Lori D. Johnson
Which of your recent books or articles should I read?
My scholarship focuses on how various modes of inquiry inform the practice of transactional law. This research can help practitioners, teachers, and students of transactional law hone their skills in contract drafting and deal-making. An article that I’d recommend is Redefining Roles and Duties of the Transactional Lawyer: A Narrative Approach, available later this month in the St. John’s Law Review. In this paper, I describe how to effectively use narrative techniques in transactional lawyering by providing concrete examples.
What's the most important thing you are working on right now?
Drawing on my research and teaching of professional responsibility, I have been advising professionals in various industries on the ethical and professional use of technology. Specifically, I have lectured and consulted with lawyers, doctors, and dentists concerning their use of social media, search engine optimization, and internet advertising. During last year’s session of the Nevada Legislature, with the help of several student research assistants, I drafted legislation and testified before the Nevada State Senate on behalf of a local dental professional seeking further oversight of online advertising and search engine optimization in his field.
This research has prompted me to begin writing an article concerning recent changes to the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct concerning lawyer competence. Specifically, the ABA added a comment to the MRPC requiring lawyers to stay up-to-date on “the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.” This technology competence requirement has been adopted in 31 states, and it is unclear how it will be enforced, particularly in transactional practice. I am working to provide transactional lawyers and educators with guidance on how to comply with this new requirement.
What is it about being a law school professor that inspires or motivates you?
Seeing my students succeed. Regardless of their field of practice or career path, I am constantly motivated by the hard work and success of my current and former students. Teaching at Boyd for nearly eight years, I’ve now had the pleasure of seeing my former students progress and flourish in legal communities both here in Nevada and across the country. Whether in the public or private sector, litigation or transactional practice, seeing students achieve their personal and professional goals has inspired me to constantly refine my teaching and research. I aspire every semester to assist students in adapting to a constantly changing legal workplace, and prepare them for success.