Duquesne Kline School of Law welcomes two assistant professors

Gailey recently completed two years at Duquesne Kline School of Law serving as a visiting assistant professor. Prior to teaching, Gailey was a member of Winston & Strawn鈥檚 Appellate & Critical Motions practice in Washington, D.C. She was involved in all stages of litigation, from formulating strategy and analyzing legal issues to drafting briefs and presenting oral arguments in courts across the country. Before that, she practiced law at Jones Day in Pittsburgh. 

Gailey鈥檚 experience includes high-profile, high-stakes matters spanning a wide variety of industries and subject-matter areas. Her career highlights include briefing and second-chairing oral argument (resulting in a 9鈥�0 victory) in a case before the United States Supreme Court; obtaining a series of wins on behalf of service members living with HIV in equal protection challenges to military policies; and arguing and winning a Fifth Circuit appeal in a case worth nine figures.

Gailey served as a law clerk to Judge Thomas Hardiman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, now-Chief Judge Jeffrey Sutton of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, and Judge David Campbell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, as well as the federal Judicial Conference鈥檚 Committee on Rules of Practice and Procedure. 

She earned her juris doctor summa cum laude from Duquesne Kline School of Law, where she was executive articles editor of the Duquesne Law Review and won several awards as a member of the Appellate Moot Court Board. Gailey additionally earned a bachelor of arts degree and bachelor of science in business administration, both summa cum laude, from the University of Pittsburgh.

Gailey, a native of the Pittsburgh area, is appreciative of this opportunity to return to Pittsburgh to empower and guide Duquesne Kline School of Law students. 

鈥淚n a very literal way, I feel like I鈥檝e come home. This school was where I had my first contact with the legal profession. It opened my eyes to the many possibilities a career in law offers, as well as how rich an intellectual pursuit the study of law can be. I鈥檓 still exploring questions in my scholarship that I encountered for the first time as a student at Duquesne Kline. I鈥檓 thrilled to have been given the opportunity to study those questions in greater depth. And I hope to inspire our students to investigate areas of the law that intrigue them in a similar way,鈥� she said.

McKown, a highly successful adjunct professor for the previous six years, simultaneously amassed a decade of experience in compliance and advisory roles. He built an impressive career in high-impact positions across Fortune 500 companies and other major organizations. McKown has led compliance transformations, developed policy frameworks, and ensured regulatory adherence in highly regulated industries. His experience includes advising executive leadership, preparing reports for boards of directors, and working with regulators across state, federal, and international jurisdictions. His expertise spans strategic planning, risk management, and corporate governance.

McKown serves as a moot court coach and has led teams to success in national and international competitions, with teams earning top brief awards and advancing to final and semifinal rounds. McKown also played a key role in the law school鈥檚 bar exam success, helping maintain its impressive pass rates by mentoring students as they prepare for the bar exam. 

In keeping with the Duquesne Kline School of Law teacher-scholar model, McKown is a committed scholar whose work has been published in the George Washington Law Review Arguendo, University of Florida Journal of Law and Public Policy, Mitchell Hamline Journal of Public Law and Policy, and Duquesne Law Review. Believing that legal knowledge should be accessible to all, he also compiled a free open-source casebook on energy regulation.

McKown earned his juris doctor from the Duquesne Kline School of Law, where he contributed to the Duquesne Law Review and the Appellate Moot Court Board. He also holds a master of business administration degree from Auburn University鈥檚 Harbert School of Business and a bachelor of science degree in political science from the University of Texas at Tyler. Prior to law school, he worked as a congressional staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives, where he developed an early interest in law and public service.

Preparing Duquesne Kline School of Law students for success is what McKown is anticipating most. 

鈥淚鈥檓 excited to serve our law school community, especially the students. My career began in public service, which led me to law school, and my education at Duquesne Kline opened so many doors for me in the private sector over the last ten years. But I鈥檓 looking forward to returning to that call to serve others by helping our students develop the skills and confidence they need to succeed in their own careers,鈥� he said.