The Law Center is pleased to welcome its newest faculty and staff.
Ronald Scalise, newest faculty member, has an exceptional law school graduate record from Tulane Law (2000). He graduated Summa Cum Laude, fourth in his class, and furthered his legal education at Trinity College in Cambridge where he earned his LL.M (Comparative Law) in 2003. Professor Scalise joins the faculty as an assistant professor in the areas of Successions and Donations and Legal Traditions. Scalise also served as a clerk to LSU Law alumnus and former Distinguished Alumnus for LSU Law Judge James L. Dennis.
Kathleen Miller joins the staff as Assistant Professor of Professional Practice. Miller holds a J.D. from the Ohio Northern University School of Law. She has held previous professorships at Texas Tech School of Law, Barry University School of Law, Florida International University, and Regent University in Virginia. She also served as a U.S. Naval Officer and taught English as a Second Language at Penn State and for the U.S. Department of Defense in Morocco.
Karen Soniat joins the staff of the Law Center as Director of Communications and External Relations. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Research and Leadership from LSU and for two years worked as Executive Assistant to the President of Southeastern Louisiana University. She directed the Office of Public Information and coordinated external relations efforts for the University. She has also held numerous administrative positions in the State Department of Education.
Ashlee Brown joins the staff as a Library Associate. Brown holds a B.A. in Communications from the University of Northern Colorado and has previous experience in office management and library services.
Megan Lawrence will serve as Coordinator of European Studies. Lawrence holds a Bachelor of Arts in French from LSU and has done graduate study at McGill University in Canada. She has worked in the retail industry and served as a home school teacher of French.
Allison Sheffield joins the staff as Coordinator of Civil Law Studies. She holds a B.S. in Marketing from LSU and has experience as a paralegal with Futrell and Casteel of Baton Rouge. She previously worked in retail sales and as a computer technician for LSU-S.
Sondleta Brumfield is our newest Legal Secretary 2. She has previous experience with the Murray Law Firm and Hingle and Associates in New Orleans, among others. She has a B.S. in Business Management.
Four visiting faculty join us this fall.
Franco Ferrari received a J.D. from Bologna University in Italy and a Master of Laws from Augsburg University in Germany. He has served as Full Professor of International Law with the Verona University School of Law; Full Professor of Comparative Private Law with the Bologna University School of Law; and, Full Professor of Comparative Private Law and Uniform Law at Tillburg University in The Netherlands, among others. He has held numerous positions, including Legal Officer of the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs, International Trade Law Branch in Vienna , Austria ; member of the Italian Delegation to the UN Commission on International Trade Law Working Group on International Contract Practices; and, visiting professorships throughout Europe and the United States.
Arnaud Raynouard holds a Ph.D. in Law and a DEA (Diploma of Higher Studies) in private law from the University of Paris II Pantheon-Assas. He currently serves as Professor of Law, Vice President for European Affairs, Director of the Institut Universitaire Professionnalise Juriste d entreprise, on the Law Faculty of the University of Social Sciences, Toulouse 1. He has also served as professor of Law at the University of Metz; Consultant to the French Supreme Courts Lawyers since 1999, and Technical director and creator of Lexbase, an Internet legal database.
Judge Melchoir Wathelet received a J.D. and a degree in Economic Sciences from the Universite de Liege in Belgium. He holds a LL.M. from Harvard and was a member of the House of Representatives in Belgium from 1977-95. He has held numerous governmental positions in the Walloon Region and in Belgium, including Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice from 1988-91; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Justice and Economic Affairs from 1992-95; Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of National Defense in 1995; and Judge, European Court of Justice in 1995, among others.
Marco Ventoruzzo holds an LL.M. from the Yale Law School; postgraduate course work in Comparative Commercial Law from the Universite Sorbonne-Paris I; and a Ph.D. in Corporate Law and Securities Regulation from Universita degli Studi di Brescia in Italy. He holds a J.D. from Universita degli Studi di Milano. He has served as Assistant Professor of Corporate Law and Securities Regulation at the Universita Commerciale L. Bocconi Law School in Milan. He has been a member of numerous editorial boards and consults as legal counsel for regulatory issues with the Italian Stock Exchange.
