Tamara F. Lawson

Professor of Law

B.A., Claremont McKenna College
J.D., University of San Francisco School of Law
LL.M., Georgetown University Law Center, with distinction
S.J.D. (candidate), Georgetown University Law Center

Professor Lawson teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Evidence. Formerly, she was Deputy District Attorney at the Clark County District Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1996-2002. As a criminal prosecutor, Professor Lawson served on the Special Victim’s Unit for Domestic Violence. She has successfully argued multiple cases before the Nevada Supreme Court, including death penalty appeals. In addition to general criminal cases, Professor Lawson, in her capacity as Deputy D.A. handled environmental crimes, involuntary mental commitments, and bail bond hearings. Moreover, Professor Lawson participated in public and televised presentations on various controversial topics in criminal law, including hate crimes, capital punishment and sentencing, and the mental health of criminal defendants. She has published a lead article in the American Journal of Criminal Law, entitled “Can Fingerprints Lie?”

You can read some of Professor Lawson's writings on her SSRN page at http://ssrn.com/author=1208602.