Center for Military Law and Policy

The Center for Military Law and Policy was established in November 2004 as a means of capitalizing on the unique experience and knowledge of the Texas Tech faculty in the field of military law. The center provides a platform for scholarly research related to military law, a forum for discussion of current issues related to military law, and a resource for information about legal careers in military and national security law.

Heavily publicized cases involving sexual harassment, abuse of recruits at training centers, and abuse of prisoners in Iraq have created more press coverage of the military justice system than at any previous time. Thus, "The point of creating a Center for Military Law and Policy is not to create a civilian school of instruction for military law, but to bring credibility and a scholarly discussion to the modern military law debates," said Associate Dean Richard Rosen, director of the center. With perhaps more former military lawyers on staff than any other law school in the nation, the Texas Tech University School of Law provides a unique academic environment to study and critique the military judicial system, "We want to look at these military law issues as honestly and independently as we can," Rosen said.

Directors

Professor Richard D. Rosen is the center’s first director. Before joining the faculty, Dean Rosen completed a 26-year career in the Army as a judge advocate. He has published articles in the Military Law Review, Modern Legal Systems Cyclopedia and Army Lawyer.

Other previous assignments include:

• Commandant (Dean) of the ABA recognized Army Judge Advocate General's School in Charlottesville, Virginia
• Staff Judge Advocate of III Armored Corps in Fort Hood, Texas
• Chief of Personnel, Plans and Training, The Pentagon, Washington, DC
• Staff Judge Advocate of the 1st Cavalry Division
• Deputy Legal Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington, DC

Legal Practice Assistant Professor Kimberly Phillips, the center’s deputy director, joined the faculty in 2003 after serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for five and a half years. As a JAG officer, Phillips served as lead legal counsel when an American spy plane was forced to land in China in 2001. Professor Phillips is also the recipient of two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

Other previous assignments include:

• Staff Judge Advocate for Commander, Patrol and Reconnaissance Force, Pacific in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii
• Assistant Staff Judge Advocate for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii in Pearl Harbor
• Defense Counsel and Legal Assistance Attorney for the Naval Legal Service Office Northwest in Bremerton, Washington

Other Faculty With Military Law Experience

In addition, faculty members with military law experience include: Walter B. Huffman, M.Ed., J.D.; Daniel H. Benson, M.A., J.D.; Joseph B. Conboy, J.D., LL.M.; James Eissinger, J.D.; Calvin Lewis, J.D.; and Brian Shannon, J.D.