Jim McElhaney, the Joseph C. Hostetler Professor Emeritus of Trial Practice and Advocacy, passed away Oct. 20. In his nearly 25 years at Case Western Reserve (1978-2002), McElhaney was known as a leading educator of trial litigation.
At Case Western Reserve University, McElhaney became one of the first law professors who taught litigation skills to receive an endowed chair. His appointment, according to School of Law Dean Michael Scharf, helped trial advocacy gain credibility as a part of the law school curriculum, and also launched the experiential education movement.
McElhaney was known as a gifted teacher and author. He also gained attention for his monthly ABA Journal column on courtroom tactics, which ran for 24 years.
He retired to Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 2002. There, he continued contributing to the ABA Journal, which, in 2012, featured a piece detailing McElhaney’s career.
Services were held last month in his memory. The family requests that any donations in his honor go to the Alzheimer’s Association.