Prof. Steve Meili Appointed Director of Law Clinics

Professor Steve Meili has been appointed as the new director of the law clinics for a three-year term, starting this summer.

Meili, the James H. Michael Chair in International Human Rights Law, joined the Law School in 2008, became a tenured associate professor in 2018. He previously held the James H. Binger Professorship in Clinical Law (awarded in 2019). 

Meili writes and teaches about the rights of noncitizens, particularly those seeking asylum. He is also director of the Law School’s Immigration and Human Rights Clinic, where students represent asylum-seekers and trafficking victims in various immigration and appellate court proceedings.

Meili’s articles have appeared in the Harvard Human Rights Journal, Georgetown Immigration Law Journal, Columbia Human Rights Law Review, and the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law, among others. In 2011, Meili was awarded the Stanley V. Kinyon Clinical Teacher of the Year Award. He also held the Vaughn G. Papke Clinical Professorship in Law from 2012 to 2014.

For the last two years, Professors Prentiss Cox and Professor Perry Moriearty have served as co-directors of the Law Clinics. Both professors have sabbaticals planned for part of the 2022-23 academic year.

In making the appointment, Dean Garry W. Jenkins thanked both Cox and Moriearty for their service, which began after longtime law clinic director Laura Thomas was appointed to the Hennepin County District Court bench.

“Throughout the many, many challenging aspects of running the law clinics during COVID, Perry and Prentiss have skillfully led the clinics and given their time and skills to help the institution flourish so our clients can be served and our students can build valuable skills,” Jenkins said. “I am personally very grateful to both Perry and Prentiss for their outstanding leadership.”