| MICHELE
ALEXANDRE
University of Memphis School of Law
3715 Central Ave, Room
237
Memphis, TN 38152
Phone: (267) 259-3949
Home (901) 678-3227
michelealexandre2005@gmail.com
malxndr2@memphis.edu
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
The University of Baltimore School of Law 2006-2007
Visiting Assistant Professor
of Law
Course load: Property, Wills
and Trusts, International Women’s Human Rights
American College of law Spring 2007
Adjunct Professor of Law
Course: Property Interests
In People
The University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law 2003-present
Assistant Professor of Law
Course Load: Property I and
II, Wills and Trusts, Critical Race Theory, Feminist Jurisprudence
Wallace Community College of Selma 2002-2003
Adjunct Professor of Law
Courses: Math and English
Other Teaching Interests:
Commercial Law, UCC, Contract,
Torts, Civil Rights, Commercial Paper
EDUCATION
Harvard Law School, Boston, M.A.
Juris Doctor, (June 2000)
Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y.
Bachelor of Arts, summa cum
laude, (May 1996)
English and French with background
in Philosophy
Valedictorian
TEACHING INTERESTS
Property, Wills and Trusts,
Critical Race Theory, Feminist Legal Theory, Contracts, Criminal
Law, International Law, Torts.
Curriculum Vita of Michèle
Alexandre, page 2 of 7
SCHOLARSHIP
A) PUBLICATIONS
1. Dance Halls, Masquerades, Body Protest and The Law: The Female
Body as a Redemptive Tool Against Trinidad’s Gender-Biased
Laws, 13 Duke J. of Gender L. & Pol'y 177 (This article is also
reproduced in the Caribbean Review of Gender Studies, which is an
online journal published by the University of West Indies’
Center for Gender Studies).
This article proposes that feminist jurisprudence considers the
female body as a tool for redemption and liberation and showcases
certain Trinidadian women as examples of women who use their bodies
to fight patriarchy. The term “body protest” is coined
in this article to describe women’s use of the female body
as a mode of expression, and as a tool for liberation and transformation.
2. Big Love: Is Feminist Polygamy an Oxymoron or a True Possibility?
18 Hastings Women's L.J. 3
(2007)
This article analyzes Islamic law and the institution of polygamy
through the lenses of the narratives of Islamic women and novelists.
This paper contends that cultural narratives (even when fictional)
and legal discourse are interdependent and that Islamic women’s
depictions of their lives in polygamy can and should inform Islamic
women’s struggles for rights and protection
3. Individual Rights and Civil Liberties in Post-911 American Immigration
Practices: Do Human Rights Still Matter? Oxford Round Table’s
Forum on Public Policy, Volume 2, Number 2, 2006
This essay analyzes post-911
immigration practices and argues that these practices create global
racial stratifications that undermine the gains, thus far made,
in the area of International Human Rights.
4. At the Intersection of Post-911 Immigration Practices and Domestic
Policies: Can Katrina Serve as a Catalyst for Change? 26 Chicana/o-Latina/o
L. Rev. 155 (2006)
This essay investigates how the interest convergence phenomenon,
pinpointed by Derrick Bell, and the public purpose analysis in Kelo
v. City of New London can serve to address the racial stratifications
and unequal results that often result in redevelopment cases.
5. Love Don't Live Here Anymore: Economic Incentives for More Equitable
Models of Urban Redevelopment (forthcoming in the Boston College
Environmental Affairs Law Review in December 2007)
This article proposes an equity-based model for urban redevelopment.
It presents urban redevelopment as a partnership between city officials,
private developers and city residents. Consequently, it argues that
equitable redevelopment plans should include a percentage of future
profits in the calculation of just compensation for not only homeowners
but also for renters
Curriculum Vita of Michèle
Alexandre, page 3 of 7
6. Lessons from Islamic Law: A Case for Expanding the American Conception
of Surviving Spouse So As to Include De Facto Polygamous Spouses
(forthcoming in the Washington and Lee Law Review).
This essay investigates the ways in which United States’ Inheritance
laws can be reformed so as to protect women living in De Facto polygamous
unions. De Facto Polygamy is an informal form of polygamy that creates
one or more family units for every man. This essay is the result
of a symposium organized by Professor Louise Halper (Washington
and Lee University). The Washington and Lee University School of
Law and the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School
sponsored this symposium.
B) BOOK CHAPTERS
Black Venus Hottentot Revisited: Gratuitous Use of Black Women’s
Bodies and the Role of Race and Gender in Campus and Academic Reactions,
(forthcoming in RACE TO INJUSTICE: LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE DUKE
UNIVERSITY LACROSSE PLAYERS’ RAPE CASE, Carolina Academic
Press). The book’s editor is Professor Michael Seigel (University
of Florida College of Law).
Navigating the Topography of Inequality: A Proposal for Remedying
Past Geographic Segregation During Post-Disaster Rebuilding (forthcoming
in LAW, PROPERTY, AND SOCIETY Ashgate Publishing). This book’s
editor is Professor Robin Paul Malloy (Syracuse University School
of Law)
C) INVITATION
Invited to present at a symposium (February 23, 2008) organized
by the William and Mary Journal of Women and the Law. The Symposium
is entitled: “Not that Kind of Girl: the Legal Treatment of
Women Defying Traditional Gender Roles”. The invitation also
included an offer to publish in the William and Mary Journal of
Women and the Law.
D) VISITING SCHOLAR WITH THE FEMINISM AND LEGAL THEORY PROJECT AT
EMORY
UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW (Fall 2007)
Invited to be a visiting scholar with The Feminism and Legal Theory
Project (FLT Project) created and organized by Martha Fineman.
E) WORKS-IN-PROGRESS
1. Girls Gone Wild and Rape Law: Insuring an Unbiased Application
of “Reasonable Doubt” When the Victim Is Non-Traditional
This article will focus on the consent issues inherent in multi-partner
rape cases and will propose methods designed to trigger a fairer
application of the reasonable doubt standard.
Curriculum Vita of Michèle Alexandre, page 4 of 7
2. Sex Drugs and Rock & Roll: Economic, Political and Social
Alternatives to the Ineffective Regulation of Drugs and Prostitution
This article will rest on the proposition that regulation often
fosters the growth of the subject of regulation rather than its
annihilation. The Prohibition Movement in the early twentieth century,
the Anti-Drugs Movement as well as the Anti-Polygamy movement are
all examples of that fact. This article will investigate other economic
and social alternatives to some of the existing ineffective legal
regulations.
3. When Freedom Should Not Be Free: Investigating the First Amendment’s
Potential for Providing Protection Against Sexual Profiling in the
Workplace
This article will explore the ways in which the First Amendment
can be instrumental in dismantling the application of gender biases
to grooming and attire policies in the workplace.
F) REVIEW OF BOOK PROPOSAL
Reviewed book proposal on
Race and Property Law by Professors Alfred Brophy, Alberto Lopez
and Kali N. Murray for Aspen Publishing.
G) PRESENTATIONS
“Navigating the Topography of Inequality: Possibilities for
Equitable Redevelopment in Post-Katrina New Orleans”, Law
and Society Conference (July 25-28, 2007, Berlin, Germany)
“Girls Gone Wild and Rape Law: Insuring an Unbiased Application
of ‘Reasonable Doubt’ When the Victim Is Non-Traditional”,
Conference on developing the skills of storytelling in Law (July
18-20, 2007, London, UK)
“American Males and Brazilian Tourism: Women-Centric Prostitution
or A New Twist on An Old Mating Game?”, Caribbean Studies
Conference (May 29-June 1, 2007, Bahia, Brazil)
“A Conversation on the Limits and Benefits of the Post-Kelo
Application of Eminent Domain”, sponsored by University of
Baltimore’s Federalist Society (March 24, 2007)
“Love Don't Live Here Anymore: Economic Incentives for More
Equitable Models of Urban Redevelopment”, Third Annual Property
Citizenship and Social Entrepeneurism (PCSE), (November 2006).
“So Long a Letter: Toward a Women-Centric Form of Polygamy”,
Emory Feminist Legal Theory Workshop (March 2006).
“At The Intersection of Immigration and Domestic Policies:
Can Katrina serve as a Catalyst for Change?”, LATCRIT X (October
2005).
Curriculum Vita of Michèle Alexandre, page 5 of 7
“Individual Rights and Civil Liberties in Post-911 American
Immigration Practices: Do Human Rights Still Matter?”, The
Oxford Round Table on Education Law: Individual Rights and Freedom
at St. Anne’s College in the University of Oxford, Oxford,
England (July 2005).
“Popular culture and the Classroom”, The Southeastern
Association of Law Schools Annual Conference (July 2005).
“Islamic Law Reinterpreted: a Study of Polygamy and Islam
Through the Eyes of Islamic Women’s Narratives and Literature”,
The Conference on The Power of Stories: Intersections of Law Culture
and Literature in Gloucester, England (July 2005).
“Trinidadian Grass-Root Feminists and the Struggle for Self
Determination”, The Global Impact of Feminist Legal Theory
Conference (February 2005).
“Socca and Carnival: An Intersection of Law and Culture in
Trinidad”, The Second National People of Color (POC) Legal
Scholarship Conference, (October 2004).
“Towards a More Nuance Haitian Ethic of Resistance”,
The International Conference on Haiti: Re–interpreting the
Haitian Revolution and its Cultural Aftershocks, 1804 – 2004
(June 2004).
“Transcending the Illusory Black/Latino/a Divide”, LATCRIT
IX (May 2004).
“Dance Halls Masquerades Body Protest and the Law: A Presentation
of the Female Body as a redemptive Tool Against Patriarchy Illustrated
by Trinidadian Women’s Body Protest Against Trinidad’s
Gender-Biased Laws”, University of West Indies’ Centre
For Gender Studies’ Luncheon Series (May 2004).
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Chestnut Sanders Sanders Pettaway Campbell & Albright, Selma,
AL Summer 2000
Junior Associate 2002-2003
Conducted research on various
civil rights issues and helped litigate various civil rights cases,
among which was the “Black Farmers Class Action”.
Debevoise & Plimpton, New York, NY 2001-2002 Summers 1998 &
2000,
Associate in the Corporate
Real Estate Department
Conducted extensive research
on difficult commercial real estate issues. Drafted and negotiated
purchase and sale agreements for commercial and residential property
transactions. Reviewed and abstracted leases. Drafted documents
in connection with initial public offering and reviewed corporate
charters and by-laws. Represented landlords and tenants in connection
with office and shopping center leases. Advised sublessors and lessees
in connection with the subleasing and leasing of commercial space.
Hon. John P. Fullam, U.S. Eastern District Court of Pennsylvania
2000-2001
Judicial Clerk
Curriculum Vita of Michèle Alexandre, page 6 of 7
Dechert Price & Rhoads, Philadelphia, Summers 1998 & 1999
Summer Associate (offer extended)
Conducted research in relation
to various litigation and corporate issues. Drafted firm opinions.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
Fulbright Fellowship, spring 2004.
Recipient of a Fulbright Fellowship
to Trinidad and Tobago where I developed programs for the Hugh Wooding
Law School and conducted research on women and the law at the University
of the West Indies’ Centre for Gender Studies.
Watson Fellowship, 1996-1997.
Researched the socialization
of second-generation Haitian immigrants in France, Canada, the Dominican
Republic and Puerto Rico.
PRO BONO, INSTITUTIONAL AND COMMUNITY SERVICE
Member, Self-Study Committee,
2007-2008
Member, Financial Advisory
Committee, 2007-2008
Member, Faculty Recruitment
Committee, 2007-2008
Member, Teaching Assignments
Committee, 2007-2008
Advisor, Black Law Student
Association, 2007-2008
Member, Marcus Orr Faculty
Senate Lecture in Higher Education Committee (University of Memphis),
2007-2008
Member, Executive Committee
of the Section on Minority Groups (AALS), 2007
Member, Executive Committee
of the Section on Civil Rights (AALS), 2007
Chair of the Section on Civil
Rights of the Association of American law Schools (AALS), 2006
Chair-Elect and Co-Program
Chair of Section on Civil Rights of the Association of American
Law Schools (AALS), 2005-2006
Invited to serve as one of
the editors of The Oxford Round Table’s Journal on Forum Policy
Member, Faculty Recruitment Committee, 2005-2006
Member, Curriculum Committee,
2005-2006
Member, Teaching Assignments
Committee, 2005-2006
Faculty Affiliate at The Benjamin
Hooks Center for Civil Rights, 2005-2006
Secretary, Association of
American Law Schools (AALS), 2004-2005
Volunteer French Teacher at
Clark Elementary School and for the Coalition of Alabamians for
Reform in Education (CARE) in Selma Alabama, 2002-2003
REFERENCES:
Judge Paulette Delk, U.S.
Western District Bankruptcy Court of Tennessee,
(cell) (901) 355-7844, (work)
(901) 328-3550 or (e-mail) Paulette_J_Delk@tnwb.uscourts.gov
Professor Martha Minow, Harvard Law School, phone (617) 495-4276,
(e-mail) minow@law.harvard.edu
Professor Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School, phone (617) 495-5097
or
(e-mail) ogletree@law.harvard.edu
or NOCHUCK@aol.com
Curriculum Vita of Michèle Alexandre, page 7 of 7
Professor Janet Richards,
University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law,
(cell) (901) 848-9405, (work) (901) 678-2421, (home) (901) 251-0122
or (e-mail) jrichrds@memphis.edu
Ralph Brashier, University of Memphis Cecil C. Humphreys School
of Law, phone (901) 678-2421 or (e-mail) rbrashir@memphis.edu
BAR ADMISSIONS
Admitted to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State
of New York, the Alabama Supreme Court and the United District Court
Southern District of New York.
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