Jackson Free Press

Patricia Bennett, who has served as a criminal procedures and trial advocacy professor at the Mississippi College School of Law for 27 years, became the college's interim dean on Dec. 1. The college's board selected her for the position on Nov. 4 after former dean Wendy Scott announced that she would step down from her position to join the MC Law faculty in January 2017.

As interim dean, Bennett will directly manage the affairs of and work with the law school's faculty, staff and alumni until the board chooses a permanent dean in a nationwide search. The school does not currently have a timeframe in mind for when it will begin seeking a permanent dean.

"Right now, I think we have a good foundation already in place, and I'm looking forward to building on that and focusing on our recent efforts at recruitment, placement and prepping students for the bar exam," Bennett told the Jackson Free Press. "I'll also be looking to expand career-placement opportunities for our students and working on new fundraising efforts with our alumni."

Bennett also serves on MC Law's admissions committee, recruiting prospective students. She was most recently on such a trip to Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro and has gone on similar trips throughout the state.

Originally from Forest, Miss., Bennett currently lives in Clinton. She received a bachelor's degree in political science from Tougaloo College in 1975 and a juris doctor law degree from MC Law in 1979, accepting a position as a professor for the institution 10 years later. The staff at MC named her Distinguished Professor of the Year in 2014.

"As long as I can remember, I always wanted to be a lawyer," Bennett said. "As a teenager, I watched programs like 'Perry Mason' and was fascinated by what I observed lawyers could do in the courtroom acting on behalf of others. I got into law and ended up going to Tougaloo and later MC because of that, and because I knew there were plenty of talented lawyers who came out of Tougaloo, like Constance Slaughter-Harvey, who served as an inspiration to me. I wanted to be able to grow into the lawyer she is. (I also wanted to) convince juries to be fair in consideration of evidence, and see things from a reasonable perspective."

As exciting as Bennett found courtroom advocacy to be, she especially came to love teaching up-and-coming lawyers as a professor at MC Law, she says.

"It's been a privilege to work with bright young minds who are confident, purpose-driven, open, and willing to learn and share ideas," she said. "Teaching criminal-law courses has been rewarding because I get the chance to convince young people of the great need for public defenders and new talent in the prosecutor's office here in Mississippi. I tell all of my students how important it is to have the public interest in mind as they pursue their law degree."