Law, Stories, and Aristotle: Professor Lori Johnson Honored with Liberty Bell Award
Written By: Pat McDonnell
For Professor Lori Johnson, the Terry Pollman Professor of Law at Boyd Law, telling stories and drawing on philosophical principles are central to how she connects with her students.
On May 2, the Clark County Law Foundation honored Johnson with its Liberty Bell Award for fostering in students a deep respect for the rule of law, good governance, civic responsibility, and the courts. Now in her 15th year of teaching at Boyd Law, Johnson has joined a distinguished list of recipients that includes Nevada Supreme Court Judge Linda Bell, former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, retired Nevada Supreme Court Chief Judge Michael Cherry, and John Mowbray, managing partner of Spencer Fane’s Las Vegas office.
“That’s one of those soft skills that is going to become more valuable,” Johnson said of storytelling. “Stories really stick with human beings. We have to wield them ethically.”
Named Boyd Law’s Student Bar Association Professor of the Year in 2023, Johnson practiced real estate and corporate law in Chicago and Las Vegas before joining the faculty. As a Notre Dame undergraduate, she took several philosophy classes and developed a lasting appreciation for Aristotelian rhetoric. She encourages her students to model Aristotle’s ethical principles and believes that understanding clients’ stories can help them become more effective practitioners.
“Having practiced here before I taught, being of service to the Clark County Bar is the reason I do what I do,” Johnson said of the award. “That’s why it’s special to me.” She shared the 2025 Liberty Bell honor with 2003 Boyd Law alumna Mariteresa Rivera-Rogers and attorney Dara Goldsmith, whose son Trevor is currently a 2L at Boyd Law in Professor Johnson’s Business Organizations class.
In a rapidly changing legal landscape, Johnson believes that grounding students in ethics will strengthen the profession as a whole.
“An ethical foundation is really important,” said Johnson. “I try to bring an ethical component to my writing and skills courses — a practice-oriented concept. My goal is that students leave law school prepared, professional, and civil. I also introduce them to the courts’ formality through the moot court competition we host in partnership with the CCBA.”