University of St. Thomas

Susan McGuigan was born in Davenport, Iowa, and moved north to Minneapolis during her elementary school years.  She continued her elementary and high school Catholic education by attending the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN, where she received her B.A. in theatre, with a minor in theology.  McGuigan later received her J.D. from the University of Minnesota Law School, cum laude, in 1987. During law school, she was a Managing Editor of the Law and Inequality Journal and her student note was published.  After law school, McGuigan clerked for Judge James Morrow of the Tenth Judicial District in Anoka, MN, and Chief Judge D.D. Wozniak of the Minnesota Court of Appeals.

McGuigan first caught the teaching bug when she taught one year as an adjunct instructor of Legal Writing & Research at the University of Minnesota Law School. In 1990, she joined the faculty of the Legal Writing Program at Vermont Law School, becoming Assistant Director in 1992.  From 1994 through 2000, McGuigan was Director of the Legal Writing Program at Whittier Law School in Southern California.  At both Vermont and Whittier Law School, McGuigan worked to establish Academic Support Programs to serve those students who might not have traditional means of support to help them succeed in law school.  This interest in serving the needs of students caused McGuigan to shifted her focus to student services, working as Dean of Students at Whittier for several years.  Throughout her academic career, McGuigan has continued to teach, focusing on Legal Writing, Advanced Legal Research, Appellate Advocacy, and Professional Responsibility.
In 2004, McGuigan could no longer resist her Minnesota roots and rejoined her family in the Twin Cities area.  She lives in Golden Valley with her dog Tigger and currently attends Good Shepard Catholic Church.  In her spare time, she utilizes her collecting gene, accumulating sizable collections of artwork, ceramics, and children’s picture books. She feels honored to be a visitor at St. Thomas in the Lawyering Skills Program.  McGuigan is interested in researching and writing in the areas of disability law, ethics, and legal writing.
           

Representative Scholarship

The AIDS Dilemma: Public Health v. Criminal Law, 4 Law & Inequality J. 545 (1986)

Courses Taught

Lawyering Skills I: Legal Reasoning, Research & Writing
Lawyering Skills II: Lawyering & Dispute Resolution
Lawyering Skills III: Appellate Brief Writing and Advocacy