John G. Douglass

Professor of Law

Profile

Professor John Douglass served as Dean of the Law School from 2007-2011, and teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, criminal procedure, evidence, and trial advocacy. Professor Douglass's academic publications have focused on criminal prosecution, the criminal trial process, and the Confrontation Clause, and his scholarship has appeared in the Columbia Law Review, George Washington Law Review, Fordham Law Review, and Emory Law Journal, among other venues. Before joining the Law School in 1996, Professor Douglass served as an Assistant United States Attorney and as Chief of the Criminal Division of the United States Attorney's Office in Richmond. He served on the staff of Independent Counsel in the Iran-Contra investigation and was a partner in a Richmond law firm. Professor Douglass is a certified mediator and member of The McCammon Group. He teaches and directs programs in trial advocacy and other litigation skills for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. He served as Chair of the City of Richmond Charter Review Commission in 2009-10. He currently chairs the ABA's Virginia Assessment Team on the Death Penalty and serves on the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission and the Ethics Committee for the Virginia Commonwealth University Hospital System. Professor Douglass received the University of Richmond's Distinguished Educator Award in 1999. 

Memberships

Faculty Member, National Institute for Trial Advocacy (teaching and directing programs in trial advocacy and other litigation skills)

Member of the Virginia State Bar faculty for the Course in Professionalism.

Member, VSB-VBA Joint Committee on Dispute Resolution.

Member, Virginia Model Jury Instructions Committee.

Member, Commission on Virginia Courts in the 21st Century.

Member, MCV Hospitals Ethics Committee.

Founding director, former Chairman, and former Member of Board of Directors, Interfaith Housing Corporation, a nonprofit affordable housing development corporation.

Member of the Virginia State Bar faculty for the Course in Professionalism (1995-1998).

Bar Admissions

Virginia

District of Columbia

United States Courts of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the District of Columbia Circuit

United States District Courts for the Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia, the District of Columbia

District of Maryland

Professional Experience

Dean and Professor of Law (2008-2011)
University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Va.

Professor of Law (1996-2008, 2011-present)
University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Va.

Associate Professor of Law (1999-2002)
University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Va.

Assistant Professor of Law (1996-1999)
University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Va.

Acting Associate Dean (Spring 2002)
University of Richmond School of Law, Richmond, Va.

Mediator (1996-present)
The McCammon Group, Richmond, Va.

Assistant United States Attorney, Chief of Criminal Section (1992-1996)
U.S. Department of Justice

Partner (1988-1991)
Wright, Robinson, McCammon, Osthimer & Tatum, Richmond, Va.

Associate (1986-1991)
Wright, Robinson, McCammon, Osthimer & Tatum, Richmond, Va

Associate Counsel (1987-1990)
Office of Independent Counsel for the Iran/Contra Investigation

Assistant United States Attorney (1983-1986)
U.S. Department of Justice, Baltimore, Md.

Associate in general civil litigation section (1981-1983)
McGuire, Woods & Battle, Richmond, Va.

Law Clerk to Hon. Harrison L. Winter, Chief Judge (1980-1981)
United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit

Certifications

Certified as Mediator by Supreme Court of Virginia, 1997

Publications

Articles

Can Prosecutors Bluff? Brady v. Maryland and Plea Bargaining, 57 Case W. Res. L. Rev. 581 (2007). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Confronting Death: Sixth Amendment Rights at Capital Sentencing, 105 Colum. L. Rev. (Nov. 2005). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Raiding Islam: Searches that Target Religious Institutions, 19 J.L. & Religion 95 (2004). [W] [HEIN]

Rethinking Theft Crimes in Virginia, 38 U. Rich. L. Rev. 13 (2003). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Virtual Cross-Examination: The Art of Impeaching Hearsay, 34 J. Mar. L. & Com. 149 (2003). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Admissibility as Cause and Effect: Considering Affirmative Rights under the Confrontation Clause, 21 Quinnipiac L. Rev. 1047 (2003). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Cross-Burning Case Explores Free-Speech Controversy, Richmond Law, Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2003.

Jimmy Hoffa's Revenge: White-Collar Rights Under the McDade Amendment, 11 Wm. & Mary Bill of Rts. J. 123 (2002). [Journal] [L] [W] [HEIN]

Panel Members Urge Caution in Implementing USA PATRIOT Act, Education and Practice (publication of the Virginia State Bar Section on Education of Lawyers), Vol. 11, No. 1, Fall 2002.

Confronting the Reluctant Accomplice, 101 Colum. L. Rev. 1797 (2001). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Fatal Attraction? The Uneasy Courtship of Brady and Plea Bargaining, 50 Emory L.J. 437 (2001). [L] [W] [HEIN]

Balancing Hearsay and Criminal Discovery, 68 Fordham L. Rev. 2097 (2000). [Journal] [L] [W] [HEIN]

Beyond Admissibility: Real Confrontation, Virtual Cross-Examination and the Right to Confront Hearsay, 67 Geo. Wash. L. Rev. 191 (1999). [L] [W] [HEIN]

The Breard Case and the Virtues of Forbearance, Richmond Law, Vol 11, No. 2, Summer 1998.

The Gifts of the Wizard, University of Richmond Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 1, Fall 1997.

The View from Campus, Education and Practice (publication of the Virginia State Bar Section on Education of Lawyers), Vol. 5, No. 3, Spring 1997.

Stacking of Uninsured and Underinsured Motor Vehicle Coverages, 24 U. Rich. L. Rev. 87 (1989) (with Frank Telegadas). [HEIN]

Note: Enforcing the Right to an "Appropriate" Education: The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, 92 Harv. L. Rev. 1103 (1979).

Education

B.A., Dartmouth College 1977

J.D., Harvard Law School 1980

Contact Information

(804) 289-8198
(Mobile)
(804) 289-8683 (Fax)

Areas of Expertise

Criminal Law and Procedure
Evidence
Confrontation Clause
Trial Advocacy and Plea Bargaining