Francis Conte has been with the School of Law since 1987, first as dean and now as a full-time professor. During his 14 years as dean, the school carefully planned and raised funds for the new law school facility, Keller Hall; developed its distinctive Program in Law & Technology; reformed the first year curriculum, including the introduction of the Legal Profession Program and Legislation as a first semester course; and substantially increased the size and diversity of the faculty. In 1990 he was named an honorary alumnus by the UD Alumni Association in recognition of his outstanding service to the School of Law.

Professor Conte says Keller Hall was likely the most concrete accomplishment during this period. “We had to create a vision of what the school would look and be like in the future,” he says. “The character of the facility is a reflection of that long-term vision.”

Despite the prestige that came with the state-of-the-art building, Professor Conte is most proud of the relationships he built as dean. “I really enjoyed helping to develop and strengthen the relationship between the law school and legal community, especially with area judges and lawyers, and with our regional and national alumni,” he says.

He came to the School of Law with a varied background in law and law teaching. He taught at the Detroit College of Law for seven years, where he also directed the Legal Research, Writing & Advocacy Program as well as the Center for Canadian-U.S. Law. While director for the latter, he developed and administered the Canadian Summer Law Internship Program, in which American law students interned with members of Parliament, Canadian Federal Government Ministries, and corporate law departments. He is the recipient of two faculty enrichment awards from the Canadian Embassy for his development of course materials in Comparative Constitutional Law and U.S.-Canadian Immigration Law. He also served as a mediator for the Wayne County (Michigan) Mediation Tribunal, serving the Wayne County Circuit Courts and the Federal District Courts in Michigan.

He has also taught at the University of Montana School of Law and directed its Civil Clinical Program. Professor Conte was also the executive director of Legal Services for Northwestern Pennsylvania, a staff attorney for Central Massachusetts Legal Services and for the Office of Counsel of the Naval Ships Systems Command of the Department of the Navy, and a trade specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce.

As a professor, he most enjoys engaging his students in the learning process. “I do enjoy research and writing,” he says, “But I enjoy the classroom experience most of all.”

While not in the classroom, Professor Conte serves as secretary and executive committee member of the Board of Ohio Legal Assistance Foundation and currently serves on its Delivery and Grants Committee. He also chairs and administers the Dayton Bar Association-Thurgood Marshall Law Society Barbara Jordan Roundtable’s Summer Law Clerkship Program. The program provides opportunities for minority students to work as law clerks for established firms and seeks to strengthen the diversity of the Dayton Bar.

Courses 
LAW 6102 Torts I
LAW 6103 Torts II
LAW 6506 Intrasession: European Union Law - Institutions & Rights
LAW 6803 Constitutional Law
LAW 6804 Constitutional Law II
LAW 6851 Immigration Law Process and Policies
LAW 6850 International Law

Useful Web Link:
Dayton Bar Association

Selected Publications

• Reinforcing Democracy, Sovereignty and Union Efficacy: Supremacy and Subsidiarity in the European Union, 26 Dublin University Law Journal (2004)
• A Personal Reflection on the Last Half of the First Twenty-Five Years: Approaching the Millennium, 25 Dayton Law Review (1999)
• Dedication Remarks, 23 Dayton Law Review (1997)
• The Promise of the Charter: Rights and Equality, in Proceedings from the Tenth Annual Reddin Symposium, The Canadian Constitution and Renewed Federalism, Canadian Studies Center, Bowling Green University (1997)
• A Common Sense Recipe for Successful Recruitment of Minority Faculty, 10 St. Louis University Public Law Review 353 (1991)
• The Constitutionality of Full Public Funding of Roman Catholic Secondary Schools in Ontario: Reaping the Harvest Ye Have Sown, 9 Canadian Community Law Journal 64 (1986)
• If the Doctrine Loosely Fits, Wear It: Constitutional Adjudication in State Allegiance Cases, 20 San Diego Law Review 265 (1983)
• A Glimpse Forward: Toward Quality and Coherence in Law School Curricula, 16 John Marshall Law Review 523 (1983)