MELANIE B. JACOBS Michigan State University College of Law

MELANIE B. JACOBS
Michigan State University College of Law
Room 437 Law College Building
East Lansing, MI 48824
(517) 432-6944
[email protected]
Academic Leadership Experience:
Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, MI
Associate Dean for Graduate and International Programs, July 1, 2013 - present.
Oversee the curriculum and program development for three Masters’ programs, including one
fully online Masters’ program. Direct all activities related to recruitment, marketing, and
admission for Masters’ students. Supervise four full-time staff in the Office of Graduate and
International Programs; responsible for hiring and retention of staff. Create and manage the
budget for all Masters’ programs and the Office of Graduate and International Programs,
including setting tuition and scholarship rates, salaries for adjuncts and staff, and all program
related expenditures (about $2 million annually). Initiate and supervise international student
and faculty exchange agreements. Oversee three summer study abroad programs. Serve as
the liaison between the College of Law and MSU International Studies Program, including
serving as the co-chair of the Advisory/Consultative Committee to the Dean of the
International Studies Program and sitting on the Dean’s Designee committee to the Office of
Study Abroad.
Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Fellows Program, 2016-2017
The Big Ten Academic Alliance Academic Leadership Program is oriented to the specific
challenges of academic administration at major research universities and designed to help
faculty members and academic administrators prepare to meet them. Each participating school
selects five Fellows each year. The Academic Leadership Program involves the Fellows from
each Big Ten Academic Alliance campus in a series of three two-day seminars at other
member institutions plus readings and participation in monthly activities on their home
campuses.
Academic Teaching Experience:
Michigan State University College of Law, East Lansing, MI
Professor of Law, as of July 2011.
Associate Professor of Law, July 2005 – June 2011.
Assistant Professor of Law, July 2002 - June 2005.
Courses taught: Decedents’ Estates and Trusts, Child, Parent & the State, Assisted
Reproductive Technologies and the Law, Property, and Law & Gender.
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Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, PA
Teaching Fellow and Lecturer in Law, August 2000 - June 2002.
Courses taught: Family Law; Trusts & Estates and Taxation (with Prof. Robert Bartow);
Property (with Prof. Nancy Knauer); and Legal Research & Writing I and II.
Harvard Law School Hale & Dorr Legal Services Center, Jamaica Plain, MA
Clinical Instructor, Family Unit, July 1996 -May 1998.
Drafted student training materials and conducted seminars in various family law topics and
lawyering skills, including interviewing, counseling, negotiation, and professional ethics.
Supervised student advocates in all aspects of practice, from client interviews to contested
court hearings, who worked on a wide range of family law cases, including divorce, paternity,
custody, contempt, modification, and guardianship. Mediated and supervised students in the
Family Law Mediation Program.
Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA
Adjunct Instructor - First-Year Writing Program, September 1998 - April 2000.
Taught first-year law students the elements of legal writing and research. Drafted short answer
legal research problems and memorandum of law assignments requiring extensive case law
and statutory research. Supervised and assisted students during First-Year Moot Court.
Additional Academic Teaching Experience and Awards:
Michigan State University College of Law, Dubai, UAE
Taught Comparative Family Law October 2013.
Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Guest Lecturer, October 2008
Presented four lectures regarding current family law issues in the United States.
MSU Lilly Teaching Fellow 2006-07.
Lilly Project: “Bridging the Doctrinal and Skills Gap in Family Law.”
William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law, Williamsburg, VA
Visiting Assistant Professor, Fall 2004.
Courses Taught: Family Law and Property
Education:
Temple University School of Law, Philadelphia, PA
LL.M. in Legal Education, May 2002
Honorable Abraham L. Freedman Fellowship
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Boston University School of Law, Boston, MA
J.D., May 1994
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF LAW AND MEDICINE, Case and Note Editor
Boston University Clinical Programs, Student Public Defender
Battered Women’s Advocacy Project, Vice-President, Coordinator & Supervisor of
Advocacy Programs
Columbia University, New York, NY
A.B., Political Science, May 1991
Articles:
Procreative Liberty For a Price: Single Mothers of Choice, (work in progress).
Parental Parity: Intentional Parenthood’s Promise, 64 BUFF. L. REV. 465 (2016)
Introduction: In Search of Equality in Family Law, 2013 MICH. ST. L. REV. 933 (2014).
Intentional Parenthood’s Influence: If Procreative Autonomy Includes the Right not to
Parent, Then Should Federal Paternity Establishment Policy Be Changed? 20 AMER. U. J. OF
GENDER, SOCIAL POLICY, & THE LAW 489 (2012).
Overcoming the Marital Presumption, 50 Fam. Ct. Rev. 289 (2012).
More Parents, More Money: Reflections on the Financial Implications of Multiple
Parentage, 16 CARDOZO JOURNAL OF LAW & GENDER 217 (2010).
Why Just Two? Disaggregating Traditional Parental Rights and Responsibilities to
Recognize Multiple Parents 9 JOURNAL OF LAW & FAMILY STUDIES 309 (2007).
Procreation through ART: Why the Adoption Process Should Not Apply, 35 Cap. U. L. Rev.
399 (2006) (symposium).
My Two Dads: Disaggregating Biological and Social Paternity, 38 ARIZONA STATE L. J. 809
(2006).
Applying Intent-Based Parentage Principles to Nonlegal Lesbian Coparents, 25 N. ILL. U. L.
REV. 433 (2005) (symposium).
When Daddy Doesn’t Want to be Daddy Anymore: An Argument Against Paternity Fraud
Claims, 16 YALE J. L. & FEMINISM 193 (2004).
Micah Has One Mommy and One Legal Stranger: Adjudicating Maternity for Nonbiological
Lesbian Coparents, 50 BUFF. L. REV. 341 (2002).
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Shorter Works:
Letters: How Many Parents, N.Y.TIMES, February 2, 2010, at A23 (letter).
Letters: The Complex Parenting Network, N.Y. TIMES, Jul. 23, 2007, at A22 (letter).
Book Review, 8 B.U. PUB. INT. L.J. 579 (1999) (reviewing TIMOTHY C. SHIELL, CAMPUS
HATE SPEECH ON TRIAL (1998)).
Presentations:
"Procreative Liberty for a Price: Single Mothers of Choice in the United States and China,"
presented at the International Symposium Family Law and Family Justice in the 21st
Century: Practice and Reform, sponsored by the International Society of Family Law at the
Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, China.
“Procreative Liberty Can Be Yours … If the Price is Right,” presented at the Law & Society
Conference, May 2015, Seattle, WA.
“Intentional Parenthood’s Promise,” presented at Michigan State University’s Bioethics &
the Law Webinar Series, February 18, 2015.
“The 21st Century American Family” presented May 2014 at Renmin University Law School,
Beijing China; Fudan University Law School, Shanghai, China; and Shanghai University of
Finance and Economics, Shanghai, China.
“Pursuing Parental Parity – Why Intentional Parenthood Should be the Default Model of
Parentage Establishment,” presented at the International Society of Family Law Conference,
June 2013, Brooklyn, NY.
“Pursuing Parental Parity – Why Intentional Parenthood Should be the Default Model of
Parentage Establishment,” presented at the Law & Society Conference, Feminist Legal
Theory Workshop, May 2013, Boston, MA.
“Intentional Parenthood for All,” presented as part of the Reproductive Rights Discussion
Group at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools conference, July 2012, Amelia Island,
FL.
Comments and Reflections on “Inside the Castle” by Joanna Grossman & Lawrence
Friedman, part of the Reader Meets Author Roundtable at Law & Society Conference, June
2012, Honolulu, Hawaii.
“Should New Definitions of Legal Parentage Cause Us to Re-Evaluate Traditional
Definitions?” (presented at the International Association of Law and Mental Health
conference in Berlin Germany, July 2011).
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“The Paternity Riddle: Why Genetic Fatherhood Makes Some Men Legal Fathers and Some
Men Legal Strangers” (presented as part of the Future of Fatherhood panel at the Law &
Society Conference in San Francisco, June 2011).
“Intentional Parenthood’s Influence: If Procreative Autonomy Includes the Right not to
Parent, Then Should Federal Paternity Establishment Policy Be Changed?” (presented on
March 25, 2011 at “The New ‘Illegitimacy’: Revisiting Why Parentage Should Not Depend
on Marriage” at American University Washington College of Law).
“Intentional Parenthood’s Influence: If Procreative Autonomy Includes the Right not to
Parent, Then Should Federal Paternity Establishment Policy Be Changed?” (November 5,
2010 as part of the MSU Center for Gender in Global Context colloquia series).
“How the Use of ART Has Changed Legal Parentage,” presented at the Legal and Bioethical
Foundations of Assisted Reproductive Technologies symposium co-sponsored by the College
of Law and College of Human Medicine, Friday, October 1, 2010 (symposium organizer).
Panelist on “Innovative Teaching Techniques Used in Second/Third Year Courses,” August
6, 2010 at the Southeastern Association of Law Schools conference, Palm Beach, FL.
“Intentional Parenthood’s Influence: If Procreative Autonomy Includes the Right not to
Parent, Then Should Federal Paternity Establishment Policy Be Changed?” June 5, 2010 at
the combined Midwest Family Law Consortium and International Society of Family Law
Conference, UMKC Law School, Kansas City, MO.
“Jaycee Has an Egg Donor, a Sperm Donor, a Gestational Surrogate and No Legal Parents,”
May 26, 2010, Keynote Speaker for American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists,
Michigan Chapter, Junior Fellow Research Day, East Lansing, MI.
“Teaching with Assessments,” September 12, 2009 at the Legal Education at the Crossroads
Assessment Conference, University of Denver’s Sturm College of Law.
“Bridging the Doctrinal and Skills Gap in Family Law,”June 26, 2009 at the Midwest Family
Law Consortium, William-Mitchell School of Law, St. Paul, MN.
“Is Three Better Than Two? Allocating Financial Responsibility Among Multiple Parents,”
September 18, 2008 at the International Society of Family Law World Conference in Vienna.
“Duets Are Great: So Are Solos, Trios, & Quartets,” June 13, 2008 at the Jazzing Up Family
Conference at Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis, sponsored by the Midwest
Family Law Consortium.
“Teaching to Millenials and Incorporating Skills in Family Law,” June 5, 2008 at the
Emerging Family Law Scholars and Teachers Conference in New York, New York.
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“Bridging the Doctrinal and Skills Gap in Family Law,” Poster Presentation, Teaching
Section, AALS, January 4, 2008 at the AALS Annual Conference in New York, New York.
“Resolving Conflict Among Multiple Parents,” June 26, 2007 at the University of Padua,
sponsored by the International Association of Law & Mental Health World Congress.
UnMarried with Children... “Establishing Legal Parentage,” February 12, 2007 at American
University Washington College of Law, sponsored by the Journal of Gender, Social Policy
and the Law.
“Why Just Two? Disaggregating Traditional Parental Rights and Responsibilities to
Recognize Multiple Parents,” July 6, 2006 at the Law & Society Conference in Baltimore,
Maryland.
“Why the Adoption Process Should Not Apply to Assisted Reproduction,” April 7, 2006 at
the Second Annual Wells Conference on Adoption Law, Capital University Law School.
“My Two Dads: Disaggregating Biological and Social Paternity” March 24, 2006 at the
University of Oregon School of Law’s conference entitled, “Delivering Nurturance.”
“In Whose Best Interests, The Child or the State? Re-Evaluating the Role of Biology in
Determining Paternity,” November 2005 at the Central States Scholarship Exchange, hosted
by MSU College of Law.
“In Whose Best Interests, The Child or the State? Re-Evaluating the Role of Biology in
Determining Paternity” July 22, 2005 at the 12th World Conference of the International
Society of Family Law, Salt Lake City, Utah.
“What Role Should Biology Play in Determining Paternity?” June 5, 2005 at the Law &
Society Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Applying Intent-Based Parentage Principles to Nonlegal Lesbian Coparents” March 24,
2005 at the Northern Illinois University School of Law Family Law & Custody Symposium.
“Same-Sex Marriage Debate” (sponsored by The Federalist Society, The American
Constitution Society, and the Lesbian & Gay Law Association), October 27, 2004 at the
William & Mary Marshall-Wythe School of Law; debated against Professor Teresa Collett of
the University of St. Thomas.
“Using the Uniform Parentage Act,” at Theory Meets Practice: A Conversation Between
Practitioners Who Represent Gay and Lesbian Parents and Academics Who Write About
Legal Issues Relevant to Their Work, presented October 11, 2003 at American University
Washington College of Law.
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“Using Functional Parenthood to Make the Case Against Paternity Fraud Laws,” at the
International Society of Family Law North American Regional Conference hosted by the
University of Oregon School of Law, June 27, 2003.
Legal Practice Experience:
Witmer, Karp, Warner & Thuotte LLP, Boston, MA
Associate, May 1998 - July 2000.
Managed caseload including family law, probate, and general civil litigation. Assisted with
all aspects of trial preparation and performed extensive discovery including document
production, interrogatories and responses, and depositions. Represented clients at contested
and uncontested hearings, settlement negotiations, and four-way conferences.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
Child Support Enforcement Division, Cambridge, MA
Staff Counsel, March 1995- July 1996.
Represented the Commonwealth in child support enforcement matters including
establishment of paternity and establishment, modification, and enforcement of child support
obligations. Argued uncontested and contested motions; presented pretrial hearings, trials,
and criminal contempt cases; and engaged in settlement negotiations. Monitored and advised
support staff regarding legal procedure and document preparation.
Bar Admission: Massachusetts Bar - admitted since 1994.
Professional, University, and Law College Service
AALS Committee on Sections (commencing January 1, 2016)
AALS Family and Juvenile Law Section
Chair, January 2015 – December 2015
Chair-Elect, January 2014-December 2014.
Secretary/Treasurer, January 2013 – December 2013.
MSU Advisory/Consultative Committee to the Dean of International Studies & Programs
Fall 2014 – present (Co-chair, Fall 2015 – present)
MSU Dean’s Designee Committee for the Office of Study Abroad
Fall 2014 – present
MSU Search Committee for the Director of the Office of Study Abroad
May – December 2015
MSU Faculty & Organizational Development Advisory Board
Fall 2012 – Spring 2015
MSU College of Law Faculty Advisory Council
Fall 2009 – Spring 2013 (Chair, 2009- 2010, Fall 2010, and 2012-2013)
MSU Faculty Senate/Academic Council
Fall 2013 – Spring 2014
MSU Women’s Advisory Committee to the Provost
Fall 2009 – Spring 2012 (Co-Chair, Fall 2010-Spring 2012)
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