What drew you to the law?
What attracted me to law was the ability to apply logical principles to help solve problems for clients. In college, I had followed the paths of my parents, who were involved in engineering, economics and statistics; however, I also became concerned with helping people. In law school, I found that the principles that I learned in college provided an excellent foundation for my success in law school and the practice of law.
What do you enjoy most about teaching?
I love teaching students in class and in one-on-one conferences. I teach primarily legal analysis, research and writing classes, and I enjoy helping students learn and develop the skills that they will use in practice. My favorite emails are from students stating that they have received compliments from employers about their writing projects.
What do you hope students gain from your courses?
I hope that students will be confident in the critical-thinking, problem-solving and practice skills that they learn in my classes.
What did you do prior to entering academia?
I began in private practice with a large firm in Dallas and opened my law partnership in 1992. My practice consisted primarily of consumer protection and bankruptcy-related work. My clients have included Fortune 500 companies, financial institutions, small businesses and individuals.
What are you passionate about outside of the law?
My family, community and running. For over ten years, I served as marathon coach for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team-in-Training program. During that time, I trained over 1,000 athletes, who raised over $1.5 million for blood cancer research.
What are your research interests?
Building on my practice experience in consumer-protection issues, my current research focuses on issues involving abuses by debt collectors in both the civil and criminal justice arenas.