Michael Hunter Schwartz
Director of Ex-L, Professor of Law

Professor Schwartz has been teaching law full-time since 1991. He previously taught at Western State University College of Law and at Charleston School of Law. Before becoming a law professor, Professor Schwartz practiced in the areas of contract law, construction law, insurance law and entertainment law with two, large California-based law firms.

Professor Schwartz possesses particular expertise in the fields of law school teaching, assessment of legal education and law student learning. He has authored two books designed to help students succeed in law school, on the bar exam and in law practice, each of which includes a scholarly teacher's manual and both of which have been adopted at multiple law schools. He also has written two law review articles and four shorter works addressing various topics relating to law school teaching and learning, and he is on the Steering Committee for and is a contributing author to the Clinical Legal Education Association's "Best Practices for Legal Education" Project. Professor Schwartz has delivered presentations on teaching and learning topics at conferences sponsored by the International Society for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, the American Association of Law Schools, the Center for Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction, the Institute for Law School Teaching, and the Association of Legal Writing Directors. In addition, he has delivered law teaching and learning presentations as an invited speaker to the law faculties at Hastings College of the Law, Santa Clara University School of Law, Mercer University School of Law, John Marshall Law School (Atlanta), The John Marshall Law School (Chicago), Albany Law School, Southern New England School of Law and University of District of Columbia School of Law. At Albany and at John Marshall in Chicago, in addition to delivering presentations, Professor Schwartz served as a consultant on teaching; he visited classes and authored written reports addressing his observations. Professor Schwartz also has consulted with the University of Denver School of Law and Hamline University School of Law on the development of their academic support programs.

Professor Schwartz is serving as Chair of the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) Balance in Legal Education Section (formerly Humanizing Legal Education Section) in 2008.