About the Legal Writing Faculty
Janice Aitken
Legal Writing Professor of Law
B.A., M.A., J.D., Cleveland State University
Professor Aitken joined Cleveland-Marshall as a full-time Legal Writing Professor beginning Fall 2005. She received her B.A. (1986) and M.A. (Philosophy, 1990) from Cleveland State University, and is a summa cum laude graduate of the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (1996). While in law school, Professor Aitken served as Managing Editor of the Cleveland State Law Review and on the Moot Court Board of Governors. Following her graduation, she clerked for Magistrate Judge Jack B. Streepy of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Thereafter, she was an associate at Gallagher, Sharp, Fulton and Norman in the civil litigation, insurance and appellate practice groups. She also worked at the firm of Roetzel and Andress concentrating in insurance coverage litigation. She has published in the area of Federal Indian Law. For two years before joining the faculty on a full-time basis, Professor Aitken taught Scholarly Writing as a member of the adjunct faculty. Teaching Areas: Legal Writing, Research & Advocacy; Scholarly Writing
Brian A. Glassman
Legal Writing Professor of Law
B.A., Connecticut College
J.D., Boston University School of Law
Professor Glassman, a full-time teacher in the Legal Writing Department since 1993, also serves as the Law School's Art Liaison and as a member of its Art Committee. In the five years prior to joining the faculty, he operated a business providing legal research and writing services to other attorneys. From 1981-87, Prof. Glassman worked as a neighborhood staff attorney in the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland's Civil Division. He has served as a summer clerk with the office of the Arizona Attorney General, and as a research assistant with the National Consumer Law Center. Prof. Glassman has presented at national legal writing conferences, and has authored materials appearing in The Journal of Legal Education, Clearinghouse Review, and Ohio Jurisprudence 3d. Teaching Areas: Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy; Transactional Drafting; Law and the Arts; Copyright, Patent and Trademark.
Sandra J. Kerber
Legal Writing Professor of Law
B.A., Baldwin-Wallace College
J.D., Cleveland State University
Prior to teaching Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy at Cleveland-Marshall full-time, Professor Kerber taught part-time in the Division of Special Studies of Cleveland State University and at Cleveland-Marshall in conjunction with the law school's Legal Career Opportunity Program. She has also practiced law with a concentration in the areas of employment law, probate practice, domestic relations and personal injury. Prof. Kerber frequently lectures on topics and skills related to legal writing and research and is active in bar and community organizations. She also serves on several community committees. Prof. Kerber serves as the Legal Writing Advisor to the Cleveland State Law Review. She has authored legal writing materials used in teaching legal writing. Teaching Areas: Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy; Advanced Legal Writing.
Deborah J. Klein
Legal Writing Professor of Law
B.A., Kent State University
J.D., Cleveland State University
Following law school, Professor Klein clerked for Judge August Pryatel of the Ohio Court of Appeals, Eighth Appellate District. She then began teaching Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy at Cleveland-Marshall. Named Director of Legal Writing in 1983, she developed and published the teaching materials that are used throughout the program. Teaching Areas: Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy; Advanced Legal Research.
Claire C. Robinson May
Legal Writing Professor of Law
A.B. Harvard University
J.D. Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Prior to joining Cleveland-Marshall in 2001, Professor May was in private practice with law firms in Cleveland and Washington, D.C. Prof. May's practice focused on business litigation, including complex commercial matters. As a law student, she served as an extern for Judge Ann C. Williams of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, worked in the Law Reform Unit of the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, and was a member of the Case Western Reserve Law Review. Teaching Areas: Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy.
Karin Mika
Legal Writing Professor of Law
B.A., Baldwin-Wallace
J.D., Cleveland State University
Professor Mika has been associated with the first-year legal writing program since 1988. She is also Adjunct Professor of English at Cuyahoga Community College and works as a legal research consultant for various firms and businesses in the Cleveland area. Prof. Mika works with the law school's moot court program, has lectured on essay writing technique for several bar review courses, and has written bar exam essay questions for both the California and Minnesota bar examiners. Prof. Mika's areas of scholarly research are varied and she has published in the areas of Native American Law, Internet Law, and Health Care. Administrative and Teaching Responsibilities: Legal Writing, Research and Advocacy Program.