Elon Law Professor Michael Rich has been named Jennings Professor of Law in recognition of his teaching and scholarship.
The Jennings professorship recognizes and supports the work of a faculty member at Elon University School of Law with fewer than fifteen years in the profession, who through his or her work has shown extraordinary promise as a teacher and a scholar.
The Jennings Professor is nominated by the Dean of the School of Law and approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President of Elon University. This endowed professorship was established by a gift from Maurice Jennings Sr. ’57 and his wife, Linda, and Maurice “Burney” Jennings Jr. ’87 and his wife Dina ’87.
“Michael Rich is remarkably committed to student learning and to the development of cutting-edge scholarship,” said Elon Law Dean Luke Bierman. “We deeply appreciate the support of the Jennings family in making this professorship possible.”
Rich’s current research focuses on crime prevention technology, with recent publications in the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy and the Connecticut Law Review. His article, “Machine Learning, Automated Suspicion Algorithms, and the Fourth Amendment,” is forthcoming in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review. In addition, Rich’s scholarly interests include the philosophical boundaries of criminal law, civil and criminal white-collar litigation, police investigatory methods, and government fraud. Rich received his J.D. from Stanford Law School and a B.A., magna cum laude, in Physics and English from the University of Delaware.
Before joining academia, Rich practiced at the Cincinnati law firm of Vorys Sater Seymour & Pease LLP, where he worked mainly on government fraud litigation under the civil False Claims Act, civil rights litigation, and white-collar criminal cases. In addition, he served as law clerk to Judge Susan J. Dlott of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Rich began his legal career at the New York City law firm of Hughes Hubbard & Reed LLP, where his practice focused on the litigation of claims under the First Amendment seeking access to public property and public accommodations.