LL.M - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Co - Director, the Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and Associate Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Career and Professional Development
Job Titles:
- Research Associate
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Law
Asma Uddin is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law. She is the author of When Islam Is Not a Religion: Inside America's Fight for Religious Freedom (2019) and The Politics of Vulnerability: How to Heal Muslim-Christian Relations in a Post-Christian America (2021). Professor Uddin is also a Fellow with the Aspen Institute's Religion & Society program, where she is leading a project on Muslim-Christian polarization in the U.S. She was formerly legal counsel at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty and has held academic fellowships at Harvard, Georgetown, and UCLA. Professor Uddin served two terms as an expert advisor on religious freedom to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and was a term-member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, where she was a member of The University of Chicago Law Review.
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Leadership and Annual Giving
Job Titles:
- Director, Immigration Law & Policy Initiative
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Academic and Bar Support
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Faculty Support
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid, and Community Engagement
Job Titles:
- Director, Office of Institutes and Special Programs / Columbus School of Law / the Catholic University of America
- Director, Office of Institutes and Special Programs / the Catholic University of America / Columbus School of Law
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Administration and Chief of Staff
Ms. Shani J.P. Butts joined the administration of The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) in the fall of 2004 after practicing Bankruptcy and Civil Litigation with a small firm in Virginia. Assistant Dean Butts received her B.A. in Economics from The George Washington University in 1998 and her J.D. from Catholic Law in 2003. During law school Assistant Dean Butts served in leadership roles with the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association, the Black Law Student Association, the Student Bar Association, and was one of two student members on the Admissions Committee.
Assistant Dean Butts serves in a variety of volunteer leadership roles with the Law School Admissions Council. She began her involvement with the LSAC as an annual meeting presenter in 2007 and has served as a member of the Services and Programs Committee from June 2009 to May 2011and the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee from June 2013 to May 2017. Assistant Dean Butts served as appointee-at-large on the LSAC Board of Trustees and as trustee liaison to the Finance and Legal Affairs Committee from June 2017 to June 2019. She served on the LSAC Candidates and Schools Committee from June 2019 - May 2021. Later serving as a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, chairing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Research and Data Workgroup from June 2021 to May 2023. Assistant Dean Butts currently serves on the LSAC Board of Trustees chairing the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. She is a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) serving as programming chair for the PreLaw Education and Admission to Law School section. Additionally, Assistant Dean Butts is a founding member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE) Legal Profession Chapter.
Assistant Dean Butts is licensed to practice in Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Associate Dean Crowley is a proud alumna of The Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law and Catholic University's undergraduate program. During law school, Associate Dean Crowley was involved in many student support organizations and served as Executive Editor for a law journal and Teaching Assistant for the first-year Lawyering Skills Program. She was selected by her classmates as the recipient of the Columbus Award, given annually to the student who best represents the ideals of the Law School. Among many other honors, Associate Dean Crowley was also awarded the James Cardinal Hickey Award for Community Service and graduated with pro bono highest honors.
Associate Dean Crowley served as a judicial law clerk for Montgomery County, Maryland's Circuit Court, and practiced family law with a highly regarded firm where she was recognized by Maryland Super Lawyers as a Rising Star every year she practiced law. Associate Dean Crowley is admitted to practice in Maryland and Massachusetts.
Dean Payne holds a J.D. from Yale Law School, where he was a John M. Olin Fellow in Law and Economics and a Prize Finalist in the Thomas Swann Barristers' Union Mock Trial Competition. He also graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. from the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, where he finished first in his class. Dean Payne was named the Distinguished Graduate of his U.S. Army JAG School class, and, later, the Best Advocate of his Criminal Law Advocacy Course at the JAG School.
Dean Payne is married and has two children. He serves on the board of Oakcrest School, an independent school for girls in grades 6-12, and participated in Oakcrest's recent project to build and open a new campus for the 43-year-old school in Vienna, Va. He has also been active with youth baseball, having served on the boards of, and coached for, both his local travel baseball organization and Little League, for which he has been a two-time coach of the year. Dean Payne has done pro bono legal work for veterans, the elderly, and the disabled, and is currently teaching Criminal Law.
Job Titles:
- Career and Professional Development
Job Titles:
- Director, Compliance, Investigations & Corporate Responsibility Program and Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor
Job Titles:
- Associate Professor of Information Services and Director of the Law Library
- Information Services and Director of the Law Library
Job Titles:
- Director, Lawyering Skills Program and Clinical Assistant Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Marketing & Communications
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Dean of Students for the Upper - Division
Job Titles:
- Manager, Legal Recruitment
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Student Affairs and Dean of Students for the Upper - Division
Gemma Forest received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology and Political Science from Boston University in 2016 and her J.D. from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law, graduating cum laude in 2019. Gemma clerked for a Circuit Court Judge for Montgomery County, Maryland upon graduation. After clerking, Gemma worked at a D.C. law firm practicing both civil and criminal law. Most recently, Gemma worked as an Assistant State's Attorney for Montgomery County Maryland prosecuting a variety of criminal offenses. Gemma is licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia.
While attending the Columbus School of Law, Gemma was very active in her community as an Associate Editor for the Catholic University Law Review, Moot Court Vice Chancellor for the Seigenthaler-Sutherland competition, and as a Dean's Academic Fellow among other roles. Gemma earned the Alumni Achievement award during the 2019 commencement ceremony.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean of Advancement
Graham Smialowski has joined The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) in November 2022 as the Assistant Dean of Advancement. Graham is responsible for providing leadership and administration of Catholic Law's fundraising and alumni outreach efforts. He establishes fundraising priorities and goals with Catholic Law's Dean and advancement team, as well as cultivates and manages relationships with current and future donors. Graham is a strong believer in the power of philanthropy and the opportunities and impacts it yields.
Graham brings more than a decade of experience in both higher education fundraising and donor relations engagement. Most recently, Graham served as the Senior Director of Development at Seton Hall University School of Law, primarily focused on building donor centric relationships and funding opportunities with the law school's most generous donors. Here, he was influential in helping create and lead a number of the dean's advisory and alumni boards. Previously, Graham has held senior fundraising roles at Temple University and the YMCA.
Graham holds a Bachelor of Science from Penn State University and holds a master's in Higher Education Administration from Seton Hall University.
Job Titles:
- Director of Marketing and Communications
- Marketing and Communications
Professor Sharifi has been a faculty member at the law school since 2008 and currently teaches Evidence and Advanced Evidence. His scholarly interests concern criminal litigation, and his work is published in The American Criminal Law Review, The American Journal of Trial Advocacy, and the Akron Law Review. He was appointed Director of the National Trial Team in 2015. Since assuming that role, CUA has achieved numerous distinctions in advocacy and won the national championship at the 2019 National Trial Competition. He has twice been honored by the student body as Adjunct Professor of the Year.
Professor Sharifi is an attorney in the Appellate Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, where he represents indigent defendants on direct appeal in Maryland's appellate courts. Prior to that role, he was a criminal trial and appellate attorney in private practice and handled numerous highly publicized cases. He argued the landmark homicide appeal of State v. Jones, reversing precedent and eliminating altogether a theory of murder in Maryland.
Professor Sharifi earned an LL.M. degree from The George Washington University Law Center and a J.D. from The Catholic University, Columbus School of Law. As a law student, he founded the law school's chapter of the Innocence Project and served as its first president. As a student member of the National Trial Team, he was a regional champion and national semi- finalist. Professor Sharifi is admitted to practice in Maryland's state and federal courts, the Fourth Circuit, and the United States Supreme Court.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Career and Professional Development
Julie Dietrich joined the Columbus School of Law in March 2022. As Assistant Dean for Career and Professional Development, she is responsible for providing comprehensive career and professional development services for Catholic University law students and alumni.
Julie received her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from the College of the Holy Cross and her J.D., graduating magna cum laude, from The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law.
Job Titles:
- Assistant Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Associate Dean for Administration & Chief of Staff
- Katherine Gamelin Crowley - Associate Dean for Administration & Chief of Staff
- Key Member of the Catholic Law
Katherine G. Crowley is a key member of the Catholic Law senior leadership team. Reporting directly to the Dean, the Associate Dean for Administration & Chief of Staff oversees the day-to-day operations of the Law School, providing oversight and support critical to the Law School's continued success and improved operations. Prior to serving as Chief of Staff, Associate Dean Crowley was the law school's dean of students for seven years. During her long tenure at the Catholic Law, she's worked in or supervised nearly every department within the Law School, contributed to many critical functions of the University, and has taken on leadership roles with the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) and the National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals (NALSAP).
Job Titles:
- Director, Columbus Community Legal Services and Professor of Law
- Professor of Law, Director, Columbus Community Legal Services
Job Titles:
- Executive
- Project Coordinator
Job Titles:
- Associate Director for Pro Bono and Public Interest Career Development
Professor Cloud has been an adjunct faculty member at Catholic Law since 2014. In addition to her work with the National Mock Trial Team, she currently teaches Trial Practice.
Professor Cloud heads the legal training practice at KNP Communications. In that capacity, she leads presentation skills training programs at many of the country's largest law firms. Her clients include WilmerHale, Cleary Gottlieb, and Crowell & Moring, as well as leading practitioners in advocacy and public policy. She has also provided presentation skills training for NASA engineers, recording industry executives, and healthcare professionals.
Professor Cloud is a former performing artist, and earned a B.F.A in Theatre Performance from Miami University before graduating cum laude from The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law. In law school, she was an active member of the National Trial Team, and was a finalist in the 2011 Costello National Criminal Law Trial Advocacy Competition. She was also selected to be the Student Commencement Speaker for the class of 2012. Upon graduation, Professor Cloud served as a Constitutional Law Fellow at the Institute for Justice. She represents clients in both criminal and civil litigation, and is a member of the Maryland Bar.
Job Titles:
- Circulation / Government Documents Assistant
Job Titles:
- Audio Visual Coordinator for Media Services
Job Titles:
- Research & Information Management Librarian
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Academic & Bar Support
- Experiential Curriculum Director
Job Titles:
- Student Life & Special Events
Job Titles:
- CUA Law Professor
- Professor of Law at the Catholic University of America
- Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
- Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Co - Director, Law and Technology Institute and Professor of Law
Megan M. La Belle is a professor of law at the Catholic University of America where she teaches and researches in the areas of intellectual property and procedure.
Before joining the faculty, Professor La Belle spent several years as a commercial litigator with the Los Angeles law firm of Munger, Tolles & Olson. Professor La Belle's practice focused on intellectual property and other complex civil litigation matters.
Professor La Belle earned her B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her J.D. from the University of California, Davis, School of Law.
While in law school, Professor La Belle served as the Senior Notes & Comments Editor for the U.C. Davis Law Review, received the American Jurisprudence Award in Civil Procedure, and was elected to the Order of the Coif. After law school, Professor La Belle served as a law clerk to the Honorable Stephen S. Trott on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and to the Honorable Margaret M. Morrow on the United States District Court for the Central District of California.
CUA Law Professor Megan M. La Belle was quoted in an American Banker article discussing bank-on-bank patent suits June 12, 2018
Job Titles:
- Visiting Clinical Assistant Professor
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid
- Assistant Dean for Admissions, Financial Aid, and Diversity Officer
Job Titles:
- Associate Director, Leadership and Annual Giving
Job Titles:
- Dean and Knights of Columbus Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Academic Services Coordinator
Job Titles:
- CUA Law Professor
- Professor of Law
CUA Law Professor Regina Jefferson was reappointed by President Trump as a Member of the Advisory Committee to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation July 09, 2019
Job Titles:
- Administrative Assistant, Faculty Support
Job Titles:
- Co - Director, Center for Religious Liberty and Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Marketing Copywriter / Editor
Job Titles:
- Assistant Director of Admissions
Job Titles:
- Interlibrary Loan / Circulation Librarian
Job Titles:
- Dean and Knights of Columbus Professor of Law
Steve Payne began his tenure as Dean of the Columbus School of Law and Knights of Columbus Professor of Law on July 1, 2019. He had been a partner and the Chair of the FDA and Health Care practice group at the global law firm, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP, where his practice focused on regulatory compliance, investigations, and enforcement litigation, and an adjunct professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, where he taught FDA Regulation and Health Law & Policy. Prior to that, Dean Payne had practiced at Sidley Austin LLP as a partner and associate in the Washington, D.C. office, and had previously served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General's Corps at the U.S. Army Infantry Center at Fort Benning, Georgia. As a JAG officer, Dean Payne served as a legal assistance attorney for a year and then as a prosecutor for three years, both as the installation's Senior Trial Counsel for courts-martial and as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for felony-level crimes in the Middle District of Georgia, during which time he successfully tried, as lead counsel, both civilian and military bench and jury trials.
Admitted to the bar in both the District of Columbia and State of New York, Dean Payne has received the highest rating of "Leading" from the Practical Law Company in the category of Life Sciences: Government Enforcement and Investigations; has been named a "Life Sciences Star" by the legal guide LMG Life Sciences; and was ranked in 2019 as a "Litigation Star" in Washington, D.C., by Benchmark Litigation.
Job Titles:
- Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Registrar
- Stuart Schept - Senior Assistant Dean for Academic Services and Registrar
Job Titles:
- Assistant Dean for Admissions and Dean of Students for First - Year Students
- Susan Smith Newell - Assistant Dean for Admissions and Dean of Students for First - Year Students
Susan Smith Newell joined The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) as Associate Director of the Office of Career and Professional Development (OCPD) in 2022. In August 2023, Susan transitioned into the role of Assistant Dean for Admissions and Dean of Students for First-Year Students. In this role she is building relationships with undergraduate institutions, establishing connections with prospective students, and working closely with admitted students as they matriculate and navigate the first-year. Susan works collaboratively with Student and Academic Affairs and OCPD to ensure students have a seamless and integrated first-year experience. She remains deeply passionate about helping future lawyers with their continued growth and development.
Susan received her BA in Political Science from St. Mary's College, leadership certification from the University of Notre Dame, MA in Psychology from Catholic, and JD from Catholic Law, where she served as Associate Editor and published an article in the Catholic University Law Review. She has served on the law school's Board of Visitors and as a founding member of the Alumni Council leadership team. In 2014, Susan received the Distinguished Alumni Award and in 2023 was voted by students as Law School Staff Member of the Year and by the University was awarded the annual Student Impact Award.
Susan was admitted to practice law in Indiana, Illinois, and the District of Columbia. Her previous work has spanned all levels of public service, as well as advocacy in the fields of law, education, human development, and strategic planning. She and her husband Tom reside in Alexandria, Virginia and are parents of 5 young adults.
Ms. Smith joined the National Mock Trial Team program as a coach in 2021 after a highly decorated career in trial competition, which included winning the national championship at the National Trial Competition (NTC). As a student, Ms. Smith advanced at every tournament in which she competed, beginning with a quarterfinal finish at Golden Gate Law School's In Vino Veritas in 2017. She finished as a semi-finalist and was awarded the best cross-examiner in the same competition in 2018. That same year, Ms. Smith was a regional semi-finalist at the NTC regional qualifiers. The following year, Ms. Smith was part of the team that won the NTC regional championship. One month later, at nationals, her team won Catholic Law's first ever NTC national championship. Ms. Smith also individually won the award for best advocate in the entire competition. As a result of this tremendous accomplishment, she was invited to the highly selective Top Gun tournament hosted by Baylor University in Waco, Texas. She capped off her mock trial career as part of the team that made it to the final at Denver Law's Summit Cup trial competition, where she won an "Outstanding Advocate" award. In March 2022, Ms. Smith's paper entitled, "Advocacy Competitions or Courtroom Cosplay? The Case for Rejecting Theatrics and Rewarding Authenticity at Law School Mock Trial Competitions," won the Stetson Advocacy Writing Competition, and will be presented at the Educating Advocacy Teachers Conference this summer.
Ms. Smith is a member of the District of Columbia bar and an associate at Friedlander Misler, PLLC in Washington, D.C., where she works in the firm's Real Estate and Commercial Transactions practice group.
Job Titles:
- Co - Director, the Project
Co-Director, the Project on Constitutional Originalism and the Catholic Intellectual Tradition, and Knights of Columbus Professor of Law and the Catholic Tradition
Job Titles:
- Co - Director, Law and Technology Institute and Professor of Law
Job Titles:
- Director, International Business and Trade Summer Law Program, Kraków, Poland