Adjunct Professor

Email: tpaprocki@avemarialaw.edu

The Most Reverend Thomas John Paprocki was named the Bishop of Springfield in Illinois on April 20, 2010, by Pope Benedict XVI.

For his episcopal motto, Bishop Paprocki has retained the Latin phrase LEX CORDIS CARITAS—“the law of the heart is love”—reflecting his conviction as both a civil and canon lawyer. He earned his J.D. from DePaul University College of Law in 1981, founded the Chicago Legal Clinic to assist the working poor, and later received a J.C.L. (1989) and J.C.D. (1991) from the Pontifical Gregorian University. He is also known as the “Holy Goalie” for his participation in amateur ice hockey.

Academic Background

• St. Casimir School (1966)
• Quigley Preparatory Seminary South, Chicago (1970)
• Niles College of Loyola University, Chicago (B.A., 1974)
• St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein (S.T.B., 1976; M.Div., 1978; S.T.L., 1979)
• DePaul University College of Law (J.D., 1981)
• Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome (J.C.L., 1989; J.C.D., 1991)
• University of Notre Dame (M.B.A., 2013)

Professional Experience

• Associate Pastor, St. Michael Church, Chicago (1978–83)
• Administrator, St. Joseph Parish, Chicago (1983–86)
• President, (South) Chicago Legal Clinic (1981–86; 1991–2014)
• Vice-Chancellor, Archdiocese of Chicago (1985–92)
• Chancellor, Archdiocese of Chicago (1992–2000)
• Adjunct Professor of Law, Loyola University Chicago School of Law (1999–2015)
• Pastor, St. Constance Parish, Chicago (2001–2003)
• Auxiliary Bishop of Chicago; Episcopal Vicar, Vicariate IV (2003–2010)
• Bishop of Springfield in Illinois (2010– )
• President Emeritus & Of Counsel, (South) Chicago Legal Clinic (2014–2017)
• Adjunct Professor of Law, Notre Dame Law School (2016–2021)
• Adjunct Professor of Law, Business & Bioethics, Quincy University Oakley School of Business (2022– )

Selected Links

• About Bishop Paprocki – Diocese of Springfield
• Books by Bishop Paprocki
• Homilies and Speeches
• Pastoral Letters
• Bishop’s Column

Adjunct Professor

Email: smcfee@avemarialaw.edu

Governor Ron DeSantis appointed Shannon McFee to the Circuit Court of the Twentieth Judicial Circuit on December 19, 2019; he took the bench on February 3, 2020. A lifelong Collier County resident, Judge McFee earned a B.A. in Criminology from the University of South Florida (1990) and a J.D. from Florida State University College of Law (1992).

He began as an Assistant State Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial Circuit and then focused his practice on criminal and juvenile defense until 2020. He has served multiple terms on the Florida Bar Grievance Committee, the Florida Bar Traffic Rules Committee, and as a multi-term President of the Collier County Association of Criminal Defense Attorneys.

Adjunct Professor

Email: jraudabaugh@avemarialaw.edu

SSRN | Curriculum Vitae

Education

• J.D., University of Virginia School of Law (1977)
• M.S., Labor Economics, Cornell University (1974)
• B.S., Labor Economics, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania (1968)

Areas of Expertise: Labor Law

Professional Experience

Former Member, U.S. National Labor Relations Board (nominated by President George H. W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate); practiced labor law at nationally and internationally recognized firms; represented U.S. employers at the International Labor Organization; advised the U.S. State Department and foreign governments regarding labor law.

Adjunct Professor

Email: JJeffreys@avemarialaw.edu

Jo-Anne Herina Jeffreys, Esq., CELA, is a Certified Elder Law Attorney (National Elder Law Foundation) concentrating in elder law, estate planning, and special needs planning. She is admitted in Florida, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.

She is a former adjunct professor at Seton Hall University School of Law; a Fellow and former board member of NAELA; a former vice-chair of the ABA IRR Elder Law Committee; and a member of the Special Needs Alliance. She has been named a New Jersey Super Lawyer annually since 2008 and frequently lectures at the state and national levels.

Co-author: Representing the Elderly Client—Law and Practice (Panel Publishers/Wolters Kluwer, 1999). She is a Boston College graduate and earned her J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. Offices in Naples, Florida, and Hoboken, New Jersey.

Adjunct Professor

Email: cnard@avemarialaw.edu

Adjunct Professor

Email: seana.sugrue@avemaria.edu

Professor Sugrue is the Ambassador Michael Novak Chair of Politics at Ave Maria University. She earned a B.B.A. from Bishop’s University, an LL.B. from the University of Ottawa, and an LL.M. and D.C.L. in Civil Law from McGill University.

Adjunct Professor

Email: lwilliams@avemarialaw.edu

Courses

• Estate Planning
• General Practice Clinic

Ms. Williams is licensed in Florida, Illinois, and Minnesota. She holds a J.D. from The John Marshall Law School; an M.B.A. (Finance, Derivatives specialization) from Loyola University Chicago; and a B.S. in Finance from Indiana University. With 25+ years in financial services and law, she has assisted high-net-worth clients with estate, charitable, tax, business, and securities planning. She has taught in DePaul University’s Certificate in Financial Planning program.

She is active in mentorship and community service, including Junior Achievement and church stewardship. A former board member of Humane Society Naples, she adopted a Great Dane/Lab rescue and supports several human-care ministries.

Adjunct Professor

Email: louisa@louamato.com

Education

• St. Louis University, B.A., cum laude (1971)
• University of Miami, J.D., magna cum laude (1973)
• Member, Wig & Robe; Digest Editor, University of Miami Law Review; Instructor, Legal Research & Writing I/II

Mr. Amato has practiced in Southwest Florida since 1974 with an emphasis on bankruptcy law. He is Board Certified in Business Bankruptcy by the American Board of Certification and the American Bankruptcy Institute. His experience spans representation of debtors, creditors, and bankruptcy fiduciaries across Chapters 7, 11, 12, and 13, including debtor-in-possession financing and service as a court-appointed Chapter 11 Trustee.

He has served in leadership of the Southwest Florida Bankruptcy Professionals, authored for the ABI Journal, and presented at the Stetson University International Bankruptcy Symposium (Varenna, Italy). Community service includes charter president, Collier County Better Business Bureau, and eight years as a Commissioner of the City of Naples Airport Authority.

Adjunct Professor

Email: ahbanzet@avemarialaw.edu

Courses

• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Business Planning and Corporate Tax

Ms. Banzet graduated summa cum laude from North Carolina State University (B.A., Political Science; minor in English). After earning her J.D. with honors from the University of North Carolina School of Law, she practiced in a North Carolina general practice firm focusing on real estate, estate planning, state tax, contracts, corporate, and domestic law.

She earned an LL.M. in Taxation from the University of Florida (2004) and relocated to Southwest Florida. She is a Tax Attorney and Wealth Planning Strategist serving high-net-worth clients and business owners, with experience in taxation, IRS controversy, estate planning, trust and estate administration, strategic wealth planning, asset protection, ADR, and business entity work.

Currently, Ms. Banzet is a Vice President, Senior Relationship Manager, Trust Administrator, and Wealth Planner for Huntington Trust (Huntington Private Client Group), in Naples, Florida, and consults on complex tax issues. She is a member of the Florida and North Carolina Bars; the ABA (Real Property, Tax, and Business Law Sections); the Collier County Bar; and the Collier County Women’s Bar.

Adjunct Professor

Email: bbutcher@avemarialaw.edu

Courses

• Real Estate Transactions

Mr. Butcher is the founding and managing member of Rojas & Butcher, P.L. His practice focuses on representation of condominium and homeowners’ associations, as well as individuals and businesses in residential and commercial real estate matters, workouts, transactions, and litigation. He graduated summa cum laude from Thomas M. Cooley Law School (2001) and earned an LL.M. in Real Property Development from the University of Miami School of Law (2006). He previously practiced with Sommers Schwartz, P.C., and served in the United States Air Force (1995–1999).

Adjunct Professor

Email: jgaragiola@avemarialaw.edu

Joe Garagiola, Jr., is Senior Director of Special Projects for the Arizona Diamondbacks and a former Senior Vice President in the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, overseeing on-field standards and discipline. As the Diamondbacks’ first General Manager, he helped lead the fastest expansion-team turnaround (100 wins in year two) and a World Series title in year four (2001). He has taught Sports Law at multiple universities, including Ave Maria School of Law, and is admitted in Arizona, California, and New York.

Adjunct Professor

Email: jim.bock@avemaria.edu and jbock@avemarialaw.edu

Phone: 239-304-7037

James A. Bock Jr., J.D., J.C.L., is a native of Saint Louis, Missouri, and is both a Civil and Canon lawyer. He is currently the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer of Ave Maria University. Most recently, he was Chancellor and General Counsel for the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, where he served since 2019. As the diocese’s chief legal officer, he advised on a broad range of matters in both civil and canon law. Prior to this, he held the role of Director of Legal Services and Policy Development for the diocese.

Before progressing to diocesan leadership, Mr. Bock worked as a litigation associate at Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale, P.C., representing corporate clients in complex civil defense matters in Illinois and Missouri. His early legal experience includes serving as an Assistant Public Defender in Madison County, Illinois, where he represented indigent clients in criminal proceedings, and working as an independent contractor attorney with Gori Julian and Associates, focusing on pharmaceutical multidistrict litigation.

Mr. Bock attended Ave Maria School of Law from Fall 2009 until his graduation, magna cum laude, in Spring of 2012 in Naples, Florida. His class was the first to attend law school at the Vineyards Campus in Florida.

Mr. Bock’s scholarship includes a 2024 publication in Studia canonica titled “Juridic Persons, Associations and the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.” He is an active member of the Catholic Bar Association, the Canon Law Society of America, and the Knights of Columbus. He is currently licensed in Illinois and Missouri and has been admitted to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court. Mr. Bock has received Authorized House Counsel Status under the Rules Regulating the Florida Bar, Chapter 17 for his work as General Counsel of Ave Maria University. Jim and his wife, Carin, are the proud parents of six children and live in Ave Maria, Florida.

Education: J.D., Ave Maria School of Law; J.C.L, Saint Paul University; M.C.L, University of Ottawa/Saint Paul University; B.A., Non-Profit Administration (major), Communications (minor), Lindenwood University.

Adjunct Professor

Email: spuopolo@avemarialaw.edu

Shannon M. Puopolo concentrates in business litigation with a focus on real-estate disputes, creditors’ rights in bankruptcy, and appellate law. She also handles matters involving title insurance claims, lien and tax deed sales, partnership disputes, trust litigation, association law, and residential/commercial evictions. She is the firm’s Hiring Chair, a Florida Supreme Court Certified Circuit Mediator, and on the approved mediator list for the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida. Admitted in Florida state courts and the U.S. District Courts for the Middle and Southern Districts of Florida.

Stephen L. Mikochik

slmikochik@avemarialaw.edu

Stephen Mikochik is an emeritus professor at Temple Law School in Philadelphia where he taught Constitutional Law and related subjects for thirty years. He was a visiting professor at Ave Maria Law School for fourteen years where he taught Jurisprudence and Mission courses. He is presently a senior lecturer at the law school. Before joining the Temple faculty, he was an attorney with the Civil Rights Division, U.S. Department of Justice, where he worked to enforce the rights of people with disabilities.

Prof. Mikochik received his B.A. from New York University, his J.D. from Fordham Law School, his LL.M. from Harvard Law School, his M.A. in theology from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, his M.A. in philosophy from Temple University, and his post-masters certificate in philosophy from Holy Apostles College and Seminary.

Prof. Mikochik’s scholarship focuses on religious freedom, bioethics, and the Fourteenth Amendment. He has submitted extensive testimony on state proposals to legalize assisted suicide.