Professor Margaret Ivey to Retire

October 29, 2019
Director of Clinical Placement Program will have served over 30 years on law faculty

Professor Margaret Ivey, a long-time member of the University of Richmond School of Law faculty, will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 school year after over 30 years of service. 

Herself a 1979 graduate of Richmond Law, Professor Ivey first started at the Law School as an Assistant Dean in 1981, following two years as an Associate at Bell, Lacy & Baliles in Richmond. She then worked as an associate at Williams, Mullen, Christian & Dobbins before rejoining the University of Richmond. 

Professor Ivey spearheaded the growth and development of the Clinical Placement Program, which pairs students with local externships to allow them to apply legal skills and knowledge in real life settings with lawyers and judges. “As Director of the Clinical Placement Program, Margaret has carefully cultivated a network of local lawyers, judges, and business partners to build a program of 75 placements in civil, criminal, in-house, and judicial fields,” said Dean Wendy Perdue. “Her dedication and hard work helped lay the foundation for experiential learning at Richmond Law, benefitting countless students in their legal education.”  

Professor Ivey is an active member of the Virginia legal community, including serving as current chair of the Virginia Bar Association’s Commission on the Needs of Children, past chair of the Virginia State Bar’s Section on Education of Lawyers, and past President of the Virginia Poverty Law Center’s Board of Directors, as well as founding President of the Richmond Court-Appointed Special Advocate Board of Directors. In 2015, the VBA awarded Professor Ivey the Robert E. Shepherd Jr. Award for her exceptional service. Named in honor of a beloved member of the Richmond Law faculty, this award is conferred for excellence in advocacy on behalf of children and is one of the Bar Association’s highest awards. Her legal scholarship includes eight editions of Virginia Practice Series: Jury Instructions (West), co-authored with Ron Bacigal. 

“After over 30 years of service, the students and faculty of Richmond Law will certainly miss Margaret, and her immense contributions to our community,” added Dean Perdue.