S.J. Quinney College of Law

Celebrating 100 Years of
Legal Education (1913-2013)

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Ross McPhail

Ross McPhail's Biography Photo

Assistant Librarian
Adjunct Professor of Law

Professor McPhail joined the law library staff in August of 2006 and was invited to join the law library faculty in June of 2007. He received a B.A. in English and Philosophy from Quincy College in Quincy, Illinois, and a J.D. from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota. Prior to joining the library faculty at the University of Utah, Professor McPhail clerked and practiced law for 11 years in Illinois, Missouri, and Utah. His specialization was employment law with an emphasis on Title VII litigation, and he has litigated a variety of cases in state, federal and administrative law forums. He is admitted to practice in the Utah State Courts and the United States Court system.

Professor McPhail teaches the legal research component of the first-year legal methods class and an advanced legal research course. In addition to his library and teaching responsibilities, Professor McPhail is an award-winning writer of essays and short stories.

Scholarship Highlights

Articles

One Moment in Time: The University of Utah Law Library participates in Library Snapshot Day 2010—and learns what patrons really think, Co-authored with Ronald Fuller and Ross McPhail, AALL Spectrum, 15(2), 14 (2010)

Selected Talks and Presentations

Helping Patrons Help Themselves (Free Legal Websites). Presentation at Utah Library Association Annual Conference, St. George, Utah, May 2010

Beyond Google: Factual Legal Research on the Internet. CLE presentation to the Utah Paralegal Bar, Salt Lake City, Utah, February 2009

View CV for full list

Professional Service

American Association of Law Libraries Wester Pacific Chapter (WestPac) Committee-Chair, Constitution and Bylaws Committee, 2008-2010.

Financial Aid and Scholarship Committee, University of Utah 2009-current

Reference Committee, Utah Academic Library Consortium, 2009-2010

Honors & Awards

American Jurisprudence Award, Legal Research and Writing, Hamline University School of Law

American Jurisprudence Award, Advanced Legal Advocacy, Hamline University School of Law

Professional Affiliations

Member, American Association of Law Libraries

Member, Utah Library Association

Member, Utah Academic Library Consortium

Member, American Library Association

Member, Western Pacific Chapter of the American Association of Law Libraries (WestPac)

Member, Utah State Bar and Federal Association