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Melissa Weresh
Dwight D. Opperman Distinguished Professor of Law
Expertise: Legal Writing, Appellate Advocacy, Ethical Regulation, Professional Identity Formation
Education
JD, University of Iowa College of Law, Order of Coif, Law Review
BA, Wake Forest University, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Experience
- Drake Law School professor since 1997
- Associate attorney, Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs
Selected Publications
- Hidden Lessons, Unforseen Consequences: Interrogating the Hidden Curriculum in Legal Education and Its Impact on Students from Historically Underrepresented Groups, 75 Alabama Law Review (2024).
- Ethos at the Intersection: Classical Insights for Contemporary Application, 20 Nevada Law Journal (2020).
- Legal Analysis and Writing: An Active Learning Approach (Wolters Kluwer, 2020) co-author.
- Two Sides of the Coin–Exploring Dyadic Emotions in Immigration and Alienage Jurisprudence, 54 Wake Forest Law Review 1197 (2019).
- Gauzy Allegory and the Construction of Gender, William & Mary Journal of Race, Gender and Social Justice (2018).
- Wait, What?: Harnessing the Power of Redirection in Persuasion, 15 Legal Communication and Rhetoric: JALWD (2018).
- Stars Upon Thars: Evaluating the Discriminatory Impact of ABA Standard 405(c), “Tenure-Like” Security of Position, 34 Law and Inequality: A Journal of Theory and Practice 137 (2016).
Significant Accomplishments
- Linda Berger Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Legal Writing, 2023
- Stevens Faculty Scholar of the Year, Drake University Law School, 2019, 2021
- Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Legal Writing, 2017
- Alumni Service Award, University of Iowa College, 2010
- Warren E. Burger Prize for Legal Scholarship, American Inns of Court Warren, 2009
- Editorial Board Member: Journal of Legal Education
- Editorial Board Member: Legal Communication and Rhetoric: JALWD
- Past President of the Legal Writing Institute
- Past Chair of the American Association of Law Schools Section on Teaching Methods
Biography
Melissa H. Weresh is a Dwight D. Opperman Distinguished Professor of Law at Drake University Law School where she has been teaching since 1997. Professor Weresh is the recipient of the 2009 American Inns of Court Warren E. Burger Prize, the 2017 Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Legal Writing, and the 2023 Linda Berger Lifetime Achievement Award for Excellence in Legal Writing Scholarship. She is a Past President of the Legal Writing Institute, Past Chair of the AALS Section on Teaching Methods, and Past Chair of the Professionalism Section of the Iowa Bar Association. She is also past editor of both the Journal of Legal Education and Legal Communication and Rhetoric: JALWD.
Her scholarly interests range from politics to professionalism, and from persuasion to pedagogy. Prior to joining the Drake law faculty, she practiced law in Ohio, specializing in environmental law. Professor Weresh received her JD from the University of Iowa and her BA from Wake Forest University.
