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David Taylor named NIU Law’s ‘Professor of the Year’

May 20, 2014

NIU Law professor David Taylor and studentsDistinguished Teaching Professor David Taylor was voted “Professor of the Year” by the NIU Law Class of 2014.

As Professor of the Year, Taylor will have the honor of addressing the class Saturday, May 24, during commencement and assisting with hooding the students during the ceremony. Taylor also received the accolade from the Classes of 1994 and 2010.

Third-year law student Emily Perkins, who served as president of the Student Bar Association, announced the results of the Class of 2014 vote and presented Taylor with his award during the students’ end-of-the-year party.

“I think I speak for the class when I say that Professor Taylor is one in a million,” Perkins said. “Professor Taylor truly cares about his students and genuinely wants to see us succeed in our careers. We should all feel so lucky to have had the privilege to learn from him during these past three years at NIU Law. I hope he knows that his efforts are greatly appreciated!”

Taylor has had the wonderful opportunity of working with most, if not all, of the students during their three years – either as their professor, adviser or coach.

Swen Parson HallIn addition to teaching a variety of litigation courses including trial advocacy, evidence, civil procedure and lawyering skills, he is the director of skills training and faculty adviser/coordinator of the Moot Court Program. He also coaches law students for competitions in trial advocacy, appellate advocacy, client counseling and mediation.

“It has been a great pleasure to study with these students at the College of Law and to watch their transformation from anxious 1Ls in the classroom to confident 3Ls standing in the well of the courtroom,” Taylor said. “I am grateful to be part of that process and honored by their recognition that I played a role in that sea change.”

In 2006, Taylor was named a Presidential Teaching Professor, the highest teaching honor bestowed by NIU, and in 2010, he was elevated to Distinguished Teaching Professor.

He also serves as co-director of the NIU Law Study Abroad program, a joint venture with the University of Bordeaux-Montesquieu IV in Agen, France, and he helped to broker an academic agreement between the College of Law and Chosun University School of Law in Gwangju, South Korea that fosters academic exchanges between faculty members.