Photograph: Rory D. Bahadur.

Rory D. Bahadur

James R. Ahrens Chair in Tort Law
Professor of Law
B.Sc., University of the West Indies, 1990
M.A., University of Miami, 1992
J.D., St. Thomas University School of Law, 2003
Contact Information:
785.670.1743
Room 214
"As a student-centered institution committed to high-quality teaching, Washburn Law encourages its faculty to go beyond traditional teaching methods to facilitate effective learning. I feel uniquely fortunate to be part of an institution so committed to its students and so effective at preparing students for the modern practice of law."

Professor Rory Bahadur joined the Washburn Law faculty in 2007 and is one of only 26 teachers nationwide included in the book, What the Best Law Teachers Do. He teaches Torts, Civil Procedure, Products Liability, Privacy, Admiralty and Maritime Law, and Federal Courts and presents nationally and internationally on assessment and teaching methods. He was voted Professor of the Year at Washburn in 2010, 2012, and 2021 and awarded the Ned Fleming Excellence in Teaching Award in 2023.

Prior to joining Washburn Law, Professor Bahadur practiced admiralty and maritime law in south Florida. Professor Bahadur has a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology (Honors) from the University of the West Indies and a Master of Arts in Marine Affairs from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Before earning his juris doctor from St. Thomas University School of Law where he graduated summa cum laude and first in his class, he worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service as a marine biologist in Alaska's Aleutian Islands and Bering Sea, and for the United States Army Corps of Engineers as a shipboard, marine endangered species consultant.

His recent scholarship examines the influence of implicit bias and systemic racism on the law, teaching, and assessment. He is the co-author of a torts casebook and author of a civil procedure casebook. In his spare time, he is a USSF certified competitive soccer coach, certified Kansas City BBQ society judge, a member of a competition BBQ team, and is advanced open water and mixed gas/research diver SCUBA certified.

Teaching Responsibilities
  • Civil Procedure
  • Federal Courts
  • Torts
  • Advanced Torts
  • Admiralty and Maritime Law
Support Staff
Shirley Jacobson
785.670.1106
Office 236A