College of Law

Hon. Chief Justice Sharon L. Kennedy

Ohio Supreme Court 

 

Sharon L. Kennedy was elected Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio in November 2022, becoming the eleventh Chief Justice and the second woman to hold the position. She joined the court as a justice in 2012 and was re-elected for full terms in 2014 and 2020. Before her Supreme Court tenure, she served at the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, where she improved case management and championed family law reforms. Kennedy also led financial initiatives during economic challenges in Butler County. Her career began as a police officer, and she later practiced law, served as a magistrate, and worked as special counsel for the Ohio Attorney General. Kennedy has received numerous awards for her service and leadership throughout her career.

 

Hon. Justice Elizabeth Welch

Michigan Supreme Court 

 

Justice Elizabeth M. Welch joined the Michigan Supreme Court on January 1, 2021.

She currently serves on the Michigan Judicial Council and as the Justice liaison to Judicial Information Services (JIS), which includes data gathering and e-filing programs. She also co-chairs the Commission on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.

Previously, she was a liaison to the Michigan Judicial Institute and served on

committees for the Justice for All Commission. She received her law degree from Ohio State University and her undergraduate degree from Penn State University.

Justice Welch has a long history of serving professional and nonprofit boards. She

currently is Vice President of the Steelcase Foundation and serves as an Ambassador

for the Grand Valley University Foundation. Prior to her joining the Court, Justice

Welch was a trustee on her local school board and worked for more than 15 years

on public education and voting rights policy.

Justice Welch has received several awards in recognition for her public school and

other community work. She and her husband Brian live in Grand Rapids and have four adult children.

Professor David A. Grenardo

University of St. Thomas School of Law

 

David A. Grenardo is a tenured Professor of Law and the Associate Director of the Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, joining in 2022 after teaching at St. Mary’s University School of Law. Grenardo earned the prestigious Warren E. Burger Prize for his article on mandatory civility for lawyers awarded by the American Inns of Court. He received the national award and made his acceptance speech at the Supreme Court of the United States in 2023.

A leading advocate for civility in law, Grenardo practiced law in California and Texas, receiving numerous pro bono awards. His scholarship covers sports law, ethics, and legal pedagogy, with publications in esteemed journals such as the Harvard Journal of Sports & Entertainment Law and the Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics. He has presented on professionalism and ethics multiple times locally, statewide, and nationally, including at the American Bar Association's Annual Meeting and the ABA's Annual National Conference on Professional Responsibility.

Grenardo has been quoted in several publications on the topic of civility, including by the ABA Journal. Grenardo has also been quoted in multiple media outlets on sports law, including by the New York Times, ESPN, USA Today, the Associated Press (AP), and the Boston Globe. His op-eds on sports (as they relate to business and society) have appeared in publications such as Fortune Magazine and AP News. Grenardo has spoken across the country and internationally on issues related to sports law, including at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) 4th Global Forum Against Racism and Discrimination in Barcelona, Spain. He is a decorated educator, having been named Professor of the Year multiple times. He was a four-year letterwinner playing football at Rice University where he earned his B.A., and he earned his J.D. from Duke University School of Law.

Professor Laurel Rigertas

Northern Illinois Unversity College of Law 

 

Professor Laurel Rigertas joined the Northern Illinois University College of Law faculty in 2006. She teaches professional responsibility, torts, advanced torts, products liability, and a mindfulness course for law students. Professor Rigertas’s scholarship focuses on the legal profession, particularly in the areas of ethics, professionalism, the unauthorized practice of law, and access to the legal system.  In 2023 she was the inaugural recipient of the Lenny and Stacey Mandell Faculty Excellence Award.

Prior to joining the NIU law faculty in 2006, Professor Rigertas practiced complex commercial litigation as a partner with Michael Best & Friedrich LLP in Chicago, which she joined in 1999 as an associate. She has litigated cases at the trial and appellate levels in both federal and state courts, as well as in arbitrations and mediations. Professor Rigertas began her law career in 1997 at Jenner & Block in Chicago, where she also focused on complex commercial litigation.  Professor Rigertas graduated magna cum laude from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1997. There she was a member of the honorary scholastic society, Order of the Coif, and served as articles editor of Law & Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice.

Professor Nicholas Seger 

Dayton Law 

 

More information to come.