LMU Law Promotes Maha Ayesh to Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law (LMU Law) Vice President and Dean Matt Lyon has announced the promotion of Maha Ayesh to associate dean for Academic Affairs.

“We are thrilled and fortunate to have Maha Ayesh serving in this important position at the law school,” said Lyon. “She has the universal respect of not only her colleagues here at LMU Law, but also the state and local bar. Moreover, she displays the empathy, understanding, and sound judgment needed to handle the many student issues and concerns that flow through the office of the associate dean for Academic Affairs.”

Ayesh has served as LMU Law’s Director of Experiential Learning since October 2020. During that time, Ayesh has overseen a growing externship program while developing clinical offerings to provide LMU Law’s students with practical experience and meeting the law school’s mission to serve the underserved. These have included a domestic violence clinic and mediation clinic in neighboring Sevier County and an immigration clinic with Catholic Charities of East Tennessee. Ayesh also has taught a variety of doctrinal and experiential courses and served on the law school’s Curriculum Committee, allowing her to gain an understanding of its curricular process and needs.

A Knoxville native, Ayesh graduated from the University of Tennessee College of Law in 2006, achieving the highest honors and being named Outstanding Graduate of her class. Ayesh joined LMU Law after over a decade in private practice focusing on employment and civil rights litigation, representing victims of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation for Jennifer Morton Law. Ayesh took a brief sabbatical from her practice when she was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship in 2011, through which she worked and researched in the field of human trafficking and the rights of migrant domestic workers in Amman, Jordan. Before that, she served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Joseph M. Tipton of the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals. She has been an active member of the local and state bar for many years.   

“During my time at LMU Law, I have really enjoyed working directly with students, teaching them skills foundational to the practice of law and helping them stay focused on their goals that brought them to law school,” Ayesh remarked. “I am excited to continue this work in a new capacity as associate dean.”

With Ayesh’s promotion, LMU Law is seeking to hire a new director of Experiential Learning, to begin on or after June 1, 2024. Candidates should have at least five years of legal practice experience and connections within the legal communities of Knoxville, Knox County, and/or East Tennessee. Interested applicants should apply here or contact Professor Syd Beckman, chair of the Faculty Recruitment Committee, at Sydney.Beckman@lmunet.edu.

The Lincoln Memorial University Duncan School of Law is located in Knoxville’s Historic Old City Hall Building. LMU Law is an integral part of LMU’s values-based learning community and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of lawyers to provide sound legal service in the often-underserved region of Appalachia and beyond.