AMSL Announces Tenure for 3 Faculty

From: Dobranski, Bernard
Sent: Wed 8/8/2007 7:00 PM
To: All Law System Distribution; All Alumni
Subject: Tenure Announcement

I am pleased to announce that the Board of Governors of Ave Maria School of Law has granted tenure to three of our faculty members: Associate Professor Jane Adolphe, Associate Professor James A. Sonne, and Associate Dean and Associate Professor Eugene R. Milhizer. These are the first professors to receive tenure since the formation of our Law School some seven years ago. I would like to summarize briefly the many accomplishments of our newly tenured faculty members.

Professor Jane Adolphe began her legal career clerking for the Alberta Court of Appeal and Court of Queen’s Bench. After practicing with the Bennett Jones law firm, she served as a prosecutor with the Alberta Crown Prosecutor‘s Office. She then worked as a legal consultant with the law firm of Capua, Varrenti e Associati in Italy. In 2001 Professor Adolphe joined our faculty. Her course offerings include Criminal Law, Family Law, International Law, International Human Rights, and Canon Law. Professor Adolphe holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary, common-law and civil-law degrees from McGill University, and a Licentiate and a Doctorate in Canon Law from the Pontificia Università della Santa Croce in Rome. Her dissertation, “A Light to the Nations: The Holy See and the Convention on the Rights of the Child,” was published in 2003. Since coming to Ave Maria, Professor Adolphe has published and has had accepted for publication a wide variety of scholarly works, including several book chapters and law review articles, two of which were published in our own Ave Maria Law Review. Particularly noteworthy is Professor Adolphe’s service on the Delegation for the Holy See at the United Nations involving women’s and children’s rights. Also, she is an Advisor to the Catholic Institute for the Family and Human Rights, and an Advisor to Focus on the Family Canada.

Professor James Sonne began his legal career at McGuire, Woods, Battle & Boothe in Richmond, Virginia, working primarily in labor and employment litigation. During that time, he also developed expertise in litigating high-profile constitutional cases involving religion and free-speech issues on both the trial and appellate level. In 2001, Professor Sonne joined our faculty. His course offerings include Civil Procedure, Labor Law, Employment Law, and Employee Benefits and Compensation. Professor Sonne holds a Bachelor of Arts with honors from Duke University and a Juris Doctor with honors from Harvard Law School. Since coming to Ave Maria, Professor Sonne has published or has had accepted for publication articles in the Notre Dame Law Review, University of Richmond Law Review, University of Pennsylvania Journal of Labor and Employment Law, and Engage (a Federalist Society journal). He has made presentations on a variety of topics throughout the country, including Harvard University, Marquette University Law School, and Thomas Aquinas College.

Dean Eugene Milhizer began his legal career as an Army Judge Advocate where he participated in hundreds of appeals and tried scores of criminal cases, representing both the prosecution and the defense. He later served in various capacities with the Department of the Army, including Staff Judge Advocate on two occasions, Deputy Chief of the Government Appellate Division, Regional Defense Counsel, Magistrate, and Criminal Law Attorney. Dean Milhizer previously held a three-year teaching appointment at the Judge Advocate General’s School at the University of Virginia, where he taught Crimes and Defenses, Criminal Procedure, Evidence, and Trial Advocacy, among other courses. Dean Milhizer earned both a Bachelor of Arts with high distinction and a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan, as well as a Master of Laws from the Judge Advocate General‘s School, where he was the first honor graduate. In 2001, Dean Milhizer joined our faculty. His course offerings include Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, National Security Law, and Military Law. Since coming to Ave Maria, Dean Milhizer has built upon his reputation as a productive scholar by publishing articles in the St. John’s Law Review, Missouri Law Review, Valparaiso Law Review, and Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal. He has made presentations at the Yale Law School, University of Michigan School of Law, Hofstra University School of Law, Wayne State University Law School, and other academic institutions. In May 2006, Dean Milhizer was appointed Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

To obtain tenure, a faculty member has the burden of establishing demonstrated excellence in teaching, a serious commitment to scholarly research and publication, and a proven record of service to the Law School. Professors Adolphe and Sonne, and Dean Milhizer, have each fully satisfied these standards. I ask that you join me in congratulating these outstanding professors. We all look forward to their continuing contributions to our Law School in the years to come.