Faculty Bios

In Memoriam

Professor Emeritus Jean A. Mortland

Professor Emeritus Jean A. Mortland passed away in the early morning, April 7, 2006. A memorial service will be held at 1:00 pm on Monday, April 17, 2006, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2070 Ridgecliff Road, where family will receive friends immediately following the service.

Jean joined the law school in 1965 as an assistant professor of law. This was a time when there were very few women in the legal profession or in law school. Through her leadership, she paved the way for women in the law and served as a role model for future female students, attorneys and faculty members.

Jean graduated from the Law School in 1964 when it was then Franklin Law School. She passed the Ohio bar exam that year with one of the highest scores. One of the first female attorneys at Nationwide Insurance, Jean practiced in the area of group contracts for a year before returning to Capital to begin her teaching career. She rose through the ranks to become a full professor of Law at Capital in 1973 and during that time she also pursued her LL.M. degree from New York University Law School, obtaining it in 1969.

When Jean first began teaching at Capital, she also held the position of Law Librarian. The faculty was very small at the time and Capital's program was still an entirely evening program. Jean always remained committed to the Law School's history as a school offering access and opportunity to nontraditional and underrepresented persons in the legal profession.

During her career, she taught Property, Insurance Law, Indian Law, and Conflicts of Laws. Known as a tough professor, she was respected and well-liked by the students. A former student of Jean's wrote, "Her teaching skills in property and trusts, as well as her involvement with student government and the activities of all students, was highly respected by all."

Jean also was an active scholar in the area of probate and trusts. For five years, she served as editor of The Real Property, Probate and Trust Journal, the journal of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association (ABA). She also published numerous scholarly articles on estate planning, probate and trusts for scholarly journals and bar association newsletters.

Jean was a voice of reason on the law faculty and was deeply respected by her colleagues. Professor Susan Gilles recalls that at faculty meetings, Jean didn't always say a lot but when she did speak, "she would say a few crisp, precise, sentences and shed a new light on everything. I used to call her the 'bell weather of the faculty.' Wherever Jean Mortland went, the faculty was sure to follow. Her positions were clear, thought out, and reasonable."

Professor Athornia Steele remembers Jean in the same manner: "Jean was one of the most altruistic people I knew. She never had a hidden agenda and when she spoke up faculty members listened. She often offered a different perspective to issues being discussed around the law school."

Not only was Jean an excellent scholar, teacher and role model for women, but she also was a committed member of the bar and community. She was chair of the Uniform State Laws Committee of the Ohio State Bar Association. She was very active in the ABA, including the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section where she served as chair of the Capital Significant Probate Trust Decisions Committee and as vice-chair of the Brokers and Brokerage Committee. Jean also served in many leadership positions in her local church, including the position of moderator for the Presbytery of Scioto Valley.

In 1998, Jean was recognized for her trail blazing leadership as a woman lawyer and professor and was honored with the OSBA Nettie Cronise Lutes Award.

Jean retired in 1998 after 33 years of service on the Law School faculty.

In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to Alzheimer's Association of Central Ohio, 3380 Tremont Road, Columbus, Ohio 43221; Capital University Law School, 303 E. Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215; or to Covenant Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund, Columbus, Ohio 43221, in her memory.

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