Profiles in Success

A Passion for Teaching and the United States Supreme Court
Professor Peggy Cordray

By Regan Greene, L’07

Professor Cordray

From California to England to Washington, D.C….
When Professor Margaret (Peggy) Cordray decided to attend law school, it was not with the definite goal of being an attorney. “For me, going to law school was more for the higher education in general and the desire to broaden my abilities.”

After graduating in the top 1 percent of her class from the University of California at Berkeley, Cordray spent a year as a judicial clerk for the Honorable Kenneth W. Starr on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. She then decided to further her education in Comparative Legal Studies at Oxford University in England.

“Oxford was a very rigorous program,” said Cordray. “I had a one-year scholarship, so I basically completed a two-year program in one year. It was extremely demanding, but a great opportunity. I was able to travel some and I lived in a dormitory with 24 other people from 18 different countries.”

Upon returning to the United States, Cordray went to work as an associate for the law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue in Washington, D.C. She worked in the firm’s general litigation department, primarily writing appellate briefs.

On Teaching at Capital…
When she moved to Columbus, Ohio, she took a position in the Office of Legal Affairs at The Ohio State University for two years; however, her real desire was to teach. Cordray says, “Capital is perfect for me because there’s a real emphasis on the teaching aspect of being a law professor and that’s the part of the job that I enjoy the most.”

She says she enjoys teaching because she likes the process of figuring out how to explain the various concepts of a subject. “I expand my understanding of the subject when I’m teaching it. Plus, there’s a freshness and liveliness about being around students engaged in learning and beginning to understand new concepts.”

Cordray says she especially likes the diversity of students at Capital. “Having both day and evening programs allows for different types of students and I find it enjoyable to teach both. Day students have more time to prepare for class while evening students bring real-life experience to the classroom. For example, when I teach Contracts, there is always someone in the evening program who works in insurance or construction, and he or she really adds to the class discussion. One semester, I had a purchasing agent in my evening Contracts class so when we discussed the Battle of the Forms, she brought some to share. It was interesting for the class because many students had never seen a sales order.”

Cordray thinks of herself as one of Capital’s biggest fans. “Not only do I love the students at Capital, but I think Capital has an impressive and dedicated faculty as well. The fact that we have an open door policy is just wonderful.” Cordray joined the faculty at Capital in 1992 and teaches Contracts, Evidence, Remedies and a seminar on the Supreme Court.

Her Scholarly Focus…
For the last several years, Cordray has been writing about the United States Supreme Court docket. Her focus is on how the Court goes about deciding which cases to review and the impact this has on shaping important political and social issues. Cordray’s husband, Richard, clerked for Justices White and Kennedy on the Supreme Court, so the couple often co-author articles about the Supreme Court. Their articles have been published in the Washington University Law Quarterly, Arizona State Law Journal and the Washington and Lee Law Review. Additionally, Cordray has published her own articles in the Oregon University Law Review, North Carolina Law Review, and The Ohio State University Law Journal, among others.

Her scholarship on the U.S. Supreme Court also has led to publication in popular news media such as the Washington Post.

Advice to Students…
Cordray’s advice for both current and graduating students: “Set up an effective study plan. You need to be able to learn the law and also use that knowledge to create an analysis that shows your understanding of the law.”

For Fun…
Cordray and Richard, who is Ohio’s Treasurer of State, have been married for 15 years. They have 8-year-old twins, Danny and Holly. When Cordray is not teaching, she enjoys spending time with her family, eating out at restaurants, and watching movies.

McNeely Receives Federal Circuit Bar Scholarship

Richard J. McNeely

Richard J. McNeely, a part-time evening law student, was the recipient of the 2007 Giles Sutherland Rich Memorial Scholarship awarded by The Federal Circuit Bar Association (FCBA).

McNeely and his family were invited to the FCBA’s annual Bench & Bar Conference held June 27-30 in Cambridge, Maryland, where he was presented with the scholarship award and a plaque before a large audience of bar members and judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

Approximately 300 applications from law students across the country were received for the competitive Giles S. Rich Memorial Scholarship, named in honor of the late Circuit Judge for the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. Only one $10,000 award is made annually to a law student showing financial need, demonstrated academic promise and an interest in an area of the law within the jurisdiction of the Federal Circuit. McNeely is the sixth recipient of the Rich scholarship

McNeely is a Scientific Information Analyst for Chemical Abstracts Service in Columbus, Ohio. In eight years with the company, he has analyzed approximately 10,000 patents on electronic or magnetic materials for their inclusion in the world-recognized Chemical Abstracts scientific information database. It was this work that led him to pursue a law degree. “I thought it would be better to write patents than to read them,” says McNeely, who passed the Patent Bar in summer 2006.

McNeely holds a Ph.D. in Inorganic/Materials Chemistry from Northwestern University and a B.S. in Chemistry from Indiana University, Bloomington, where he had the opportunity to study abroad in England and Russia. He is Executive Publishing Editor of the Capital University Law Review for 2007-08.

McNeely and his wife, Sidra, of eight years, have two children: Samuel age 2 and a newborn baby girl, Sarah. An involved student and community volunteer, McNeely regularly judges local competitions for science fairs and essay contests to foster youth interest in the sciences. Before beginning law school in 2004, he sang tenor with the Columbus Symphony Chorus and accompanied the chorus for its performance at Carnegie Hall in New York City for its 50th anniversary celebration in 2001.

McNeely is the second Capital law student to receive a prestigious FCBA scholarship. Ryan Sarni, L’07, was a recipient of the William S. Bullinger Scholarship in 2006.

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