From the Deans' Suite - 12/18/25 - Gratitude
As we end the Fall semester and bring 2025 to a close, we’ve been taking some time to reflect on our first semester serving as Co-Interim Deans.
What stands out most—what rises above the calendars and commitments—is how incredibly fortunate we are to work with such a dedicated, caring group of faculty and staff who understand that our work is not only about training lawyers, but also a craft and a calling to shape lives and realize dreams. One of the most wonderful parts of this job is hearing directly from students how our colleagues demonstrate that commitment: with rigor and patience, with high expectations and steady belief, with acts of everyday kindness that can change a semester—or a life.
From the Deans' Suite - 12/2/25 - You've Got This
As exams approach, we want to speak to our students not just as your deans, but as former law students who remember the knot in the stomach, the late nights, and the quiet hope that all the work will be worth it.
It will.
Exams Are Where the Learning Happens
It’s easy to see exams as a verdict. But in truth, a huge amount of real learning happens while you prepare for them.
When you:
From the Deans' Suite - 11/26/25 - Thanksgiving Edition
As we head into Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting on the incredible spirit of generosity that defines our Cleveland State University College of Law community. Last Monday, I had the privilege of attending the Ohio Supreme Court swearing-in ceremony, where more than 80 of our newest alumni became attorneys, surrounded by their families and friends. It was a wonderful and inspiring occasion. Justice DeWine reminded the new lawyers of their responsibilities to their communities, of the unique role they play as people who understand the rules of our legal system, and of the importance of seeking opportunities, both within and beyond their practice, to make a difference.
From the Deans' Suite - 11/19/25 - Leaders in Intellectual Property
“This was the first CSU Law IP+ conference I have attended. I found it to be one of the best CLE conferences I have attended in the 51 years since I graduated from then Cleveland-Marshall College of Law.”
IP+ Conference 2025
oin us for CSU|LAW’s annual IP+ Conference—an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the nation’s top intellectual property law experts.
Our keynote speakers are Donald Chisum, author of Chisum on Patents—the leading treatise on U.S. patent law and co-founder of the Chisum Patent Academy—and Janice Mueller, co-founder of the Chisum Patent Academy, former law professor, and author of a leading Patent Law casebook. Also enjoy a fireside chat with the Honorable Richard Linn (Federal Circuit Court of Appeals) and the Honorable Kathleen M. O’Malley (retired, Federal Circuit Court of Appeals), followed by a State of IP panel featuring Chisum, Mueller, Linn, O’Malley, and Dennis Crouch (PatentlyO).
From the Deans' Suite - 11/13/25 - Celebrating What Our Hall of Fame Represents
Last Friday, we welcomed more than 500 friends, alumni, students, faculty, and staff to CSU’s Glasscock Ballroom for our annual CSU Law Hall of Fame Celebration. It was a night filled with pride and gratitude—a celebration not just of individual achievement, but of the collective impact of our community.
This year, we inducted Dean Emeritus Lee Fisher into our nearly 200-member Hall of Fame—a distinguished group of graduates and friends whose accomplishments have shaped our law school, our city, and the broader legal community. Recognizing our inductees is always special. But what’s even more meaningful is celebrating what the Hall of Fame represents: the reach, influence, and enduring legacy of CSU Law.
Hall of Fame 2025 Induction Ceremony
Friday, November 7, 2025 | 5:30pm – 8:00pm
Cleveland State University, Student Center Glasscock Ballroom
The annual CSU|LAW Hall of Fame, established in 2017, honors distinguished alumni, faculty, staff, friends, and community leaders for their outstanding contributions to our law school’s success and prestige.
From the Deans' Suite - 11/4/25 - Your Law School for Life
Today is Election Day. As I looked over the brief Bay Village ballot, I smiled to realize that for Rocky River Municipal Court, I could choose only a CSU|Law alumnus—Brian Hagan or Thomas J. Kelly. They are just two of more than a dozen of our graduates appearing on ballots across Ohio today, seeking to serve as judges, council members, and other offices.
From the Deans' Suite - 10/29/25 - Your Law School for Life
This week, our students reminded me what leadership looks like in action.
At CSU College of Law, we’re proud of our P. Kelly Tompkins Leadership Program—a program that includes coursework, a certificate, our Leaders-in-Residence, and more. But what makes me proudest isn’t what’s written in a program description. It’s what I see our students doing every single day: stepping up, speaking out, and leading.
From the Deans' Suite - 10/21/25 - Your Law School for Life
This Friday marks one of the most meaningful milestones in any lawyer’s life—the release of the July 2025 Ohio bar exam results. It is a day our recent graduates have been anticipating since they started law school. We want to speak directly to every one of you who sat for July’s exam: