Meet the Exceptional New and Returning Santa Clara Law Faculty

Santa Clara University School of Law welcomes six stellar new members to its esteemed faculty, and also welcomes back renowned antitrust and telecommunications professor, Catherine Sandoval, who had been serving as a member of the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board since 2023.

The new professors will lead courses and promote scholarship in areas including criminal law, business law, technology, intellectual property, trademarks, legal analysis, research, writing and interdisciplinary explorations of the characteristics of a good society.

“Building on our mission and tradition of providing an exceptional and transformative legal education, I am delighted to welcome this outstanding group of new and returning faculty members who bring extraordinary talent and a deep commitment to scholarship, teaching, and service,” said Dean Michael J. Kaufman.

“We feel incredibly fortunate to have six new faculty members who are experts in their respective fields and who bring a deep passion for mentoring our students within and beyond the classroom,” added Laura Norris, associate dean for academic affairs and law professor.

Three New Full-Time Professors

Adam Abelkop (Fall 2025)

Associate Clinical Professor of Law

J.D., University of Iowa College of Law

Ph.D, Indiana University

Adam Abelkop joined Santa Clara Law from University of San Francisco School of Law, where he was an associate professor of legal writing and director of the Legal Research, Writing & Analysis Program. Prior to USF, Abelkop was a teaching fellow and lecturer in law at Stanford Law School where he supervised the Environmental Law & Policy LL.M. Program. Abelkop’s research falls at the intersection of public health and environmental law. He is the lead editor of an encyclopedic volume entitled "Chemical Risk Governance" (2023), and he is currently working on articles on the role of tort law in chemical safety governance and on evaluating the federal Toxic Substance Control Act, which governs chemical safety in industrial processes and in consumer products.

“I am delighted to join the incredible faculty at Santa Clara Law who are known for placing student skills and whole-person development at the heart of their teaching. I have tremendous respect for Santa Clara’s LARAW program, and I’m excited to explore ways in which I can help students think critically about how law can be used to protect public health and the environment,” Abelkop said.

 

Emily Burns (Fall 2025)

Assistant Clinical Professor of Law

J.D., University of San Diego School of Law

Emily Burns was most recently senior trademark counsel for Google LLC, where she handled all things trademark for YouTube. Burns has over 20 years of experience in all areas of trademark practice, including clearance and prosecution of trademarks domestically and internationally, offensive and defensive trademark disputes in a wide array of tribunals, instituting anti-counterfeit protections with customs authorities worldwide, and overseeing numerous high-profile global rebranding projects. Burns is an expert in intermediary liability, with a specific focus on content moderation and clearance issues, applying concepts such as parody, commentary and criticism, and First Amendment protection of artistic works. With a passion for helping students become excellent practitioners, Burns has taught intellectual property and trademark courses at Santa Clara University School of Law and at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco for over 15 years. Prior to joining Google in 2010, Burns was a member of the Litigation and Trademark practice groups at Cooley LLP. Beyond the classroom, Burns has served in multiple mentorship roles, with a specific emphasis on working with groups that are traditionally underrepresented in the tech and legal communities including through Google’s OC LEAD and Legal Summer Institute programs, and Santa Clara Law’s Tech Edge JD program. 

“I am excited to join the impressive cadre of IP and tech faculty at Santa Clara Law. I’m passionate about helping the next generation of lawyers find their voice and thrive in the rapidly evolving world of trademarks and intellectual property,” Burns said.

 

Theodore Ko (Fall 2025)

Assistant Clinical Professor of Law

J.D., University of California, Davis School of Law

Theodore Ko was most recently a content attorney at Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), where he developed legal guides and research materials to help attorneys in their practices. In addition, for the past four years, he has taught part-time at Santa Clara Law’s part-time Flex J.D. program. Prior to CEB, Ko worked at the Yolo County District Attorney's Office as a deputy district attorney, and at Asian Law Alliance in San Jose as an immigration attorney. At CEB, Ko collaborated with practicing attorneys and judges to draft practice guides, sample pleadings, and legal articles across multiple practice areas including civil procedure, trusts and estates, and a range of other practice areas.

“Teaching and writing about the law allows me to bridge theory and practice in meaningful ways,” said Ko. “Whether it’s guiding students in the classroom or supporting attorneys through practical legal resources, I’m committed to making the law more accessible and effective for those who rely on it,” he said.

Three New Visiting Professors

John E.B. Myers (Fall 2025)

Visiting Professor, University of California Law, San Francisco

Professor Emeritus, McGeorge School of Law

J.D., University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law

John Myers comes to Santa Clara Law from UC Law SF, where he had been serving as a visiting professor. Myers is also professor emeritus at McGeorge School of Law, where he taught for decades and earned numerous “Professor of the Year” awards. His dedication to scholarship, intellectual curiosity, and commitment to the craft of teaching are deeply inspiring.  Specializing in criminal law, Myers has authored more than a dozen books, including a casebook in criminal law, as well as hundreds of articles on topics including evidence, child protection, and domestic violence. Myers’ work is widely cited by courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court—and he has been honored repeatedly for his service and advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations. Dedicated to the application of his research in criminal justice reform, Myers has recently completed training and is now serving as a reserve police officer at the University of the Pacific.

“I’m honored to join the Santa Clara Law community and contribute to a faculty so deeply committed to academic excellence and social justice,” said Myers. “It’s a privilege to continue teaching and mentoring the next generation of lawyers in such a dynamic and mission-driven environment,” he added.

 

Mary Seligman (Spring 2026)

Visiting Professor, Washington University School of Law

M.D., Dartmouth Medical School

M.A. Religion, Yale Divinity School

Physician Mary Seligman currently serves as a visiting professor at Washington University School of Law. She recently coauthored an insightful new book "The Good Society and Tyrants: The Intractable Struggle," with Joel Seligman, professor of law at Washington University School of Law. Together, the co-authors, who are married to one another, will teach a short-form course on their upcoming book. 

The authors come to their interest in exploring whether a “Good Society” was possible from very different career paths.

Mary Seligman is a  physician specializing in adult, adolescent, and child psychiatry.  An anthropology major as an undergrad, she spent several months during her medical training working in a public health service clinic on the Navajo Nation, where she decided that a major focus of her clinical and research career would be underserved populations. This interest led her to study at the Yale Divinity School, where she received an M.A. in religion. Later, as a faculty member at Yale Medical School, she did clinical work with underserved children and adolescents, and conducted research including an epidemiological study of methods to assess the psychiatric symptoms/distress of children and adolescents living in a range of social settings.

She currently is on the faculty of Washington University School of Law, where she teaches courses on "The Good Society" along with her husband and co-author.

 

Joel Seligman (Spring 2026)

Professor of Law, Washington University School of Law

J.D., Harvard University Law School

Lawyer, professor, and former university president Joel Seligman graduated from Harvard Law School and worked for three years for consumer crusader Ralph Nader. He began his career as a law professor, teaching at the University of Michigan Law School between 1986 and 1995. His principal academic focus has been securities regulation, including co-authoring an 11-volume treatise on the topic, and writing two histories of financial regulation. He previously served as dean of both the University of Arizona College of Law and the Washington University School of Law, and for 13 years served as president of the University of Rochester. 

Now on the faculty at Washington University School of Law, Joel Seligman will teach  a short-form course on business/corporate law, in addition to the short-form course on "The Good Society." 

“We knew that throughout history, there have been many attempts to establish Good Societies,” the couple stated. “We studied how they fared, how they change, why do Good Societies usually, but not always, endure for less time than their founders had envisioned. We look forward to sharing what we’ve learned with the Santa Clara Law community and engaging in deep and meaningful discussions with the next generation of law students on this very important topic.”

Returning Faculty

Catherine J.K. Sandoval (Fall 2025)

Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law

J.D., Stanford University

Catherine Sandoval will return to the full-time faculty at Santa Clara Law after serving as one of five members on the U.S. Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) since 2023. Sandoval’s experience in infrastructure regulation, fact-gathering, root cause analysis and community collaboration contributed to the CSB’s mission “to promote chemical safety, and protect workers, communities, jobs, investments, and the environment.” Sandoval is well known in the world of academia for her research on telecommunications, antitrust, energy, and contract issues. She joined Santa Clara Law in 2004, and has had extensive experience as a leader in numerous government organizations, as well as in the private sector, including appointments as a commissioner at the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), on a team that investigated incidents  such as the natural gas explosion in San Bruno, California, and the methane plume released near Los Angeles at Aliso Canyon. She has written numerous articles and taught law courses in the areas of communications, antitrust, energy, and contracts. Sandoval was the first in her family to earn a bachelor’s degree. She was also the first Latina selected as a Rhodes Scholar, the first tenured Latina law professor at Santa Clara, and the first Latinx CPUC commissioner.

“I am thrilled to return to Santa Clara Law and rejoin a faculty dedicated to advancing justice through scholarship and service,” said Sandoval “I was honored to serve on CSB which deepened my commitment to training lawyers who understand the complex intersection of law, technology, and public welfare,” she said.

Media Contact
Deborah Lohse | Media Communications | dlohse@scu.edu | 408-554-5121