
Academic Faculty
Full Time Teaching Faculty
Joan E. Neal
Professor from PracticeBiography
Joan E. Neal teaches transactional skills courses, including contract drafting, as well as ethics for transactional lawyers. Prior to joining the Law School, she spent almost 20 years in Morrison & Foerster's Communications Group, with a focus on regulatory and transactional work in the telecommunications industry. She has (i) negotiated and drafted a wide variety of contractual arrangements governing carriers' customer and wholesale supplier relationships (both domestic and international) and construction of submarine cable systems; (ii) counseled clients regarding regulatory compliance, US market entry, and structuring of ongoing businesses and new ventures; and (iii) acted as regulatory counsel in a wide range of transactions (including mergers, public and private equity and debt offerings, and foreign investments).
Neal has a BA in Russian & East European Studies from the University of Michigan (1986) and a JD from Yale Law School (1989).
Education
Yale Law School
JD, 1989
Harvard Law School
Special Student, 1987-88
University of Michigan
BA with High Distinction, 1986
Concentration: Russian & East European Studies
Experience
University of Chicago Law School
Professor from Practice, 2017-present
Class of 1949 Lecturer in Law, 2010-2017
Private Legal Consultant
2010-2017
Morrison & Foerster LLP
Of Counsel, Communications Group, Washington, DC, 1990-2010
Mayer, Brown & Platt
Associate, Litigation Department, Chicago, IL, 1989-1990
Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Graduate Fellow, June-September 1989
Presentations
"Beyond the First Year," Best Practices in Legal Drafting Courses, DePaul University College of Law, April 21, 2018
Law School Committees
- First Year Curriculum Committee, Subcommittee on Transactional Law, 2020
- Professor from Practice Committee, 2019-present
- Admissions & Career Services Committee, 2018-2019
Legal Activities & Awards
- Co-editor and co-author of Morrison & Foerster’s monthly Communications Law Bulletin, 2002-2010.
- Member, Advisory Board, Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights (now Human Rights First), 1992-1998.
- Pro Bono Award, International Human Rights Law Group, 1992.
Other Activities
- Member, Board of Trustees, Court Theatre (2015-present)
- Member, Recovery on Water (women’s masters rowing team) (2012-present)