Chancellor Jack M. Weiss has announced the appointment of two new faculty members to fill important positions at the Law Center.
Christopher J. Tyson will join the Law Center as Assistant Professor of Law in fall 2010. Tyson has worked with Jones Walker LLP in Baton Rouge since 2006. He has specialized in real estate matters, urban planning, land use, and oil and gas mineral land development. Recently, Tyson served as President of the Baton Rouge Capital Area Transit System Board of Commissioners.
Tyson graduated with a B.A. in Architecture, with a minor in Business Administration, from Howard University. He completed his Master of Public Policy degree at the Harvard University’s Kennedy School, and went on to earn his J.D from Georgetown Law Center, where he graduated with honors in May 2006.
While at Georgetown, Tyson served as Vice-President of the Black Law Students Association; Vice-President of Chapter Development for the American Constitution Society; and articles and notes editor for the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law from 2005-06.
“Chris Tyson brings a broad range of knowledge and experience to us, and we’re delighted to have him join the legal academy. He will be an excellent addition to our faculty,” commented Chancellor Weiss.
Tyson served as a legislative intern in the Office of United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu and with the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office in Baton Rouge. He was a summer associate at Vinson & Elkins in the firm’s Washington, DC office in the summer of 2004 and 2005. He also gained experience as a public policy intern with the Drug Policy Alliance in New York, and with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law in Washington, DC.
In addition to his legal experience, he has worked in e-commerce; market research and brand strategy; and venture funding of internet-based businesses. He was co-founder and Vice President of ZapZoom, Inc., an Atlanta-based consulting firm that helped Microsoft, Coca-Cola Co., and the United Way with specific marketing strategies. He also served as a business analyst with an Atlanta company specializing in work with global financial firms. He conducted quantitative data analysis and designed profit optimizations models for an international retailer.
Professor Tyson’s teaching responsibilities will include Local Government Law and Urban Planning, two courses planned for fall 2010. He also has expertise in real estate transactions and land use planning.
He is also a board member of FuturePAC, Baton Rouge Big Buddy Program, and the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition.
He is married to Dr. Gia Landry Tyson and they reside in Baton Rouge.
Jeffrey C. Brooks has been named Director of Field placements and Advocacy and Assistant Professor of Professional Practice. He will coordinate the Law Center’s rapidly expanding field placement program and direct the Law Center’s highly competitive Moot Court and Trial Advocacy programs. “I am confident that Professor Brooks will work closely with students, faculty and our dedicated volunteer coaches in taking our advocacy and field placements programs to new heights,” said Chancellor Jack M. Weiss.
Brooks received his J.D from Tulane University Law School in 2006. At Tulane, Brooks was heavily engaged in moot court activities, serving as a team member in the 2006 Jessup International Law Moot Court Team and in the 2005 Pace Environmental Law Moot Court Team. He was also President of Tulane’s Public Interest Law Foundation in 2005-06.
Since graduation, he has worked with the New York City Law Department as Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division. In his years of practice in New York, Brooks has worked extensively with the Jessup International Law Moot Court Competitions. He served as the 2010 Northeast and Southeast Super-Regional Administrator and in 2009 as the Northeast Super-Regional Administrator for the international competition. In 2009, he served as a semi-final round judge for the Southeast Super-Regional. He has also been involved as a member of the Rules Committee since 2008. Also in 2008, Brooks served as Junior Editor of the Bench Memorandum & Compromis for the Jessup Competition.
Brooks also served as an intern in the Chambers of Associate Justice Stephen G. Crane with the Appellate Division, Second Department in New York. In 2004, his internship with the American Bar Association Commission on Immigration Policy, Practice, and Pro Bono Service provided him an opportunity to work on asylum issues for those in federal custody.
He begins work at the Law Center in June.
