Maine Law recently welcomed Professor William “Bill” Marshall as a visiting professor for the fall semester. Marshall, who most recently taught at the University of North Carolina School of Law, brings decades of experience as a scholar and teacher to Maine Law.
Marshall’s scholarship and teaching focus primarily on the First Amendment, church and state, and election law. At Maine Law, he is teaching Civil Procedure, a subject he particularly enjoys because it introduces students to the foundations of legal reasoning and process.
“I love teaching Civil Procedure,” Marshall said. “You can teach pure legal process and pure legal reasoning.” Unlike subjects such as the First Amendment, where students may enter the classroom with firmly held ideas about how cases should be decided, Marshall said Civil Procedure often gives students an opportunity to encounter unfamiliar legal questions and work through them from the ground up.
Marshall’s interest in law developed while working in public service. After college, he served as a VISTA volunteer before working for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office, where he became involved with litigation that ultimately reached the U.S. Supreme Court. The experience helped solidify his decision to pursue a legal career. Over the years, Marshall has combined teaching and scholarship with work in government service, including serving as the Deputy White House Counsel during the Clinton Administration and as the Solicitor General of the State of Ohio.
A New Hampshire native and longtime visitor to Maine, Marshall said he has been interested in Maine Law for years. He also has a longstanding connection to Professor Charles Norchi, who was once Marshall’s student at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. The two remained friends, and Marshall would often reconnect with Norchi during visits to Maine.
“I’ve always been interested in this school,” Marshall said. “I like state schools, I like public universities, and I like it here.”
Marshall recently taught his first Maine Law class and came away impressed by his new students. He is also looking forward to spending more time in Maine, including enjoying its many outdoor and cultural offerings and, when the opportunity arises, a bowl of chowder at Gilbert’s Chowder House.
