Geoffrey Amsel

Professor Amsel is a career litigator. He has worked in private practice, government service, and as in-house counsel. Over the years he has served as lead trial counsel in a wide array of cases, including constitutional and statutory challenges to state and federal education and employment laws; disputes under Title VII, the ADA, and the ADEA; bankruptcy adversary proceedings; shareholder derivate actions; professional malpractice and securities fraud cases; and ERISA, consumer, and business class actions. In addition to companies and individuals, Professor Amsel’s clients have included a medical school accused of sex discrimination, a prominent cancer research and treatment center accused of disability discrimination, and an historically black university accused of race discrimination.

Professor Amsel attended the University of Texas (B.A. with High Distinction, 1980), where he studied experimental psychology and philosophy. He attended the New York University School of Law (J.D. 1983). While at NYU, he pursued his interest in philosophy of law, studying with Ronald Dworkin and exploring the tension between Dworkin’s rights-based jurisprudence and Supreme Court majority opinions, which, as products of compromise, may obscure a given justice’s individual conception of a fundamental right.

While continuing his law practice, Professor Amsel returned to the University of Texas (M.A. 1996), where he studied the development of perception and cognition in the first year of human life. He published journal articles and book chapters on that topic, and taught introductory psychology courses. In connection with his research, Professor Amsel studied experimental design and statistics, which were later invaluable tools for cross-examining and excluding experts, whose opinions often hinge on quasi-scientific analyses or reach conclusions based on untested assumptions.

Throughout his legal career, Professor Amsel has taken a special interest in teaching and mentoring others. In addition to traditional pro bono activities, he has taught advanced trial advocacy courses at the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, serves regularly as a judge for the Texas High School State Mock Trial Competition, and for years has mentored disadvantaged high school students enrolled in the Dallas Street Law Project, teaching them basic lawyering skills, including how to negotiate to avoid conflict. Professor Amsel is also a mentor in the Judge Louis A. Bedford, Jr. Mentorship Program at the UNT Dallas College of Law.