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Professor Andrea Carroll
LSU Law Faculty
Background: raised in Louisiana; graduated with high honors from LSU in 1997 with a B.S. in finance; received a J.D. from LSU Law in 2000; worked as an associate at Baker Botts in Dallas; clerked for The Honorable W. Eugene Davis of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit; joined the LSU Law faculty in 2003; teaches and writes about the civil law, both in the context of substantive areas such as property and community property, and in the broader context of its interaction with common law systems; author of an article, titled “Examining a Comparative Law Myth: Two Hundred Years of Riparian Misconception,” which was selected as a winner for the 2005 Stanford-Yale Junior Faculty Forum in the category of property; active in advising law review writers, directing student research, judging various moot court competitions, and working with the Academic Support program.
On LSU Law: The best thing about this law school is its reputation among lawyers in Louisiana and in the South in general for extremely rigorous preparation. Lawyers know if they hire an LSU student, that student is coming out of law school ready to practice and ready to handle the tough cases. The sheer number of hours we require makes them work a little harder. That’s the atmosphere that we create. We are professional in class and expect the students to act as if they’re in a professional environment. We demand the best from them. We require that they prepare for class, that they practice critical thinking. You do that consistently for three years of law school, and you can easily transfer those skills to your practice.
On Teaching:I wanted to teach since I finished my first semester at the LSU Law Center. I knew that professors had the best gig around. I enjoy helping others learn, and I can learn new things along with the students. I love school and teaching is my way of staying in school forever. In the fall, I teach Legal Traditions –an intro course into the differences between common and civil law. I also teach Matrimonial Regimes and Property and Obligations. All of them are Louisiana Civil Code courses.
Her Biggest Surprise: The fact that students perceive me as being on their level. They’re able to connect with me. I give professional advice, personal advice, talk about classes with them. There’s an overall closeness with these students that I didn’t expect.
Outside the Classroom: I encourage students to figure out opportunities to get involved in professional life or academic life outside class. We have an active moot court program at LSU. There are also a lot of internships and field placements – in the DA’s office, the U.S. Attorney’s office and elsewhere that many of the other schools in the state don’t offer.
Her Research: I’m exploring creditors’ rights in community property regimes and writing an article suggesting such regimes have become too creditor-friendly.
The Changing Environment: We went through a total renovation, coincidentally, in the three years that I was gone. The physical facilities were upgraded 100 percent, and now there’s technology in all the classrooms. When I was here, each classroom had two electrical outlets, and the four or five students using computers had to fight for them. None of the faculty members used technology when I was a student. Now, our classrooms are fully wired and more than half of us use powerpoint and video, internet, and all sorts of other technologies as part of the classroom experience.
