The Advocate - May 2012 - Idaho State Bar - Idaho.gov

contributed to the Harvard Civil Rights-
Civil Liberties Law Review.
____________________________
Chad DeVeaux joins Concordia
University, School of Law as a full time
Associate Professor of law in July. He
will teach two of the first-year courses.
Mr. DeVeaux comes to Concordia Law
after spending the past three years as
an assistant professor at Western State
University, College of Law, in Fullerton,
Calif. At Western State, Mr. DeVeaux
taught Civil Procedure, Criminal
Procedure and Contracts.
Prior to being a law professor, Mr.
DeVeaux practiced law for seven years,
most recently at the San Francisco office
of the international firm DLA Piper.
At DLA, he worked on both civil and
criminal litigation and appellate work.
Mr. DeVeaux was on the winning side of
published decisions in cases involving
the First Amendment, the dormant
Commerce Clause, procedural and
substantive due process, administrative
law, housing rights, the separation of
powers and federal-enclave law. Mr.
DeVeaux also specialized in Federal
Indian law and military law.
Mr. DeVeaux received his Bachelors
of Arts, cum laude, in political science
from Bowling Green State University in
1997. He was awarded his Juris Doctor,
summa cum laude, from Notre Dame
Law School in 2001. Mr. DeVeaux
served as the articles editor of the Notre
Dame Law Review and was the recipient
of the Dean Joseph O’Meara Award,
given to the graduate with the second
highest cumulative grade point average.
Mr. DeVeaux furthered his education in
2008, earning a Masters of Laws degree
from Harvard.
____________________________
Tenielle Fordyce-Ruff has joined
Concordia University, School of Law as
a member of the faculty and the director
the law school’s Legal Research and
Writing Program in April. Professor
Fordyce-Ruff will create, direct, and
teach the first-year legal writing course
in partnership with other faculty, as well
as develop upper level electives. Prof.
Fordyce-Ruff brings prior teaching
experience to her new position. She
served as a visiting professor of Legal
Research and Writing at the University
of Oregon, School of Law. In this
position she taught legal research and
writing, advanced legal research and
intensive legal writing. She wrote Idaho
Legal Research, a textbook designed to
help legal professionals and students.
Prof. Fordyce-Ruff is also a monthly
contributor to The Advocate, the Idaho
In 2007, Concordia University announced plans to open
a law school in downtown Boise. The expansion was
completed in 2010 as the law school was designed
for sustainability and multifaceted learning. Features
include the George R. White Law Library and the latest
advancements in classroom technology.
State Bar’s monthly publication and
serves on the magazine’s Editorial
Advisory Board.
After law school, Prof. Fordyce-
Ruff clerked for the Honorable Joel D.
Horton in the Fourth Judicial District,
Ada County, in Boise, Idaho. Following
her clerkship in Ada County, she clerked
for Justice Roger S. Burdick of the Idaho
Supreme Court. Prof. Fordyce-Ruff also
served as a partner in two law firms in
Boise.
Prof. Fordyce-Ruff received a
Bachelors of Arts, with honors, in
international studies from the University
of Wyoming in 1999. She received her
Juris Doctor from University of Oregon,
School of Law in 2004. Prof. Fordyce-
Ruff served as the managing editor of the
Oregon Law Review (2003-04). She lives
in Boise with her husband and their two
dogs.
____________________________
Jodi Nafzger joined the Concordia
University School of Law faculty as
the Director of Experiential Learning
and Career Services in January. In
this position, Ms. Nafzger directs the
mentorship program, the externship
program, the pro bono service
requirement, and career services. Ms.
Nafzger comes to Concordia Law after
serving as an Assistant City Attorney for
nine years with the Boise City Attorney’s
Office. In this capacity, she handled
misdemeanor criminal prosecution and
provided police advice and training
for both the Boise and Meridian Police
Departments.
Ms. Nafzger served on committees
assigned to downtown livability issues
for the City of Boise and drafted
proposed legislation for the Mayor
and City Council. Ms. Nafzger has
also taught at the Idaho Peace Officer
Standards and Training (POST)
Academy. Ms. Nafzger’s professional
experience also includes privatesector
public relations and marketing
work. Ms. Nafzger is a member of the
Professionalism and Ethics Section,
Government and Public Sector Section,
and Litigation Section of the Idaho State
Bar.
Ms. Nafzger received a Bachelor
of Arts in Journalism in 1996 from the
University of Missouri-Columbia, School
of Journalism. She earned her Juris
Doctor in 1999 from the University of
Missouri-Columbia, School of Law.
____________________________
Phillip Gragg will join Concordia
University, School of Law as Director of
the Law Library in June. In this position,
Mr. Gragg will provide leadership in
designing, implementing, assessing, and
managing The George R. White Law
Library. Mr. Gragg comes to Concordia
Law from Louisiana State University’s
Paul M. Hebert Law Center in Baton
Rouge, La., where he served as the
Associate Director for Public Services
and as an adjunct professor of Legal
Research. He previously served as
Reference and Faculty Services Librarian
and Reference Librarian at Louisiana
State.
While in law school, Mr. Gragg
served as a judicial clerk for Iowa’s
8th District. During his clerkship he
researched and drafted memos, orders
and judgments in civil and criminal
cases. He also garnered experience
working in the Office of Student Legal
Services, representing university
students.
Mr. Gragg received his Bachelor
of Science in Anthropology from the
University of California, Riverside in
2001. He was awarded his Juris Doctor
in 2004 from the University of Iowa,
College of Law. In 2006, Mr. Gragg
furthered his education, receiving a
Masters of Information and Library
Science from the University of Arizona.
While pursing his Masters, Gragg served
as a Law Library Fellow at the University
of Arizona, College of Law.
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