Associate Professor of Law

University of Miami School of Law
1311 Miller Drive, Room G284
Coral Gables, FL 33146

Tel: +1 (305) 284-2411
Email: mdbeardslee@law.miami.edu

Narrative

Professor Michele DeStefano Beardslee was a Climenko Fellow and Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School, where she was previously the Associate Research Director of the Program on the Legal Profession. Her primary area of scholarly interest is in the growing intersection between law and business, how this intersection is reshaping the role of both inside and outside counsel, and the consequences of these developments for clients, the profession, and the public.  Employing a mix of qualitative and quantitative methodologies, Professor Beardslee’s current research investigates the role general counsels play in managing public relations for high profile corporate legal controversies. She teaches courses in professional responsibility, civil procedure, and business associations.

From 2003 to 2004, Professor Beardslee clerked for Chief Judge William G. Young of the Federal District Court of Massachusetts. She also worked for a year as a Special Master on a patent law case. Before attending law school, Professor Beardslee was a Senior Marketing Manager at Levi Strauss & Company (1995-1998) and an Account Executive at Leo Burnett Advertising Company (1991-1995).  She holds a JD from Harvard Law School, a Bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College, and has been admitted to the Minnesota, Massachusetts, and District of Columbia bars.

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Education

JD, Harvard Law School, 2002

BA, Dartmouth College, 1991

Courses (2009-10)

Professional Responsibility
Civil Procedure
Business Associations

Publications

Advocacy in the Court of Public Opinion: Broadening the Role of Corporate Attorneys (22 Geo. J. Legal Ethics, forthcoming 2009 ) download this article

Advocacy in the Court of Public Opinion: How Far Should Corporate Lawyers Go? (Geo. J. Legal Ethics, forthcoming 2009)

The Corporate Attorney-Client Privilege: Third Rate Doctrine for Third Party Consultants? (62 SMU L. Rev, forthcoming 2009) download this article

The Eclipse of Fact-Finding:  It Foreshadows the Twilight of Judicial Independence (with Hon. William G. Young – US District Court – District of Massachusetts) (work-in-progress)

Presentations

Advocacy in the Court of Public Opinion: Broadening the Role of Corporate Attorneys
March 10, 2009
Harvard Law School

Advocacy in the Court of Public Opinion: Broadening the Role of Corporate Attorneys
March 2, 2009
Georgetown Symposium: Empirical Research on the Legal Profession

Archive (pre-2009)