Margaret Dalton and Michael Devitt Promoted to the Rank of Tenured Clinical Professors

San Diego (June 10, 2013) - Dean Stephen C. Ferruolo announced today that Margaret A. Dalton and Michael Devitt have been promoted to the rank of tenured clinical professors at the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law effective in September 2013.

“These promotions are well deserved," said Dean Ferruolo. “The faculty’s awarding of tenured clinical professor status to Margaret Dalton and Mike Devitt is an expression of the law school’s clear commitment to enhance and expand our already strong clinical and advocacy programs, making these programs an integral component of the training we provide to all our law students.”

Margaret A. Dalton currently serves as the administrative director for USD's legal clinics, the supervising attorney for the Education and Disability Clinic and affiliated faculty with the Center for Education Policy and Law. Since becoming director in 2004, she has created four new client clinics and also helped create the Ninth Circuit Appellate Clinic. She has also implemented a case management system, established a law clerk program and substantially improved space in the clinics to better serve client needs. Dalton has served as a consultant for the California Judicial Council's Committee on Access and Fairness, the National Association of Child Advocates and the California Office of Women's Health. She has received numerous awards on behalf of children with special needs and has been quoted on children's issues in media outlets such as National Public Radio, U.S. News & World Report, the Boston Herald and the LA Daily Journal. Dalton will continue to play an integral role in the academic oversight of the law school's current and future clinical programs, and continue teaching education and disability law.

Michael Devitt is currently a professor-in-residence and serves as the executive director of the law school's Ninth Circuit Appellate Clinic. His teaching and research are focused in the areas of military justice and national security, evidence, appellate advocacy, securities accounting and professional responsibility. He is the sponsor, advisor and lead professor of the Paul A. McLennon, Sr., Honors Moot Court Competition. Prior to joining the USD law faculty in 1999, Devitt was the managing partner in his law firm and practiced complex civil litigation in state and federal courts. He was lead counsel in several high-profile cases dealing with fraudulent financial reporting, which resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in combined recoveries. He is a frequent lecturer on evidence, financial reporting, accounting, litigation, ethics and other legal topics. In addition to continuing his teaching and research activities, Devitt will be working on new initiatives to improve and expand USD School of Law's clinical and advocacy programs. 

About University of San Diego School of Law

Recognized for the excellence of its faculty, curriculum and clinical programs, the University of San Diego (USD) School of Law enrolls approximately 900 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international law, public interest and taxation.

USD School of Law is one of the 81 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations and currently ranks 23rd worldwide in all-time faculty downloads on the Social Sciences Research Network (SSRN). The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, nonprofit, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.