Experts in the Field of Law

Bio

Dr. John Gruhl teaches upper-level courses focused on American courts and law, including Courts, Judges, and Lawyers; Myths and Realities of the Justice System; Constitutional Law; and Civil Liberties. These courses attract Pre-Law students and others who want to understand court procedures and decisions that are in the news. He also teaches courses on American Politics and the Presidency.

Bio

Colleen Medill is a nationally recognized expert on employee benefits law, health law and policy. Her textbook, “Introduction to Employee Benefits Law: Policy and Practice,” has been used by more than 40 ABA-accredited law schools. She is well-versed in Obamacare and can speak knowledgeably about the pros and cons of that law as well as any proposed replacements.

Bio

Professor Jo Potuto currently teaches Federal Jurisdiction, Constitutional Law, Sports Law, and Criminal Procedure. She is an expert in the fields of appellate practice, conflicts of laws & private international law, constitutional law, criminal procedure, federal jurisdiction, law & literature and sports law. Professor Potuto is a past member of the Federal Practice Committee of the Federal District Court, District of Nebraska; the Nebraska Crime Commission; and the Robert Van Pelt American Inns of Court (Master in the Brandeis Inn) and is currently the Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is licensed to practice in Nebraska and New Jersey and is a member of the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Bio

Professor Eric Berger joined the faculty in 2007. Prior to joining the university he practiced in Jenner & Block’s Washington, D.C. office, where he worked on litigation in several state and federal trial and appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court. Professor Berger’s matters there included cases involving lethal injection, same-sex marriage, the detention of foreign nationals at Guantanamo Bay, and internet obscenity. Much of his work explores judicial decision making in constitutional cases, with special attention to deference, fact finding, rhetorical strategies, and other under-theorized factors that help shape judicial opinions in constitutional cases. Professor Berger has also written extensively about lethal injection litigation.

Bio

Professor Ruser is the Director of Clinical Programs at the College of Law and teaches in the Civil Clinic and the Immigration Clinic. He also co-administers the Litigation Skills Program of Concentrated Study. He is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association, the American Bar Association, the Clinical Section of the Association of American Law Schools, and the Clinical Legal Educators Association. He is currently Co-Chair of the District Court Forms Subcommittee of the Nebraska Supreme Court Self-Represented Litigants Committee, a member of the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Access to Justice Commission, a member of the Nebraska Supreme Court’s Civil Justice Reform Committee, and a member of the Advisory Council of the Office of Public Guardian. He is an expert in the fields of civil trial & procedure, clinical practice / education, experiential learning, immigration, trial practice and trial procedure.

Bio

Professor Gardner teaches Family Law, Juvenile Law, Criminal Law and Criminal Procedure. He attended the University of Utah and received his B.S. degree in 1969 and his J.D. degree in 1972. He served as Associate Comment Editor for the Utah Law Review. During the 1975-76 academic year, he was a Fellow in Law and the Humanities at Harvard University. He is a member of the state bars of Nebraska and Utah

Bio

Professor Duncan joined the faculty in 1979. He received his B.A. degree from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) in 1973. In 1976, he received his J.D. degree from the Cornell Law School, where he served on the Board of Editors of the Cornell Law Review. He was admitted to the New York Bar in 1977. From 1976-79, he was associated with White & Case, a New York City law firm. Professor Duncan teaches Property and Constitutional Law. He is a passionate and enthusiastic classroom teacher, whose style is not so much Socratic Dialogue as Socratic Performance Art. Professor Duncan has a strong interest in writing and speaking about federalism, liberty, religious freedom, and the right to life.

Bio

Professor Willborn currently teaches Employment Law, Labor Law, Employment Discrimination Law, and Pension & Employee Benefits Law and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has been active in public service and has been Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Law School Admission Council, one of Nebraska’s Commissioners to the Uniform Law Commission, and President of the International Association of Labor Law Journals. Professor Willborn has been licensed to practice law in Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin.