Reflections - Texas Wesleyan School of Law - Texas Wesleyan ...

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Mary Margaret “Meg” Penrose, professor of law
mA r y mA rg A r e t
“meg” Pe n r o s e
Professor Mary Margaret “Meg” Penrose
joined the Texas Wesleyan law faculty
in 2009 after teaching nine years at
the University of Oklahoma College of
Law. Penrose taught Civil Procedure,
Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure,
Gender Discrimination and International
Human Rights at OU. She continues to
practice in federal court with an emphasis
on federal habeas corpus representation
of Texas death row inmates and Title VII
and Title IX litigation, challenging gender
bias and discrimination in the workplace.
Prior to teaching, Penrose most enjoyed
her time working at the United States
District Court for the Northern District of
Texas in Dallas. She served as a senior law
clerk to the Honorable Jerry Buchmeyer.
After working briefly for the Texas firm
Thompson & Knight, she returned to the
courthouse to assist with the renumbering
of the Local Rules. Upon completion of
this project, she began working with the
Honorable Jane J. Boyle as a pro se staff
attorney. Penrose believes her teaching
has been greatly enhanced through her
experience at the federal courthouse. Next to
teaching, her favorite jobs have been working
with Judges Boyle and Buchmeyer.
Penrose earned her J.D. from Pepperdine
University School of Law where she
graduated magna cum laude and served
as the managing editor of the Pepperdine
Law Review. Thereafter, she received her
LL.M., graduating summa cum laude, from
the University of Notre Dame. Her LL.M.
thesis, “Lest We Fail,” was published
by the American University Journal of
International Law and Policy.
Penrose will teach courses in Criminal
Procedure; Constitutional Law; International
Human Rights; and Civil Procedure.
tA n y A J. Pi e r c e
Professor Tanya J. Pierce joined the
faculty of Texas Wesleyan School of Law
as a legal writing professor in 2009. She
joined the full-time faculty of the law
school as a visiting legal writing professor
in 2007. Before that, Pierce served as
an adjunct professor in the Academic
Support Program. Pierce has also taught
in the law school’s summer enrichment
program, the Elements of Legal Studies.
Before entering teaching, Pierce
practiced complex commercial litigation
and appellate law at the international law
firm of Fulbright & Jaworski LLP in Austin,
Texas. She also practiced complex
commercial litigation at the law firm of
Howrey LLP in Washington, D.C.
Pierce’s scholarly interests relate to her
background in complex litigation and
appellate law. Her current research focuses
on parallel class action proceedings and
the use of the All Writs Act and the In-
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Photo by Dan Brothers
Tanya J. Pierce, legal writing professor
Aid-of-Jurisdiction exception to the Anti-
Injunction Act in those proceedings.
Pierce is also interested in learning theory
and its implications on legal pedagogy.
Pierce earned her J.D. from the University
of Texas School of Law, where she served
on the editorial board of the Texas Journal
of Women and the Law and received an
endowed presidential scholarship. Pierce
graduated cum laude with a Bachelor
of Arts degree in psychology from the
University of Texas at Arlington, where
she was a member of honor societies
Alpha Chi and Psi Chi.
Pierce will teach classes in Legal Analysis,
Research & Writing I and II; Elements of
Legal Studies; and LARW III: Litigation
Drafting.
mi c H e l l e ri g u A l
Professor Michelle Rigual joined the
faculty of Texas Wesleyan School of Law
as an associate professor of law in 2009