McGeorge School of Law is excited to introduce nine new faculty members to the community, marking one of the largest groups of new appointments in recent memory. These distinguished educators and legal professionals bring a wealth of experience and expertise that will enhance McGeorge’s academic offerings and contribute to the school's ongoing commitment to excellence in legal education.

Linda E. Coco joins as the Director of the Legal Clinics and Professor of Law. She co-directs McGeorge’s Bankruptcy Clinic, focusing on advancing access to debt relief. With expertise in bankruptcy law, civil procedure, and contracts law, she brings significant experience from her previous teaching roles at Golden Gate University School of Law, Barry University School of Law, and St. John’s University School of Law. Professor Coco holds a PhD in Legal Anthropology from UC Berkeley and a JD from the University of Maryland School of Law. Professor Coco has authored several articles on Neoliberalism, debt, and bankruptcy, as well as Children First: A Parent's Guide to Fighting Corporate Predators with Ralph Nader, published in 1996.

Dominique Hinson joins as the Associate Director of Trial Advocacy and Associate Professor of Law, Legal Practice and teaches courses in McGeorge’s award-winning Trial Advocacy Program and supervises top-ranked competition teams. During her time at South Texas College of Law Houston, Professor Hinson taught courses in persuasive advocacy, appellate advocacy, and trial advocacy, and dedicated 10 years as an advocacy coach. She is passionate about fostering advocacy skills in both students and practicing attorneys and has served as a faculty member for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA). Her dedication to trial advocacy is reflected in her contributions to national advocacy competitions and workshops.

Pamela Izvănariu joins as an Associate Professor of Law specializing in labor, inequality, and social movements. As a legal and sociological scholar, Professor Izvănariu uses historical, legal, and empirical methodologies to investigate both historical and contemporary legal issues, with publications in top-tier journals including Michigan Journal on Race & Law, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy, and the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science. Before McGeorge, she served as a professor at the University of Dayton, the Director of Florida International University’s Research Institute on Social and Economic Policy, and the Director of Research and Development at the University of California, Los Angeles’ Institute for Research on Labor and Employment.

Andrew W. Jurs joins as the Inaugural Robert Eglet Evidence Chair and Professor of Law. He specializes in expert evidence and criminal law, and has taught previously at Drake University Law School, the University of Oregon School of Law, and the Wake Forest University School of Law. Prior to entering academia, he was an Assistant Attorney General at the Colorado Attorney General’s Office and a Deputy District Attorney in the Denver area. His research focuses on the judicial management of expert evidence, and he has authored a textbook on the subject, as well as numerous influential articles. Professor Jurs’ work is widely recognized for its impact on evidence law and its practical application in the courtroom. Jurs recently served a three-year term on the Legal Task Group for the National Institute of Standards and Technology Organization of Scientific Area Committees, and previously served as a member of the executive committee of the AALS Section on Evidence with a term as chair in 2017-2018.

Steven Macias joins as a Visiting Professor of Law at McGeorge for the 2024-25 academic year, while on leave from the faculty at the University of the District of Columbia. His scholarship includes legal history, constitutional law, and education law, with a focus on marginalized groups. Professor Macias is currently pursuing his EdD in Education Policy, Organization & Leadership from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Professor Macias has previously taught at the University of South Dakota and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, offering a broad range of courses including constitutional law, legislation and regulation, and criminal law. His interdisciplinary approach enriches his teaching, particularly in courses related to social justice. His book, Legal Science in the Early Republic, examines the intellectual and philosophical roots of early attempts to systematize legal education.

Erin O'Neal brings her extensive legislative and litigation experience to McGeorge as a Visiting Associate Professor of Law, teaching Capital Lawyering & Policymaking and Global Lawyering Skills. A Stanford Law graduate, Professor O’Neal clerked for a federal district judge and litigated complex civil cases in federal court. While at Stanford Law School, Professor O’Neal was Editor in Chief of The Stanford Law & Policy Review and President of Women of Stanford Law. Prior to attending law school, she was a California Senate Fellow and worked as a legislative consultant in the office of Senate President Pro Tempore Bill Lockyer. Professor O’Neal has been teaching as an adjunct professor and faculty coach for McGeorge’s nationally-ranked Moot Court team since 2018, and currently serves as the Director of McGeorge’s Capital Center for Law & Policy and Capital Lawyering Concentration. She also teaches pre-law courses at Pacific’s undergraduate campus and is the Director of the University’s Pacific Legal Advantage Program. Professor O’Neal currently serves as Chair of the Association of American Law School’s State & Local Government Section, and her legal expertise is complemented by her active involvement in policy reform and public service.

Oyango A. Snell joins as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, Legal Practice and the Director of Academic Support. Snell also teaches Global Lawyering Skills II and the Legal Profession (TLP). Snell joined McGeorge’s adjunct faculty in December 2023 and taught TLP and Practical Analysis, Strategies, and Skills (PASS) II. With nearly two decades of experience in legal, government, and corporate affairs, Professor Snell is known for his leadership and dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. He previously served as the CEO of the California Lawyers Association and has held leadership roles in several major organizations. His commitment to student success and inclusion is central to his role at McGeorge.

Omar Yousef Shehabi joins as a Visiting Professor of Law for the 2024-25 academic year from NYU School of Law, where he was an acting assistant professor. At McGeorge, he teaches public international law, law and practice of the United Nations, statutes and regulations, administrative law, and professional responsibility. Before teaching law, he served as a legal officer with the United Nations Secretariat and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). He previously served as a legal advisor to the Palestinian negotiating team in permanent-status negotiations with Israel. He is a graduate of George Washington University, University of Notre Dame Law School, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Yale Law School, where he is also a doctoral candidate. His scholarly interests are international labor law, international dispute settlement, the law of state responsibility, the law of international organizations, the history and historiography of human rights, the laws of war, data privacy and the regulation of emerging technologies.

Rachel Van Cleave joins as a Visiting Professor of Law, bringing extensive experience from her previous role as Dean of Golden Gate University School of Law. She has taught at various institutions, including Texas Tech University and Stanford Law School, at which she also earned her JSM. Professor Van Cleave’s expertise includes criminal procedure, constitutional law, and comparative criminal justice, with a focus on gender-based violence. Her administrative leadership and dedication to legal education are evident in her longstanding commitment to academic excellence. In 1995, Professor Van Cleave received a J. William Fulbright Scholarship to engage in research at Italy’s Constitutional Court on Italy’s adoption of plea bargaining, which was somewhat modeled on the U.S. practice. She has continued to engage in comparative criminal justice scholarship, particularly as to gender-based violence. In 2020, she received another J. William Fulbright Scholarship to engage in research at Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassazione.

McGeorge School of Law is proud to welcome these distinguished faculty members who will undoubtedly enrich the academic environment and contribute to the school’s tradition of excellence in legal education.

For more information about McGeorge School of Law, visit our website.

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