Susan R. Klein
Alice McKean Young Regents Chair in Law, Professor of Law
Susan R. Klein is the Alice McKean Young Regents Chair in Law at the University of Texas School of Law, where she is a nationally prominent scholar in federal criminal law, criminal procedure, and prosecutorial ethics. Before entering academia, she spent four years as a federal criminal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice, rotating through the Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Section, Public Integrity Unit, Terrorism & Violent Crimes, and the U.S. Attorney's Office for D.C. She co-authors the widely adopted casebook Federal Criminal Law and Its Enforcement and serves as Reporter for the Fifth Circuit Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal.
Teaching Style
Professor Klein brings the intensity and precision of her experience as a federal prosecutor to the classroom. She uses a rigorous Socratic method that mirrors cross-examination, pressing students to defend their positions with evidence and logic. Cold calls are frequent and challenging, often involving complex multi-step hypotheticals drawn from real federal criminal cases. Students should be prepared for rapid-fire follow-up questions that test the boundaries of legal rules.
Cold Call Tips
- 1Know the constitutional amendments governing criminal procedure cold, especially the Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments
- 2Be ready to discuss how statutory and constitutional rules interact in the federal criminal system
- 3Prepare to analyze cases from the perspective of both the prosecution and the defense
- 4Review recent Supreme Court criminal procedure decisions, as Professor Klein frequently incorporates them into class discussions
Areas of Expertise
Education
- J.D., University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall)
- B.A., Wellesley College
Notable Publications
- Federal Criminal Law and Its Enforcement (casebook, co-authored with Abrams & Beale)
- Reporter, Fifth Circuit Pattern Jury Instructions, Criminal
Research Interests
More Professors at University of Texas School of Law
Constitutional Law, National Security Law, Cybersecurity Law and Policy, Evidence
Torts, Contracts, Restitution, Civil Procedure
Federal Civil Procedure, Remedies, Bankruptcy
Federal Courts, Constitutional Law, Civil Procedure, Statutory Interpretation
Patent Law, Administrative Law, Contracts, Intellectual Property