law briefs
Professor JAMES AN specializes in corporate and pension law. Before coming to Suffolk, he was a fellow at Stanford Law School, a litigation associate at Goodwin Procter, and a judicial clerk for Justice Gary Traynor of the Delaware Supreme Court. He received a JD cum laude from Harvard Law School and a BA magna cum laude from Northwestern University.
“I’m excited to explore questions of responsibility and accountability in corporate law with our students. They often bring real-world experience—externships, clinics, their day jobs—that gives class discussions depth and a strong connection to practice. Corporate law is ultimately about responsibility and accountability—examining who should have power and how they should use it. My research looks at how corporate law provides a framework for that responsibility and accountability in the business world and where the gaps are. I want students to see that corporate law isn’t just about rules, which often change over time, but about enduring questions of efficiency, fairness, and freedom.”
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Photography: Michael J. Clarke
winter 2026
Legal Practice Skills Professor BETSY BYRA previously taught legal skills, field placement, and access to justice at the University of Massachusetts Law School. Her research interests include incorporating diversity and well-being into innovative and skills-based pedagogy. She served as an immigration attorney at the Victim Rights Law Center and as a commercial litigation associate at K&L Gates.
“I’m excited that Suffolk allows me to teach legal writing in its full professional context. I bring both my law firm and public-interest experience into the classroom, teaching research methods and persuasive writing alongside client-centered advocacy, well-being, and community building—preparing students for emerging challenges like AI and the NextGen bar exam. It’s rare to find a place where this balanced, forward-looking approach is built into the curriculum.”
Professor PETER KAROL specializes in intellectual property, art, copyright, trademark, and real property law. A former partner at Sunstein LLP in Boston, he writes widely, makes regular radio appearances, and co-founded a major art law conference. His forthcoming book with NYU Press explores trademark law’s relationship with visual art and creativity.
“Suffolk has become a true leader in Boston’s intellectual property law scene, having one of the most robust IP programs and faculties in the area. With my own focus on the intersection of art, creativity, and the law, surrounded as we are by museums and art schools, Suffolk is the ideal place to teach and develop my research. This is especially true at this clearly historic and, for artists, anxiety-producing moment as generative AI is poised to overtake and maybe overwhelm so much expressive production.”
Professor TIFFANI DARDEN specializes in juvenile justice, education law, and civil procedure. Previously a tenured professor at Michigan State University College of Law and a recent visiting professor at Boston University, she has published extensively on constitutional protections for juvenile offenders and the rights of children in the legal system.
“I was drawn to Suffolk Law School because of its commitment to accessible legal education, juvenile justice, and fostering a strong network that supports students’ continued success both during and after law school. The faculty’s dedication to legal education and their enthusiasm for the student body’s potential as future leaders and effective legal advocates made a lasting impression. It fueled my desire to join this community. Suffolk Law presents the entire package for students, faculty, and alumni who want to be part of a thriving institution with public-centric values that are integral to its culture.”
A former intellectual property litigator at firms including Goodwin Procter and a former tenured professor at Western New England University School of Law, Professor STACEY LANTAGNE teaches advertising law, entertainment law, food law, and contracts. Her scholarship focuses on the intersection of IP law with digital creativity. She received her JD from Harvard and her BA from Boston College.
"I am passionate about the way that laws shape how humans use new technologies for creative purposes. Human beings are relentlessly creative, always coming up with something new, which challenges law and lawyers to continually react and evolve. Joining Suffolk Law presented an incredible opportunity to work at a school at the forefront of exploring how technology and law intertwine. I look forward to collaborating with my new colleagues to tackle the ways life on the internet impacts real-world legal practice, from counseling clients on the use of memes to integrating AI into various aspects of practice.”
Portrait by Jessica Martinez