Michael A. Simons

Michael A. Simons joined the St. John's faculty in 1998 and was appointed Dean of the School of Law in 2009.

Dean Simons teaches in the areas of criminal law and evidence, and he has been a frequent lecturer to the bench and bar on both topics. He was selected by the students as "Professor of the Year" in 2000 and 2011. From 2005 through 2008, he served as Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship. His own scholarship has focused on sentencing, prosecutorial decision-making, and punishment theory. His articles have appeared in the New York University Law Review, the Vanderbilt Law Review, the George Mason Law Review, the Villanova Law Review, the St. John’s Law Review, The Catholic Lawyer, the Journal of Catholic Legal Studies, the Journal of Civil Rights and Economic Development, and the Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review.

Since 2001, he has been a Fellow with the Vincentian Center for Church and Society. During 2005 and 2006, he was a member of the New York City Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary. He has also been involved with St. John's efforts to increase the diversity of the legal profession, including by organizing and hosting the annual Catholic Middle Schools Mock Trial Program, by teaching in the Ronald H. Brown Center's Summer Prep Program, and by lecturing for Legal Outreach.