Eve Brensike Primus
Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professor of Law
Eve Brensike Primus is an award-winning teacher and scholar of criminal procedure and evidence who holds the Yale Kamisar Collegiate Professorship at Michigan Law. Before joining the faculty, she served as an attorney in the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. She founded and directs the MDefenders program and the Public Defender Training Institute, training law students to be zealous criminal defense advocates. Her scholarship on structural reform in criminal justice has been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Teaching Style
Professor Primus is a passionate and dynamic teacher who has won multiple L. Hart Wright Awards for excellence in teaching. As a former public defender and director of the MDefenders program, she brings real courtroom experience to her Socratic method. She pushes students to think about criminal procedure not just as abstract doctrine but as a system affecting real people. Her cold calls are thorough and she expects students to know the facts, procedural history, and reasoning of assigned cases.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Know the facts and procedural history of each assigned case inside and out
- 2Be prepared to discuss the practical impact of criminal procedure rules on defendants and defense attorneys
- 3Think about systemic issues in criminal justice, not just individual case outcomes
- 4Practice identifying the constitutional rights at stake and how courts balance them against government interests
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., University of Michigan Law School, summa cum laude
- B.A., Brown University, magna cum laude
Notable Publications
- Federal Review of State Criminal Convictions: A Structural Approach (Michigan Law Review)
- The Problematic Structure of Indigent Defense Delivery
Research Interests
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