Notre Dame Law School grants tenure to four professors
Four members of the Notre Dame Law School faculty — Michael Addo, Stephanie Barclay, Emily Bremer, and Christian Burset — have been granted tenure and promoted to full professor of law. Their promotions will take effect July 1.
“I could not be more pleased to announce these promotions,” said G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School. “Each of these four individuals has made important contributions to the Law School community, the legal profession, and legal scholarship while embracing Notre Dame’s Catholic mission.”
Michael Addo
Professor of Law
Director, Notre Dame London Law Programme
Professor Michael Addo, an expert in the field of international human rights law, especially human rights and international business policy, has been the director of the Notre Dame London Law Programme since 2017. Under his leadership, students are studying in London at the highest numbers in the program’s history.
“Michael Addo has invigorated the Notre Dame London Law Programme and connected students with new opportunities in the field of international law,” Dean Cole said. “His kindness to our students, faculty, staff, and visitors has nurtured a truly welcoming Notre Dame environment in London.”
Addo has more than 25 years of experience in research, teaching, and policy advice. He teaches business and human rights law, United Nations Human Rights and supervises the London externship program.
He has held several leadership positions with the United Nations. He was a member of the UN Human Rights Working Group on Business and Human Rights for eight years, and chaired the group in 2017. He also served as a member and chairperson of the Coordination Committee of Special Procedures Mandate Holders.
Originally from Ghana, Addo earned a law degree from the University of Ghana, a degree in international human rights law from the University of Strasbourg, and a master of law and a doctoral degree from the University of Essex. He worked at the University of Exeter before coming to Notre Dame.
“There is no greater honor for a scholar than for his peers to so favorably endorse his work, and to warmly welcome him as one of their own. Such an honor comes with the responsibility to uphold the values and enrich the standards that have made the community great,” Addo said. “For its commitment to mission and the richness of its overall academic environment, there is no better place for a scholar to flourish. I feel genuinely honored.”
Stephanie Barclay
Professor of Law
Director, Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative
Professor Stephanie Barclay joined the faculty in 2020 and was named the inaugural director of the Notre Dame Law School Religious Liberty Initiative. Dean Cole established the Religious Liberty Initiative to promote religious freedom for all people through advocacy, student formation, and scholarship.
“Stephanie Barclay is one of the world’s premier scholars in the field of law and religion,” Dean Cole said. “She has been essential to the launch of Notre Dame Law School’s Religious Liberty Initiative, which is a powerful force for good.”
Barclay’s research focuses on the role that different democratic institutions play in protecting minority rights, particularly at the intersection of free speech and religious exercise. Her recent article, “Government Reasons and Constitutional Rights,” was competitively selected for presentation at a conference hosted by The Collective: Women in Legal Philosophy. The Yale Law Journal Forum also recently solicited an article from Barclay about the legal standard that should replace Smith if it were overruled.
Barclay clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during the Court’s 2021-22 term. She was previously a clerk to Judge N. Randy Smith on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and she has also litigated First Amendment cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Prior to joining the Notre Dame faculty, Barclay was on the faculty at the BYU Law School, where she was twice voted professor of the year. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Law at Oxford University as a Clarendon Scholar and a Tang Scholar.
“It’s a privilege to be part of Notre Dame’s thriving scholarly community, and to get to teach some of the nation’s top students,” Barclay said. “Notre Dame’s Catholic mission in particular makes this law school a very special place to be.”
Emily Bremer
Professor of Law
Professor Emily Bremer joined the Notre Dame Law School faculty in 2018. She teaches and writes in the areas of administrative law, civil procedure, and regulatory process. Her scholarship focuses primarily on matters of procedural design, with a recent focus on the legal requirements and policy considerations that apply in administrative adjudication.
In 2022, Bremer was the winner of the American Association of Law Schools Section on Administrative Law’s Emerging Scholar Award for 2023. She won the recognition for her article “The Rediscovered Stages of Agency Adjudication.” She serves as a Public Member of the Administrative Conference of the United States and is a regular contributor to the Yale Journal on Regulation’s Notice & Comment blog.
“Emily Bremer has been a wonderful addition to our faculty,” Dean Cole said. “She has distinguished herself as a creative and insightful scholar, and her scholarship in the area of administrative law has been groundbreaking. She has achieved a truly national reputation as a leading scholar of administrative law.”
Bremer graduated from New York University School of Law and clerked for Judge Andrew J. Kleinfeld of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. She came to Notre Dame from the University of Wyoming College of Law, and previously served as an attorney advisor and research director for the Administrative Conference of the United States.
“It’s a privilege to be able to do the work I love while contributing to Notre Dame Law School’s vibrant and distinctive community,” said Bremer. “I’m thankful for our wonderful students and grateful to my brilliant colleagues for their encouragement and support.”
Christian Burset
Professor of Law
Professor Christian Burset joined the faculty in 2018, and teaches legal history and civil procedure. His research focuses on the development of English and American legal institutions, including the interaction between law and economic change, the history of arbitration, and the place of specialized courts in the Anglo-American legal tradition.
“Christian Burset is deepening our understanding of the English and American legal systems through his fascinating research and writing,” Dean Cole said. “Our students and faculty are fortunate to learn from and work with him here at Notre Dame.”
His new book, An Empire of Laws: Legal Pluralism in British Colonial Policy, is scheduled to be published this fall. In the book, Burset explores how the 18th-century British Empire used law to shape the development of its colonies.
Burset earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and a Ph.D. in history from Yale University. Before coming to Notre Dame, he was a Golieb Fellow in Legal History at New York University School of Law and a clerk to Judge José A. Cabranes of the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Burset will clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during the fall 2024 term.
“Our students are a pleasure to teach. My colleagues are first-rate scholars and first-rate people,” Burset said. “In addition, Notre Dame Law School’s Catholic mission gives it a unique sense of joy and common purpose. I’m honored and delighted to be here.”