New faces, new initatives

Sarah Adkins joined the College of Law in November 2021 as the inaugural director of the Legal Access Clinic (LAC) at Cincinnati Law.

The LAC, which is scheduled to open in Fall 2022, is designed to address the access to justice gap for low- and middle-income people in the tristate.

“We are thrilled that Sarah has joined the College to launch the LAC. Too many in our community confront serious legal issues but go to court unrepresented because they lack the resources to pay a private attorney and earn too much to qualify for Legal Aid,” said Dean Verna Williams. “This new Clinic will go far in helping us close the access to justice gap.”

Previously, Adkins was the founder, executive director, and immigration attorney for Neighbors Immigration Clinic (NIC), an immigration legal nonprofit clinic in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to launching and practicing at NIC, Adkins has significant experience in other aspects of the law.  She was Assistant Attorney General, Office of Civil and Environmental Law for the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office, where she served as lead counsel in the Commonwealth’s environmental litigation and managed a variety of cases at the trial and appellate levels. She also clerked for the Federal District Court Judge Gregory F. Van Tatenhove, administering the Judge’s extern and intern program and honing her experience in federal courts. As a student at Harvard Law School, Adkins participated in numerous clinics, including the Harvard Immigration Project, the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinic, the Ghana Project Clinic, and the Child Advocacy Project Clinic.

Read more about Sarah Adkins and the Legal Access Clinic.

Community advocate and scholar Jenn Dye ’09 has joined the College of Law as the inaugural Theodore M. Berry Director of the Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice.

Since its founding in 2010, the Center has grown into a groundbreaking, actively engaged organization that trains and cultivates scholars, leaders, and activists committed to social change. Relaunched in 2019 as the Nathaniel R. Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice, the Center reaffirmed its commitment to and alignment with the principles of Judge Jones’ impressive career as a champion for justice.

“We have found the ideal person to continue the Jones Center’s already impressive trajectory,” said Cincinnati Law Dean Verna Williams. “Jenn Dye’s leadership will allow the Center to attain new levels of impact and engagement driven by Judge Jones’ voice and his vision of providing legal access and knowledge to all.”

Dye most recently served as research associate and director of the Human Services Research & Innovation Center for the University of Cincinnati, where she was responsible for cultivating relationships to advance research in ways that increased community impact.

Read more about Jenn Dye and the Jones Center.

Dyann Margolis has been appointed assistant dean of academic success and bar programs. In this role, she will develop and deliver programming, courses, and individual coaching to enable law students to achieve their academic potential and succeed on the bar exam.

Margolis, who will begin her new role full-time in July, is currently the assistant dean for academic and bar success at Charleston School of Law in Charleston, South Carolina. Margolis has extensive experience preparing students for success in law school and on the bar exam, including developing comprehensive programming and interventions, conducting data analyses to drive programming, and collaborating with faculty.

“Assistant Dean Margolis brings significant experience and a demonstrated record of success in helping students prepare for the bar exam,” said Jacob Katz Cogan, associate dean for academic affairs and Judge Joseph P. Kinneary Professor of Law. “Her commitment to students makes her an ideal fit for this role. We are delighted that she’s joining us at the College.”

Read more about Dyann Margolis.