Feature Stories 2021: New faculty and staff join UMass Law with strong teaching and professional development experience

UMass Law is excited to announce the appointment of a new assistant director of legal career services and two new faculty members. They represent a range of law schools and experiences—serving as an immigration attorney, teaching legal skills and writing, and working as a district attorney.

They joined UMass Law to support its mission and to share their knowledge and experience with law students.

“We are thrilled to be able to add such talent to our faculty and career services staff,” said Dean Eric Mitnick. “Each one of our new faculty and staff members is genuinely committed to student success and professional development, and, even more, each has extensive experience in these areas.”

Rebecca C. Minahan, Assistant Director of Legal Career Services

“I am thrilled to be joining the team at UMass Law because I admire the school’s mission to make a legal education accessible and affordable to those who may not have otherwise had the opportunity to pursue a law degree,” said Minahan.

With more than 20 years of experience as a practicing immigration attorney, Minahan has counseled countless clients from all over the world on their immigration rights. In 2017, she volunteered at a detention facility in Texas for immigrant women and children.

The majority of her career has been in the nonprofit sector. “I have valuable perspective to share with law students considering careers in public interest, including both the rewards and challenges of the work,” said Minahan.

She joins UMass Law from the Rian Immigrant Center in Boston, where she met with immigrants to advise them of their rights and options as she managed the center’s walk-in clinic. Minahan maintained an active caseload with a wide range of immigration matters before federal agencies, including the Department of State.

She also coordinated the legal internship program for the organization, recruiting, training, supervising, and mentoring law students.

“This is the perfect fit for me,” Minahan said, “because it combines my dedication to the legal field and my strong advising skills with the opportunity to mentor future attorneys on their career paths.”

Minahan has also worked as managing attorney at the International Institute of Boston and in private practice. She is a graduate of Bates College, where she majored in French, and Suffolk University School of Law, cum laude.

Jennifer M. Davis, Legal Skills Professor

Jennifer M. Davis joins UMass Law from the University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law, where she taught legal skills, writing, and analysis. She also was a professor of legal analysis and writing at Concord Law School, an online law school that was based in California, and taught legal practice skills at her alma mater, Suffolk University School of Law. She will teach Legal Skills I and II to first-year students at UMass Law.

“I am excited to work with all the faculty, staff, and students at the law school,” said Davis. “In my experience, I learn so much both from working with other faculty and from my students. I hope to learn even more here at UMass Law and continue to share that knowledge with my students and my new faculty colleagues.”

She has also worked at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office as an assistant district attorney in the appellate division and as a law clerk at the Juvenile Court of Massachusetts and the Superior Court of Maine.

Davis is a summa cum laude graduate of UMass Amherst, where she majored in history and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Alpha Theta, the history honor society. She was a National Merit Scholar and received the Chancellor’s Scholarship. She earned her law degree from Suffolk University Law School, magna cum laude, and served as technical editor of the Suffolk Transnational Law Review.

“I hope to foster an atmosphere in my classroom that encourages respect, effort, and integrity, and supports student learning,” she said.

Rebecca N. Moor, Legal Skills Professor

Rebecca N. Moor has experience in teaching and professional development at several law schools. Most recently, Moor taught legal writing, research, and advocacy at New England School of Law and worked as associate director of professional development at Boston University School of Law, where she oversaw all career-related programming and advising for the law school’s LL.M students.

Moor was a program attorney at Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education and a professional development advisor at Northeastern School of Law. She was also a legal skills advisor at the University of Nottingham School of Law in England.

“Law school can be overwhelming, especially during the first year. It’s important to me to make students feel like they have a great deal of support and a strong foundation as they build their legal careers,” Moor said. “Because I’ve also worked on the professional development side of law school, I always try to tie classroom learning to career skills and legal practice.”

Moor will teach Legal Skills I and II at UMass Law. “I am most excited about getting to know UMass Law’s first-year students and helping them to build their confidence along with their skills,” she said.

Prior to becoming an attorney, Moor taught English and worked in book editing.

She received her B.A. in history from Columbia University, where she graduated magna cum laude and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. At Columbia University School of Law, Moor participated in the environmental law clinic and wrote for the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. She also earned a master of laws degree in international law from the University of Nottingham School of Law.