James McGrath

I joined WMU-Cooley Law School in July 2019 after a nationwide search for a new president and dean. I most recently served as the Associate Dean of Academic Support and Bar Services, as well as professor, at Texas A&M School of Law.

I was associated with Texas A&M Law School (formerly known as Texas Wesleyan University School of Law) since 2005, first as a visiting associate professor, then an associate professor, and professor.

During my tenure at Texas A&M and Texas Wesleyan, I taught Torts and Advanced Torts, Contracts, Professional Responsibility, Art of Lawyering, Public Health Law Seminar, Secured Transactions, Preparing for the Bar Examination, Introduction to U.S. Law, Remedies, Payment Systems, and Analytical Methods for Lawyers. I also taught Health Care Law and Ethics at Texas Wesleyan University School of Nursing.

I was a Fulbright Scholar at Beijing University of Chemical Technology from August 2011 to July 2012, teaching Introduction to U.S. Law, U.S. Tort Law, Analytical Methods for Lawyers, and Remedies. I also served as a visiting professor at the University of San Francisco, the University of Texas at Arlington, Appalachian School of Law, the University of San Diego, and Temple University Beasley School of Law.

I have specialized in legal pedagogy and empirically based approaches to teaching and learning. My focus has been on public health and the law issues, particularly the law’s effect on the health of populations with little or no political power, including lesbian and gay, transgender, and intersexual legal issues.

Articles (Law Reviews and Journals)

• Anthony Soto, Adam Trahan, & James McGrath, The Effects of Neighboring, Social Networks, and Collective Efficacy on Crime Victimization: An Alternative Systemic Model of Social Disorganization, Applied Psychology in Criminal Justice (forthcoming 2021).
• James McGrath &  Andrew Morriss, Online Legal Education’s Potential to Address the Justice Gap, Online Learning and the Future of Legal Education, 69 Syracuse L. Rev. 1000 (2020).
• James McGrath, Planning Your Class to Maximize Your Students’ Use of Highly Effective Learning Techniques, 95 U. Det. Mercy L. Rev. 153 (2018).
• James McGrath & Andrew Morriss, Assessments All the Way Down, 21 Green Bag 2d 139 (2018).
• James McGrath, Transparency in the Classroom: An ASP-ish Doctrinal Professor’s Perspective, The Learning Curve, a publication of the AALS Section on Academic Support, (Summer/Autumn 2017).
• James McGrath, Are you a Boy or a Girl? Show Me Your REAL ID, 9 Nevada L.J. 368 (2009).
• James McGrath, Overcharging the Uninsured in Hospitals: Shifting a Greater Share of Uncompensated Medical Care Costs to the Federal Government, 26 Quinnipiac L. Rev. 173 (2007).
• James McGrath, Abstinence-Only Adolescent Education: Ineffective, Unpopular and Unconstitutional, 39 U.S.F. L. Rev. 665 (2004).
• James McGrath, Raising the ‘Civilized Minimum’ of Pain Amelioration for Prisoners to Avoid Cruel and Unusual Punishment, 54 Rutgers L. Rev. 649 (2002).

Presentations and Panels:

• The Crushing Effects of Grading on the Curve on Developing Self-Regulated Learners, Conference for the Association of Academic Support Educators, May 22, 2019, Seattle, WA.
• Online Legal Education’s Potential to Address the Justice Gap, Online Learning and the Future of Legal Education, April 26, 2019, Syracuse University College of Law, Syracuse, NY.
• Taking Advantage of the Science of Highly Effective Learning Techniques, SALT Teaching Conference, Penn State School of Law, October 5, 2018, State College, PA.
• Taking Advantage of the Science of Highly Effective Learning Techniques: Bar Preparation Begins Day One of Law School panel on Bar Preparation Strategies for Law Professors and Academic Support Programs, SEALS annual conference, August 6, 2018, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
• Workshop discussant, Strategies for Bar Preparation and Success, SEALS annual conference, August 6, 2018, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
• Doing Our Part: the Library’s Role in Supporting and Promoting Bar Preparation and the Advancement of Students, American Association of Law Libraries Annual Meeting, July 16, 2018, Baltimore, MD.
• Harnessing the Synergies of Non-Obvious Partners in Creating a Sense of Belonging in Law School, Conference for the Association of Academic Support Educators, May 23, 2018, St. Louis, MO.
• Taking Advantage of the Science of Highly Effective Learning Techniques, Teaching Seminar, Charleston School of Law, April 20, 2018, Charleston, SC.
• Applying Positive Psychology and Strengths-Oriented Approaches to Teaching, AALS Midyear Meeting, January 6, 2018, San Diego, CA.
• Issues in LGBT Healthcare: Religious Exemptions, December 13, 2017, at the Texas Bar CLE, LGBT Legal Issues in Changing Times: What Every Texas Practitioner Needs to Know.
• Building & Sustaining Access Programs, October 13, 2017, AASE Diversity Conference, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore Maryland.
• Today's Law School Curriculum in An Increasingly Diverse Society, October 12, 2017, Maryland Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class Symposium, University of Maryland School of Law, Baltimore Maryland.
• Teaching and Teaching Assessment: What Works and What Doesn’t, June 1, 2017, Associate Deans Conference, Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth, TX.
• Adopting Student Portfolios for Program Assessment and Student Success, May 25, 2017, Conference for the Association of Academic Support Educators, Texas A&M University School of Law, Fort Worth, TX.
• Embracing Evidence-Based Learning and Teaching, April 10, 2017, Dickinson Law School, Penn State University, Carlisle, PA.
• Planning Your Class to Maximize Your Students’ Use of Highly Effective Learning Techniques, Symposium, “The Impact of Formative Assessment: Emphasizing Outcome Measures in Legal Education,” March 3, 2017, University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Detroit, MI.
• Convincing Your Administration and Doctrinal Faculty to Adopt Proven Learning Techniques, January 6, 2017, Mid-Year Conference of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS), San Francisco, CA.
• The Legal Impact of Marriage Equality: New Frontiers, New Issues: The Acceptance of Medical Facts of Transgenderism, December 7, 2016, Texas Bar CLE, Texas Law Center, Austin TX.
• Student Portfolios as an Aid to Program Assessment and to Student Success, New England Consortium of Academic Support Professionals (NECASP), December 5, 2016, Western New England School of Law, Springfield, MA.
• Legal Ethics in Negotiation, September 7, 2016, United States Department of Labor CLE Training, Dallas, TX.
• Teaching “Real World Readiness” in a First Semester Doctrinal Class, June 11, 2016, for the “Real World Readiness Conference” of the Institute for Law, Teaching & Learning, at Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, KS.
• Putting Effective Cognitive Learning Techniques to Work: Convincing Your Administration and Faculty, May 25, 2016, Conference for the Association of Academic Support Educators, at CUNY School of Law, Long Island City, NY.
• Integrating Effective Cognitive Learning Techniques Into First Year Doctrinal Topics, December 7, 2015, New England Consortium of Academic Support Professionals (NECASP) “Changing Students, Evolving Roles for ASP,” at New England School of Law in Boston, MA.
• Using the New ABA Assessment Standards to Persuade Faculty to Embrace Cognitive Learning Science, September 18, 2015, New England Consortium of Legal Writing Professors Conference, at Suffolk University Law School, Boston, MA.
• The Future of LGBT Civil Rights in the United States, November 6, 2014, Symposium: Global Citizens and Equality: 50 Years After the 1964 Civil Rights Act at Texas A&M University College Station, TX.
• Crossing the Bar: Current Character and Fitness Issues in Admission to the Profession, August 2, 2014 SEALS Workshop on the Legal Profession Discussion Group, Amelia Island, FL.
• Opportunities to Study in the United States, March 26, 2014, Shanghai University of Political Science and the Law, Shanghai, China.
• A History of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Employment Legal Rights in the United States, March 28, 2014, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
• The Top Ten Ethical Violations of Texas Lawyers, January 29, 2014, Alumni luncheon presentation for ethics CLE credit. Denton, TX.
• Global Approaches to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer and HIV/AIDS Activism, June 30, 2012, Fuzhou, China.
• A History of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Legal Rights in the United States, June 29, 2012, Fuzhou Agriculture University, Fuzhou, China. Note, the presentation was forbidden on the university grounds due to the “subversive nature of the subject matter,” but was held off-campus.
• The Carnegie Report, and the Future of U.S. Legal Education, June 26, 2012, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, June 25, 2012, Harbin Engineering University, Harbin, China.
• An Overview of U.S. Public Health Law, June 20, 2012, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China.
• The Carnegie Report, and the Future of U.S. Legal Education, June 19, 2012, Xinjiang University, Urumqi, China.
• An Overview of U.S. Public Health Law, April 20, 2012, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
• A History of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Legal Rights in the United States, April 20, 2012, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China.
• The Carnegie Report, and the Future of U.S. Legal Education, April 18, 2012, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China.
• A History of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Legal Rights in the United States, April 17, 2012, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, April 13, 2012, Guanxi University, Guangxi, China.
• The Carnegie Report, and the Future of U.S. Legal Education, April 13, 2012, Guanxi University, Guangxi, China.
• An Overview of U.S. Public Health Law, March 30, 2012, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, March 29, 2012, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, March 23, 2012, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China.
• The Carnegie Report, and the Future of U.S. Legal Education, March 23, 2012, Dalian Maritime University, Dalian, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, February 16, 2012, East China University of Politics and Law, Shanghai, China.
• The Carnegie Report, and the Future of U.S. Legal Education, February 15, 2012, East China University of Politics and Law, Shanghai, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, January 13, 2012, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
• An Overview of U.S. Public Health Law, January 12, 2012, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, China.
• A History of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Legal Rights in the United States, December 20, 2011, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, December 6, 2011, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China.
• A History of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered and Queer Legal Rights in the United States, December 6, 2011, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, China.
• Why Americans are Likely to Sue Each Other, an Introduction to U.S. Tort Law, September 27, 2011, Renmin University, Beijing, China.
• Building Bridges: Realizing our Common Goals across Faculty Roles While Understanding our Differences, July 25, 2011, Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Conference, Hilton Head, SC.
• Transgressors of Masculinity Norms, August 1, 2010, Southeastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS) Conference, Palm Beach, FL.
• Rejecting Masculinity: The Legal and Social Costs for Transitioning from a Man to a Woman, April 2, 2010, Southwest Social Sciences and Sociological Association, Houston, TX.
• Ethical Issues in Representing the Trans Client, Association for the Study of Law, Culture and Humanities, May 19, 2010, Brown University, Providence, RI.
• "Rights of Sexual Minorities" Civil Rights in the Obama Era Conference, November 13, 2009, Valparaiso University School of Law, Valparaiso, IN.
• Approaches to Ensuring the Safety of Prisoners of Ambiguous Sex, October 14, 2009, Central States Law Schools Association Conference, Columbus, OH.
• An Historic Examination of Legal Segregation by Sex, LatCrit Conference, October 3, 2009, American University School of Law, Washington, DC.
• So, You Want to Be a Law Professor, September 12, 2009, Lavender Law Conference, Brooklyn, NY.
• Transgendered People in Prison; an Examination of the Historic Underpinnings for Segregation of the Sexes, May 28-31, 2009, Law and Society, Denver, CO.
• Approaches of the Law, Public Health and Social Science in the Treatment of Transgendered Persons in Prison, April 8-11, 2009, Southwest Social Sciences and Sociological Association, Denver, CO.
• Issues of Transsexuals, Intersexual and Transgendered Persons in Prison, April 3-4, 2009, Association for the Study of Law, Culture and the Humanities, Boston, MA.
• A Prisoner’s Dilemma; Transgendered People in Prison, October 25, 2008, Central States Law Schools Association Conference, (Southern Illinois University School of Law), Carbondale, IL.
• Transgendered Prisoners’ Dilemma, September 5, 2008, Lavender Law Conference, San Francisco, CA.
• Are You a Boy or a Girl?, Association for the Study of Law, March 28, 2008, Culture and the Humanities, Berkeley, CA.
• Are You a Boy or a Girl?, February 6, 2007, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, Gay, Straight Alliance presentation, Fort Worth TX.
• Paying for the Most Expensive, Least Efficient Health Care: Bush’s Answer to the Health Care Crisis, August 10, 2007, Inaugural Texas Junior Legal Scholars Conference, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law.
• Overcharging the Uninsured for Health Care in the United States: An Anachronism in the Age of Globalization, July 20, 2007, The Gloucester Conference, Gloucester, UK.
• Pursuing Justice for Private Wrongs in the Common Law System: Tort Remedies in the U.S. and Local Legal Systems, June 28, 2007, Asian Judicial Institute Training Program for Mongolian Law Trainers, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law.
• The “CSI” Effect on the Psychology of Jurors: The Challenges that Pop Culture is Bringing to the Courtroom, December 15, 2006, Tarrant County Medical Examiners Current Trends in Forensic Science, Fort Worth, TX.
• Ethics Issues in Mergers and Acquisitions of Healthcare Entities, September 8, 2006, Albany Law School Conference on Mergers and Acquisitions, Albany, NY.
• Thinking Outside the Two Boxes: Recognizing the Ambiguity of Sexual Identity in the Law, The Gloucester Conference, June 18-20, 2006, Gloucester, UK.
• Liability for Healthcare Volunteers in Public Health Emergencies, March 2, 2006, Medical-Legal Issues in Bioterrorism and Public Health Emergency Disasters, Fort Worth Medical Society, Fort Worth, TX.
• Moderator, Discussant. December 14-16, 2005, Tarrant County Medical Examiners Current Trends in Forensic Science, Fort Worth, TX.
• When Immutable Characteristics Cease to be Immutable: Intersexual Persons and the Irrelevance of Sexual Classification in Defining a Family, October 27 - 29, 2005, Lavender Law Conference, San Diego, CA.
• Panel Discussion, “Texas Constitutional Amendment #2, Should we Amend or Defend?” October 26, 2005, Texas Wesleyan University School of Law, Fort Worth TX.
• The Effects of Changing the ‘Immutable’ Characteristics of Sex and Gender on the Definition of Family, June 2 – 6, 2005, Law and Society Conference, Las Vegas, NV.
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered Legal History 101, April 2-3, 2005, Unity Conference, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
• Presented a comparison of legal and medical ethics during this panel discussion of the ethical obligations of lawyers. March 30, 2005, PAD Ethics Panel Presentation, Appalachian School of Law, Grundy, VA.
• Symposium to Honor Professor Ruthann Robson, November 5, 2004, City University of New York.
• Abstinence-Only Adolescent Education: Ineffective, Unpopular and Unconstitutional, September 23, 2004, American Constitution Society, Appalachian School of Law, Grundy, VA.
• Teaching Legal Writing to Lawyers Whose First Language is Not English, March 30 – April 1, 2004, TESOL Conference, Long Beach CA.
• A History of the Law in the United States Concerning Sexual Orientation and a History of ACTUP. March 26-28, 2004, Unity Conference, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC.
• Ethics for EEO Practitioners, August 28, 2001, EEOC, Fiscal Year 2001 Federal Sector TAPS Continuing Education Seminar, Atlantic City, NJ.
• Television Interview: Commented on judicial ethics concerning a judge arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Fox News 4, Dallas/Fort Worth, November 12, 2008, 5 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.