Forcesfor NEW FACULTY
Change
Professor Michael Coenen
S
eton Hall Law’s mission above all else is to provide an outstanding education. Coming in a close second, our faculty aspires to positively impact law and policy through research and law reform. We are growing again and that means we are hiring the next generation of teachers and scholars who will perpetuate our mission. New faculty have joined Seton Hall Law over the last two years, embracing Seton Hall Law’s ethos of One Student at a Time in and out of the classroom. Professors Michael Coenen, Heather Payne, and Brian Murray joined the Seton Hall Law faculty at the beginning of the 2018-19 semester. Professor Coenen, who joins Seton Hall Law from LSU, is already known nationally as a Constitutional Law powerhouse. Professor Payne, who comes from UNC, has unparalleled knowledge of energy and environmental law, and Professor Murray, who most recently taught at Temple, is an expert in Criminal Law.
Professor Heather Payne
“My hope is that our students will develop a sound conceptual understanding of the subjects I teach – constitutional law, administrative law, and other areas of public-law doctrine - along with a practical skill-set that enables them to reason and write about these subjects in a clear and persuasive way,” says Professor Coenen. “By encouraging our students to reflect on their own values, goals, and professional identities, they will be well-situated to pursue happy and fulfilling careers in the law upon receiving their Seton Hall Law degrees.” Professor Payne’s research seeks to drive long-term sustainable shifts that balance environmental and economic objectives. She aspires “to positively impact the debate regarding energy and the environment and unlock the potential for Seton Hall Law to emerge as a leading voice for energy and environmental law and policy. Air and water quality impact everyone; and coastal adaptation, resiliency, and transitioning to the electricity grid of the future will become ever more important.” Mirroring the values of Seton Hall Law, Professor Murray is eager to support students as they become “lawyers with integrity, who are loyal to their clients, communities, families, and friends, and who are engaged with the most important legal questions of the day,” says Professor Murray, who intends to help students and the community understand what issues the criminal justice system is currently faced with and how best to “craft just responses” to current and future problems. “As a professor, my aim is to inspire students to think critically about how legal questions are not purely technical, greatly impact the personal lives of those that the law purports to serve, and to comprehend and appreciate how the law implicates history, tradition, issues of justice, and so much more of everyday life.”
2
Seton Hall Law Magazine Professor Brian Murray