Ben Cohen
Ben Cohen
G. Ben Cohen has joined the faculty as an assistant professor of law. Cohen began his legal career as a law clerk at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta and continued working in capital defense at the Louisiana Crisis Assistance Center in New Orleans. He co-founded the Capital Appeals Project in 2001, where his work led to the exoneration of two condemned individuals, the reversal of six capital convictions and the setting aside of more than a dozen death sentences. He later co-founded the Promise of Justice Initiative, where he was counsel on landmark cases such as Kennedy v. Louisiana and Ramos v. Louisiana.
In 2021, after more than two decades as a capital defense attorney, Cohen was hired as chief of appeals for the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office as part of a reform effort to restore confidence in the legal system.
He has co-authored chapters in textbooks on implicit bias and innocence and published over a dozen law review articles. He created a course entitled The Promises, Compromises and Challenges of Progressive Prosecution, which he taught at Tulane Law School and the University of Iowa College of Law. Most recently he was a visiting professor of law at the University of Missouri School of Law.
Cohen earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Michigan and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Bowdoin College. During law school, Cohen created an externship to South Africa for students and clerked for then Judge Edwin Cameron at the Law Commission on HIV.
“We are pleased to welcome Ben to Akron Law,” said Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen. “He is the perfect addition to our practice-ready program. I think Akron Law’s students will benefit from his many years of real-world experience in the criminal legal system.”
Michael Doane
Michael Doane
Michael Doane has been named a full-time visiting assistant professor of law. Doane was previously general counsel at Kent Displays, Inc., in Kent, Ohio. Prior to that, he was principal at Miles & Stockbridge P.C., in Tysons Corner, Va. Earlier, he was a partner at the Washington, D.C., law firm Adduci, Mastriani & Schaumberg LLP. He specialized in international trade and intellectual property litigation.
“Michael has been teaching for us as a part-time faculty member for the past few years,” said Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen. “I am delighted that he will now be a member of our full-time faculty. He brings practical experience in intellectual property practice to the classroom and will help us expand our IP offerings.”
Doane earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Washington School of Law and a Master of Laws in International and Comparative Law from Georgetown University Law Center. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science from Kent State University and a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Washington.
Ashley Keith
Ashley Keith
Ashley Keith ’09, has joined the faculty as a full-time visiting assistant professor of law. She was previously a staff attorney and assistant general counsel at University Hospitals (UH) Health System of Cleveland. Earlier, she worked within the health care field as a practice manager at UH’s South Suburban Women’s Center.
Her past experiences also include employment as a tax law specialist at the Internal Revenue Service; a general partner at Keith, Washington & Marshall, LLC, in Cleveland; and a mortgage loan originator at Quicken Loans and BBMC Mortgage in Cleveland.
Prior to receiving her Juris Doctor from Akron Law, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and German from Illinois Wesleyan University.
Although a native of Detroit, Keith has remained in Northeast Ohio since her time at Akron Law. She is most looking forward to encouraging students to confidently approach the practice of law after their course completion.
“We are pleased to welcome Ashley to the Akron Law faculty,” said Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen. “She brings a wealth of knowledge from law practice in the corporate world to the classroom. I am excited that she can help us build and strengthen our growing business law program.”
Amelia Landenberger
Amelia Landenberger
Amelia Landenberger has joined the Law Library faculty as an assistant professor. She was previously a senior legal information librarian at Boston University (BU) Fineman and Pappas Law Libraries. Prior to joining the BU Law Libraries staff, she had experience working and teaching at the University of Kentucky Law Library, working as a law library fellow at the William A. Wise Law Library at the University of Colorado and interning at the Ohio Supreme Court Law Library.
“I am delighted that we are expanding our Library faculty with the addition of Amelia. She is an experienced law librarian and will be an asset to our legal research program,” Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen said.
Landenberger taught the legal research portion of the first-year Lawyering class, International Legal Research and legal research certification classes at BU. She also taught Essential Bar Skills for L.L.M.s and introductory legal research in the BU L.L.M. program. In addition, she taught Advanced Legal Research as an adjunct at New England Law | Boston. At the University of Kentucky, she taught legal research to first-year students and Kentucky Legal Research.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in French Language and Literature from Case Western Reserve University, a Juris Doctor from The Ohio State University and a Master of Library and Information Science from Kent State University. She is an active member of the American Association of Law Libraries and the Ohio Regional Association of Law Libraries.
James Steiner-Dillon
James Steiner-Dillon
James Steiner-Dillon has joined the faculty as an associate professor of law. Steiner-Dillon was previously an associate professor at the University of Dayton School of Law. Prior to that appointment in 2018, he was an associate in law at Columbia Law School, where he taught legal research and writing. He previously taught Civil Procedure as an adjunct professor at the University of California College of the Law (formerly UC Hastings).
“James Steiner-Dillon is a highly respected faculty member who brings years of experience in teaching practical, core courses such as Evidence and Civil Procedure. I am delighted that he has chosen to continue his career in legal education at Akron Law,” said Dean Emily Janoski-Haehlen.
After graduating from New York University School of Law in 2003 with a Juris Doctor degree, Steiner-Dillon practiced litigation in the New York City offices of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, focusing on securities litigation, white collar defense, antitrust and bankruptcy. He also clerked for the Honorable I. Leo Glasser, senior U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of New York. In addition to his law degree, he holds a Master of Arts in Philosophy from New York University and a Doctor of Philosophy in Jurisprudence and Social Policy from the University of California, Berkeley. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from West Virginia University.
Steiner-Dillon’s scholarship focuses broadly on the construction of legal knowledge, with particular emphasis on courts’ engagement with scientific expertise. His scholarship has appeared or is forthcoming in the Utah Law Review, Albany Law Review, Indiana Law Review, the University of Cincinnati Law Review, the Columbia Science and Technology Law Review, the St. Louis University Law Journal and the West Virginia Law Review. His work has been featured on the podcasts Ipse Dixit and Excited Utterance.
Y. S. (Steve) Lee
Y. S. (Steve) Lee
Y. S. (Steve) Lee has joined the faculty as a visiting professor of law. He is a scholar in law and development and an international trade lawyer. He has also taught and conducted academic research at leading universities throughout the United States, Europe and Asia, including Cornell University School of Law, Emory University, Tulane University, the University of Sydney (Australia), and the University of Manchester (U.K.). He graduated in economics with academic distinction from the University of California, Berkeley, and received law degrees from the University of Cambridge (B.A., M.A., Ph.D.). He has over 120 publications. He is licensed to practice law in multiple jurisdictions, including United States (Attorney at Law: California, North Carolina) and United Kingdom (Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales).
"Steve brings an incredibly diverse background to the Law School," Dean Janoski-Haehlen said.