September 5, 2024 | Jeanne Leblanc - School of Law

UConn Law Welcomes New Faculty

John Brittain, the first Black tenured professor at UConn Law, will rejoin the UConn Law faculty in the Spring 2025 semester as a visiting professor to co-teach a new course, Taxation and Racism.

The UConn School of Law welcomes six new faculty members this fall and a visiting professor next spring, boosting the school’s outstanding legal practice program, clinics, curricular offerings and scholarship.

Jack Lienke joins the faculty as an associate professor of law, teaching and writing about environmental, administrative, and property law. He previously served as a senior research scholar at the Institute for Policy Integrity at New York University School of Law and taught at NYU Law and Brooklyn Law School. He is an expert in the U.S. Clean Air Act and co-author of the book “Struggling for Air: Power Plants and the ‘War on Coal,'” with Richard L. Revesz. He is a graduate of Vassar College and New York University School of Law.

“I’m thrilled to join the UConn faculty and eager to contribute to the school’s already thriving energy and environmental law program,” Lienke said.

Thomas Cobb brings expertise in legal writing and research to the position of director of legal practice and clinical professor of law. He previously taught legal research and writing for 16 years at University of Washington School of Law and directed and taught in the innovative legal research and writing program at Mitchell Hamline School of Law. He holds a BA from the University of Alabama, MAs from Reed College and the University of Chicago, and a JD from the University of Minnesota Law School.

“It’s a privilege to join UConn Law and become part of a legal skills program with such a strong reputation and such high standards,” Cobb said. “I can’t wait to dive in, work with everyone, and contribute to this already exceptional team.”

Alexandra Lombardi joins the UConn Law faculty as an assistant clinical professor of law teaching legal practice. She practiced law in the public sector for more than a decade, serving as deputy corporation counsel for the city of Hartford and as associate general counsel to a Connecticut governor. She is a graduate of the University of Connecticut and the University of Connecticut School of Law.

“I am thrilled to join my alma mater’s incredible faculty,” Lombardi said. “UConn Law provided me with the foundation for my legal career, and it’s a true honor to come back to help prepare the next generation of legal professionals.”

Gaurav Mukherjee, a widely published scholar of constitutional law, is a visiting assistant professor of law and the inaugural Stuart F. Smith Teaching Fellow at UConn Law. He teaches in the areas of American constitutional law, education law, international human rights, and torts. His latest paper, “The New Homelessness,” is forthcoming in the California Law Review and has been cited in an amicus brief for the Pacific Legal Foundation in the Martin v. Grants Pass case before the Supreme Court. He holds a BA and LLM from the National Academy of Legal Studies & Research at the University of Hyderabad in India, and an LLM and SJD from Central European University.

“I am very excited to be joining such a vibrant intellectual community that values international experience and is not afraid to ask the big questions about how the law shapes society,” Mukherjee said. “I look forward to working with and learning from my colleagues.”

Jenny Kim was the inaugural clinical fellow with the Duke University School of Law’s Immigrant Rights Clinic before she joined UConn Law as an assistant clinical professor of law, teaching legal practice. She previously served as an impact litigator with the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights and worked at Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California, Church World Service and the Kings County District Attorney’s Office. She is a graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University, and the University of Michigan Law School.

“I am delighted to join and contribute to the vibrant UConn Law community,” Kim said. “As a first-generation lawyer, I deeply appreciate UConn Law’s commitment to accessibility, affordability and academic excellence. I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff and students to help students prepare for practice.”

Mariah Bowman joins UConn Law as the teaching fellow in the Animal Law Clinic. She has interned at the Environmental Protection Agency and the Permanent Mission of Costa Rica to the United Nations, clerked remotely with the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and worked as a judicial intern for Judge Damaris E. Torrent in New York’s 9th Judicial District. She is a graduate of Ball State University and Pace University Elisabeth Haub School of Law.

“I’m extremely pleased to be a member of the UConn community and to be working alongside (Assistant Dean for Experiential Education Jessica) Rubin in the Animal Law Clinic,” Bowman said. “The warm welcomes have been greatly appreciated, and I’m looking forward to an enriching year.”

John Brittain will rejoin the UConn Law faculty in the Spring 2025 semester as a visiting professor to teach a new course, Taxation and Racism, with Professor Richard Pomp, an internationally known tax expert. Brittain was the first Black tenured professor at UConn Law and subsequently served as dean of the Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston and acting dean of the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law. In April, the D.C. Bar honored Brittain with the 2024 Thurgood Marshall Award for his lifelong commitment to advancing civil rights.

“I’m excited to welcome these talented educators and scholars to the distinguished ranks of the UConn Law faculty,” Dean Eboni S. Nelson said. “They bring tremendous expertise, experience and enthusiasm to the mission of guiding our students toward rewarding and successful careers.”