Notre Dame Law School grants tenure to two professors

Two members of the Notre Dame Law School faculty, Professor Patrick Corrigan and Professor Marah Stith McLeod, have been granted tenure and promoted to full professor of law, effective July 1.

"I am delighted to announce these well-deserved promotions," said G. Marcus Cole, the Joseph A. Matson Dean and Professor of Law at Notre Dame Law School. "Patrick and Marah have made substantial contributions to the Law School community, the legal profession, and legal scholarship, all while exemplifying Notre Dame's Catholic mission."

Patrick Corrigan researches how laws and legal institutions shape capital markets and transactional structures, with a particular focus on issues related to initial public offerings (IPOs), banking, and venture capital. His article, “Footloose with Greenshoes? Can Underwriters Profit from IPO Underpricing?,” was selected for reprint by the Defense Law Journal and cited by the Securities and Exchange Commission in a final rule. His work has also been cited in final orders by the Securities and Exchange Commission and a policy statement by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Corrigan teaches business associations, securities regulation, and a seminar on venture capital financings and initial public offerings.

“Patrick Corrigan is a prominent researcher and has greatly enhanced legal scholarship at Notre Dame Law School in key areas of business and corporate law,” said Cole. “His expertise in capital markets, IPOs, transactional structures, and venture capital is invaluable, and our students benefit immensely from his deep knowledge and insightful teaching.”

Corrigan is a research associate at the University of Amsterdam Center for Law and Economics and serves as a faculty fellow for the Notre Dame Research Program on Law and Market Behavior and the Notre Dame Program on Private Law.

Before coming to Notre Dame in 2019, Corrigan was the Wagner Fellow in Law & Business at NYU School of Law and NYU Stern School of Business. He previously practiced law in the general practice group at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York City.

Corrigan earned a J.D. from New York University School of Law, a master’s degree in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School, and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.

“With deep gratitude to my colleagues, mentors, and supporters, I am honored to be part of the vibrant scholarly community of Notre Dame Law School,” said Corrigan. “I am excited to continue working with the faculty, staff, and students to advance the Catholic identity and mission of the University of Notre Dame, including by seeking truth for its own sake and by cultivating human solidarity and concern for the common good.”

Marah Stith McLeod joined Notre Dame Law School in 2016. She teaches criminal law and criminal procedure and studies legal and ethical problems in these areas. Her scholarship explores the distribution of decisional power in the criminal justice system and the theory and practice of criminal punishment, including the death penalty.

Inspired by twin commitments to human dignity and to democracy, McLeod’s scholarship focuses on the rationality, democratic legitimacy, and humanity of American criminal statutes and criminal procedures. She has examined how to make criminal justice decisions more transparent and aligned with public morality and fairness, and has critiqued the routinization of criminal sentencing.

"Marah McLeod's scholarship enhances our criminal law curriculum, particularly with her research on the death penalty and ethical aspects of the American criminal legal system,” said Cole. “Her commitment to human dignity and democratic principles is evident in her teaching and research, offering valuable insights into the rationality and fairness of criminal statutes and procedures for our students."

McLeod’s courses include introductory classes on Criminal Law and advanced courses on Criminal Adjudication and Plea Bargaining. She serves as a faculty fellow for the Notre Dame Religious Liberty Initiative and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Catholic Criminal Justice Reform Network.

Before joining Notre Dame, McLeod taught legal writing at Columbia Law School, worked as a civil litigator and pro bono counsel in death penalty cases at Sidley Austin LLP in Chicago, and served at the Office of Legal Counsel in the U.S. Department of Justice.

She served as a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid O’Scannlain of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and to Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. McLeod received her JD from Yale Law School and her undergraduate degree from Harvard.

“It is an extraordinary blessing to be part of the Notre Dame community. Nowhere else have I encountered such collective wisdom, reasoned and free discussion, collegiality, and commitment to the dignity and good of others as at Notre Dame Law School,” said McLeod. “My colleagues embrace their roles as scholars and educators as a vocation, seeking excellence in their scholarship and skill and integrity in their students. Our students are drawn to become advocates for others and for justice.”