Joseph McKay

Professor Joseph McKay is a public interest attorney and law professor whose teaching and professional work focus on governance, fiduciary responsibility, and institutional decision-making in mission-driven organizations. He serves as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Community Economic Development Clinic at the University of Denver Sturm College of Law.

As Director of the Community Economic Development Clinic, Professor McKay oversees a transactional law clinic representing nonprofits, small businesses, and entrepreneurs. His clinical pedagogy emphasizes professional judgment, ethical decision-making, and risk awareness in complex organizational settings. Through closely supervised client representation, he integrates doctrinal instruction, professional responsibility, and institutional analysis into transactional legal education, preparing students to practice with sound judgment, accountability, and professionalism.

Professor McKay is actively engaged in academic service and shared governance. He holds elected national leadership positions within the Society of American Law Teachers (SALT), where he serves as Co-President and as a member of the Board of Governors, with responsibilities related to organizational governance, financial oversight, and strategic planning. He also serves as General Counsel to the Lewis Latimer House, a nationally recognized nonprofit museum in New York, advising its board and leadership on governance, compliance, and institutional stewardship. These roles inform his teaching and scholarly interests in nonprofit governance and fiduciary decision-making.

Prior to joining the University of Denver, Professor McKay served as an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law and Assistant Director of the Business Law Clinic at Loyola University Chicago School of Law, where he supervised transactional clinic matters and taught Administrative Law. He has also taught undergraduate courses in business- and law-related subjects at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the University of Nevada, Reno.

Professor McKay began his legal career in the federal judiciary, clerking for Judge William J. Bauer of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Judge David W. Dugan of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois. He later served as a Pro Se Staff Attorney at the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, working on prisoner civil rights and habeas corpus matters.

JD, University of Maryland
PhD, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
LLM, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
MRED, University of Maryland
BS, Cornell University