Professor Natasha Varyani, a dynamic legal scholar, has joined the faculty at Roger Williams University School of Law. From 2020 to 2023 she served as an associate professor of law at New England Law | Boston where she led their First-Generation Student Program and co-chaired their Charles Hamilton Houston Enrichment Program. Previously, Professor Varyani served as the Associate Director of the…, BOOKS, Owning our values : understanding systemic racism through the lens of property law (and skills to do something about it)., Durham, North Carolina : Carolina Academic Press, ©2024. This scholarly project seeks to support professors and students in 1L Property classrooms in examining the ways in which our laws have created and supported systems and structures that reinforce racial inequality. Chapters will particularly focus on bar tested areas of law and each will conclude with a sample exercise aimed at retaining…, Feminist Judgment Series (Property): Coggan v. Coggan, . (Cambridge University Press with Stevie Leahy) Co-Authored chapter containing re-written judicial opinion in a Florida case on the topic of Tenancy in Common and gendered treatment of former spouses. , ARTICLES, , " Social Justice & Multi-Jurisdictional Tax: A Critical Examination of the Digitization of Commerce, Multi-Jurisdictional Tax & An Opportunity to Correct a Systemic Preference to Protect Wealth ,", Capital University Law Review, , Volume 50, Number 2 (Fall 2022) "Response to “Identity Capitalists”: Implications for Property, Academia, and Affirmative Action,", New England Law Review, , Volume 56, Number 2 (Spring 2022). "Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard: Affirmative Action, Race Based Policies and Preference Falsification,", Boston Bar Association, (April 7, 2021) " If You’re Planning on Asking a Black Friend or Colleague How to Help with BLM Movement, Don’t! ," National Jurist, September 2020. "COVID-19 and State Emergency Orders,", Massachusetts Bar Association Section Review, (July / August 2020) "Taxing Short Term Rentals May Spoil the Season,", Boston Business Journal Viewpoint, , July 19, 2019 Op-Ed. "A New Purpose: Shifting Foundations That May Reprioritize the Needs of Corporate Stakeholders and Social Movements,", New England Law Review, , Volume 54, No. 1 (2019). "Being Present: What a Sales Tax Case Demonstrates About Federalism, The Dormant Commerce Clause, and the Direction of Supreme Court Jurisprudence,", Boston University Public Interest Law Journal, , Volume 28, No. 1 (Winter 2019) "States Unbound: Examining the Authority of the Multistate Tax Compact in a Modern, Multijurisdictional Economy,", Wayne State Law Review Journal of Business, (Summer 2018) "Cognitive Load Theory and Learning the Law: How and Why Minority Students Struggle in Law School,", The Learning Curve, , Winter 2018. "A Contract Among States: Capturing Income of the World’s Multi-Jurisdictional Taxpayers,", University of Bologna Law Review, , Vol. 1, No. 2, January 2017. "Taxing Electronic Commerce: The Efforts of Sales and Use Tax to Evolve with Technology,", Oklahoma City University Law Review, , Volume 39, Issue 2 (Summer 2014). "Understanding Discovery: The Supreme Judicial Court Clarifies the Attorney-Client Privilege and Work-Product Doctrine as Related to Tax Memoranda,", Mass Bar Association Section Review, , Volume 11, No. 2, 41-42 (2009). "Combined Reporting in Massachusetts: A Primer on the Controversy,", Mass Bar Association Section Review, , Volume 10, No. 3 29-31 (2008). "Defining Manufacturing Activity in Massachusetts: Recent decisions Clarify the Availability of Sales and Use Tax Exemptions for Entitles Engaged in Manufacturing," , Mass Bar Association Section Review, , Volume 10, No. 1, 35-36 (2008).
Type: Faculty & Staff Profile
Collin Geiselman is the Public Defender for the Rhode Island Office of the Public Defender (OPD). Prior to being appointed Public Defender, Mr. Geiselman served as a trial attorney in the trial division from 2003-2018, as Trial Division Trainer from 2015-2018, and as Chief of the Trial Division from 2018-2023. He is also a former two-term President of the Rhode Island Association of Criminal…
Type: Faculty & Staff Profile
The librarians have created a variety of tools to aid researchers in efforts to locate materials in the collection and via the web. This page features select RWU LawGuides prepared by the librarians to assist researchers both within the library and outside its physical walls.
Type: L1 & Institute
Deborah Gonzalez L’07 began her legal career on the cleaning staff. Long before she stepped into Roger Williams University School of Law as a first-year evening student, Gonzalez was cleaning a law office at night to earn extra money. “I would go to the office, and I always found the work seemed like it was super interesting, and I knew I wanted to be a part of that,” recalls Gonzalez. “And I…, “A normal fit”, From her initial curiosity about the law office, Gonzalez began to slowly move up the ranks. She completed secretarial school and community college before earning an undergraduate degree in justice studies from Roger Williams University in 2003. “Going to law school wasn’t far-fetched from what I had been studying all along,” Gonzalez remarks. “It was a normal fit, and plus, I hadn’t done…, New opportunities, When she originally took over the clinic mid-semester to cover for Holper, Gonzalez was working with students who already were in the middle of their clinical work. She says, “Taking a clinic is about learning how to be a lawyer, right? That’s basically what you’re learning and I knew how to be a lawyer. I had been a lawyer already five years by the time I got the position and I had worked in law…, “You gotta want it.”, In the municipal judge position, which is part time, Gonzalez presides over hearings on issues like traffic violations. In addition to embracing a new challenge, Gonzalez wants to show people who appear before her to know they’re being treated fairly. Gonzalez says, “I remember my first time going to traffic court, I had gotten a ticket – you know, I’m heavy on the pedal – and my whole body was…
Type: Article
Type: L1 & Institute
Welcome to the Roger Williams University Law Library. Our collections and services are primarily designed to meet the specific needs of the faculty and students of the School of Law but also serve the broader academic and legal community. The comprehensive collection supports the curriculum as well as in-depth scholarly legal research. Access to the Library’s digital resources is available on or…, Ask a Librarian, , the Library’s chat/e-mail reference service. The staff, including law-trained librarians, look forward to assisting you in pursuing your legal research through the use of the collection and the wide array of resources available through the Library. The Library is conveniently located near the main entrance to the law school building. Its open design and academy-style furnishings provide an…
Type: L1 & Institute
Roger Williams University School of Law alum John A. Dorsey L’10 has been selected to serve as the next judge on the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Rhode Island. The announcement was made on June 5 by Chief Judge David J. Barron of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Dorsey will fill the vacancy created by the upcoming retirement of Judge Diane Finkle,…, This news story has been adapted from a press release issued by the Office of the Circuit Executive, United States Courts for the First Circuit.
Type: Article
The legal market has endured a significant shift over the last five years. RWU Law is responding to the changing landscape by, among other efforts, increasing our already significant commitment to experiential education – more clinical opportunities, pro bono initiatives, simulation and skills courses and externships – all of which emphasize learning by doing, making our students more practice…
Type: Basic Page
Two faculty members from Roger Williams University School of Law have earned national recognition for their leadership in integrating equity and inclusion into legal education. Nicole P. Dyszlewski, professor and assistant dean for curricular innovation, and Suzanne Harrington-Steppen, clinical professor and associate director of pro bono programs, were recently named recipients of the 2025…, Integrating Doctrine & Diversity: Beyond the First Year, . Dyszlewski Steppen Dyszlewski and Harrington-Steppen share the award with fellow co-editors Raquel J. Gabriel of CUNY School of Law and Genevieve B. Tung of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School's Biddle Law Library. Together with contributions from more than 40 legal scholars and practitioners, the team produced a powerful collection of essays, case studies, and teaching tools…, Integrating Doctrine & Diversity, gives law faculty meaningful tools to bring inclusion and equity into the classroom. It’s a thoughtful, practical, and lasting contribution to the profession.” Designed to go beyond first-year legal training, the book explores how topics of race, identity, power, and justice intersect with core subjects such as criminal law, constitutional law, property, and civil procedure. It also includes…
Type: Article
Roger Williams University School of Law 2025-2026, (Effective June 10, 2025), The Honorable Brian Stern, ,, , Chair, Associate Judge Rhode Island Superior Court, Nicole J. Benjamin, Esq. ’06, ,, Vice-Chair, Shareholder Adler Pollock & Sheehan P.C., The Honorable Patricia Sullivan, ,, Treasurer, Magistrate Judge United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Hinna Mirza Upal, Esq. ’07, ,, Secretary, Senior Manager, Investigations Office of Compliance and Ethics Associate Counsel, Office of Legal Affairs Rochester Institute of Technology, Collin Bailey, Esq. ’08, Vice President of Global Procurement Bally’s Corporation, Alyssa V. Boss, Esq. ’97, General Counsel University of Rhode Island, Gregory W. Bowman, Dean and Professor of Law Roger Williams University School of Law, Ex-Officio Member, Bradford Boyd, Esq. '08, President & Founder ANOVA Marine Insurance, Marek P. Bute, Esq. ’05, Senior Manager, Tech Business Development, Business Contracts Amazon Web Services, Brandon Cuffy, Esq. ‘14, Associate Miles & Stockbridge, Marc DeSisto, Esq., DeSisto Law Offices, The Honorable Melissa R. DuBose ’04, District Judge Rhode Island District Court United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island, Stacey Erickson, Esq., Assistant United States Attorney United States Attorney's Office, District of Rhode Island, Carly Beauvais Iafrate, Esq. ‘00, Law Office of Carly Beauvais Iafrate, PC, Paul Kessimian, Esq., Co-Managing Partner Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP, J. Scott Kilpatrick, Esq, . Partner Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick, Stephen P. Maguire, Esq. ’96, Law Office of Stephen P. Maguire, Inc., Zachary Mandell, Esq. ’11, Partner Mandell, Boisclair & Mandell, Ioannis "Yannis" Miaoulis, President Roger Williams University, Ex-Officio Member, Weayonnoh Davies-Nelson, Esq. ‘07, Executive Director The Economic Progress Institute, Crystal D. Peralta, Esq. “20, Robinson+Cole, Ex-Officio Member, Adam Ramos, Esq. ‘06, Partner Hinckley Allen, Michael P. Robinson, Esq. ’00, Partner Savage Law Partners LLP, Joelle Rocha, Esq. ‘06, Partner Duffy & Sweeney, LTD, George L. Santopietro, Esq., Partner Coia & Lepore, Ltd., Ondine Galvez Sniffin, Esq., Law Office of Ondine Galvez Sniffin, Katherine Sulentic, Esq. ’09, Deputy Athletic Director for Regulatory Affairs University of Memphis, The Honorable Paul A. Suttell, Chief Justice Rhode Island Supreme Court
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