
Education Law Section
Chair (2004-2005)
Chair Elect (2003-2004)
Secretary/Treasurer (2002-2003)
Executive Committee (2001-2002)
International Society of Barristers, Academic Fellow (2001-present)
Ohio Supreme Court Task Force on Jury Service (2002-2004)
Emory University President’s Commission on the Status of Women
Member (1997-2001)
Co-Chair of the Faculty Concerns Committee (2000-2001)
Emory University Violence Studies Program, Executive Committee (1999-2001)
Kessler Eidson Program for Trial Techniques, Visiting Faculty and Team Leader (2001-2004)
Temple University School of Law, Athens Summer Program, Faculty and Associate Director (2002)
Professional Affiliations
Australian Law Teachers Association
Australia New Zealand Education Law Association (ANZELA)
American Bar Association (Clinical and Legal Skills Education Chair 2004-2006)
American Constitution Society
Association of American Law Schools, Section on Education Law (Chair 2004-2005)
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers
Lamar Inn of Court (Master of the Inn, 1997-2001)
National Institute for Trial Advocacy (Consultant and Program Director)
Law and Society Association of Australia and New Zealand
Pennsylvania Bar Association (admitted to practice 1992)
Scanlon Inn of Court (Master of the Inn, 2003-2004)
Supreme Court Historical Society
State Bar of Georgia (admitted to practice 1987)
Academic Service (partial list)
At ANU
Tuckwell Fellow (2015 – present)
Senior Fellow Higher Research Association (2014 – present)
Director of Teacher Development (2013 to 2015)
VC’s Working Party on E-Learning (2010)
College Education Committee (2009-2013)
Director of Teaching and Learning (2010-2012)
Undergraduate Studies Committee (2008)
Library Liaison Committee, chair (2008-2009)
Law Library Advisory Committee (2009)
CHAT mentor (2008-2011)
New Teachers Fora, organizer and presenter (2009, 2010, 2012)
Visitors Committee (part year 2008)
Summer Scholars Selection Committee (2009)
Honours Thesis Review Committee, chair (2009)
JD and LLB Program Committee (2009)
Gender Issues Group (2009-2010)
University Festival of Teaching Organizing Committee (2009)
University Quality and Standards Committee (2009-2010)
College Promotions Committee (2009-2010)
Ad hoc coaching and mooting for the LSS Senior Law Competitions, DPP Plate Moot Competition, LSS Senior Witness Examination Competition, LSS Junior Witness Examination, Jessup Moot
At University of Wollongong
Faculty Workload Committee
Library Committee
Community Outreach/Marketing Strategy Committee
First Year Program Workgroup
Mentor for Teaching and Learning Scholars program
At the University of Akron
Student Assessment Taskforce (Law School Chair)
President’s Advisory Committee (Law School Representative)
Faculty Appointments Committee
Academic Committee (Primary Investigator)
Black Law Student Association Affirmative Action Forum
Faculty Advisor for International Law Students’ Association
Moot Court Society (bench for various teams)
Faculty advisor for student chapter of American Trial Lawyers Association (ATLA)
At Emory University
President’s Commission on the Status of Women (PCSW)
PCSW Faculty Concerns Committee (Co-Chair 2000-2001)
Violence Studies Program, Executive Committee
Ad hoc Committee on Public Interest Lawyering
Ad hoc Committee on Professionalism
American Bar Association Self Study Committee
Curriculum Committee
Legal Research and Writing Program Review Committee
Skills Training Committee
Faculty advisor for LAWS (Legal Association for Women Students)
Faculty advisor for student chapter of ATLA
Faculty advisor for Mock Trial Association, LAWS Pub Night Auctioneer