Professors Emeritus

Stanislaw Frankowski

LL.M., Ph.D. University of Warsaw School of Law;
LL.M. New York University School of Law;
J.S.D. University of Warsaw School of Law

A well-respected authority on comparative law, Stanislaw Frankowski has authored and co-authored numerous articles and books - in English and in Polish - on subjects ranging from abortion and protection of the human fetus, to pre-trial detention, to the death penalty in post-communist Europe. His book, Legal Responses to AIDS in Comparative Perspective, with 10 chapters written by legal scholars from five continents, is considered by many to be the most comprehensive review of legal responses to HIV/AIDS to date.

Frankowski taught law at the University of Warsaw for nearly 20 years before martial law was imposed in 1981. He joined Saint Louis University School of Law in 1983. In 1992, he co-founded the School's Center for International and Comparative Law. Through his efforts, the School's law library shelves a premier collection of Polish legal publications that facilitate both the tracking of legal changes in Poland and current legal information for those interested in doing business in his homeland. "Law doesn't function in isolation," Professor Frankowski says. "It's grounded in politics and societies. It's part of the larger picture, which comes out clearly when one adopts a comparative approach. Such an approach provides the most varied and enriching grasp of the spirit of the of the law."

Vincent C. Immel

B.S. in Ed., Bowling Green State University;
J.D., University of Michigan

Professor Immel began teaching contracts and conflict of laws as an associate professor in 1958 and was named assistant dean a year later. He became a full professor in 1961 and served as dean from 1962-1969. During his tenure, land was purchased for what would become the nationally recognized Omer Poos Law Library. Also during his tenure, the school continued its steady increase in stature. Professor Immel oversaw development of legal training programs, including one in juvenile delinquency.

In 1969, Professor Immel returned to teaching and has been doing with regularity until 2004, when he officially stopped teaching. He is a member of the American Law Institute and Phi Beta Kappa and has served as a member and past chair of the contracts committee of the Multi-State Bar Examination. He is a recipient of the St. Louis Lawyers Association Award of Honor, the Nancy McNeir Ring Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Missouri Bar Foundation's Spurgeon Smithson Award and the Saint Louis University 's Governor's Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Donald B. King

B.S., Washington State University;
J.D., Harvard Law School;
LL.M., New York University;
M.S.W., Saint Louis University

Professor King is a member of Phi Beta Kappa and a life member of the American Law Institute. He is the founder and past president of the International Academy of Commercial and Consumer Law. He co-organized the first and second International Conferences of the Academy held in Mexico and Austria. Professor King is the author of several books including Missouri Products and Liability and Secured Transactions Law and Consumer Protection Experiments in Sweden. He is co-author of Commercial Transactions Under the U.C.C; Consumer Protection in China; Sales Law; Negotiable Instruments and Payment Systems; Purchasing Manager's Desk Book of International Perspective; and Essays on Comparative Commercial, Consumer Law and Comparative Law. Professor King also has published on consumer protection issues in Sweden and China and has edited books on international perspectives on commercial and consumer law. He has lectured in England, Australia, Sweden, China, Egypt and Israel and has been a visiting professor at the University of Cincinnati, Stetson Law School and Sichuan University. King previously directed the National Juvenile Law Center and the Juvenile Delinquency Forum-Clinic.

Howard S. Levie

A.B., J.D., Cornell University;
LL.M., George Washington University

Professor Levie became emeritus professor in 1977. The Naval War College named the Howard S. Levie Military Chair of Operational Law to honor his contributions in the area of armed conflict law. He is a former member of the Judge Advocate General Corps of the U.S. Army for 21 years and he held the Stockton Chair of International Law at the U.S. Naval War College in 1971 to 1972. Professor Levie has written many books and articles, including Prisoners of War in International Armed Conflict and Terrorism in War: The Law of War Crimes in 1993 and Levie on the Law of War in 1998.

John F.T. Murray

B.S., U.S. Military Academy; J.D., Harvard Law School;
M.A., George Washington University

Dean Murray came to the School of Law as dean in 1976 and retired in 1979. Prior to his tenure with Saint Louis University, he was a member of the law faculty at University of Georgia. Dean Murray had spent 24 years in the U.S. Army. Almost four of those years he spent as Commandant of the Judge Advocate General's School. He also served as military aide to the secretary of the Army and as principal legal advisor to the counsel for the Army during the Army-McCarthy hearings. He retired with the rank of colonel before pursuing his teaching career at the University of Georgia.

Francis M. Nevins

A.B. St. Peter's College
J.D. New York University School of Law

An expert in estate and copyright law, Nevins was one of the first to explore in depth the legal problems that arise when an author dies. He coined the term "will bumping" to describe how, in certain circumstances, the Copyright Act can "turn an author's will into a worthless piece of paper." A famous writer to whom this happened was Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House on the Prairie books. Professor Nevins served as a consultant in a federal lawsuit aimed at "unbumping" her will. Nevins has also written about the interface between copyright and matrimonial law and has argued that a little-known provision of the Copyright Act precludes state courts from treating copyrights as matrimonial or community property when an author divorces. "It's interesting to see courts squirming all over the place to avoid the plain language of the Copyright Act," he says.

In addition to his scholarly writing, Professor Nevins is an award-winning author of mystery fiction. He has published six novels, two collections of short stories and several books of non-fiction. He has edited more than 15 mystery anthologies and collections.

Joseph J. Simeone

B.S., Saint Louis University;
LL.B., Washington University;
LL.M., S.J.D., University of Michigan

Judge Simeone is a U.S. Administration Judge of the Executive Department. He served as a judge on the Missouri Supreme Court and as Chief Judge for the Missouri Court of Appeals. Judge Simeone has written numerous pieces of legislation and authored more than 50 articles, three books and more than 400 judicial opinions.

Eileen H. Searls

A.B., J.D., M.S.L.S., University of Wisconsin

Professor Searls was granted emeritus status in 2000 after 48 years as the director of the Omer Poos Law Library and professor of law at Saint Louis University School of Law. She is widely accepted as the person who built the library. In 1987, the Women's Commission of Saint Louis University named Searls Woman of the Year. In 1991, the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries named her Distinguished Service Law Librarian. In 1999, the American Association of Law Libraries gave her the Marian Gould Gallagher Distinguished Service Award. At the School of Law, she was the first woman to be promoted to full professor and the first to receive tenure. She is a member of the American Library Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians. She has been president of the Mid-America Association of Law Libraries, Mid-America Law School Library Consortium and she is chairman of the Conference of Law Libraries of the ASCU.