MSU Law Professor Mary Job retires

Mary Job, an integral part of Michigan State University College of Law’s Trial Practice Institute since its inception, retired last month after nearly two decades of teaching law students how to combine theatrical skills with zealous advocacy.

Job, who earned her J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law, was uniquely qualified to teach this course—she served as a staff attorney with the Michigan Education Association from 1978 to 2000, where she represented individual members and local affiliates in a variety of employment, labor and educational law matters. She developed and taught workshops on everything from the legal basis of public sector bargaining to basic tort law for classroom teachers.

After retiring from the practice of law, she focused her efforts on teaching theatre at Lansing Community College and MSU as well as MSU College of Law.

“Mary is amazing,” said Veronica McNally, Director of the Trial Practice Institute. “Every year, she wrote the character backstories for witnesses, recruited local actors to participate in our students’ final assignments, and she taught our students theater skills to give them an extra edge in the courtroom. She helped shape TPI into the immersive and comprehensive program it is today, and she will be greatly missed.”