Elizabeth G. Thornburg is the Richard R. Lee Endowed Professor of Law. She earned a B.A. from the College of William & Mary and J.D. from SMU, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert M. Hill, U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Texas, and in the Law Offices of James C. Barber before becoming an associate at what is now Locke Lord and before launching her academic career at SMU in 1984. She has written articles in prominent law reviews, co-authored a study guide for Civil Procedure and two Texas procedure casebooks, and has contributed chapters to many other books on civil procedure issues. She co-authored Lawtalk: The Unknown Stories Behind Familiar Legal Expressions, published by Yale University Press, whose broad appeal reached beyond legal audiences. She received the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Award in 2016 and the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in 2013. Professor Thornburg was director of the Center for Teaching Excellence from 2012 to 2014, and senior associate dean for Academic Affairs from 2014 to 2017 and 1996 to 1998. She retires as professor emerita of law.
Elizabeth G. Thornburg is the Richard R. Lee Endowed Professor of Law. She earned a B.A. from the College of William & Mary and J.D. from SMU, where she was a member of the Order of the Coif. She served as a law clerk to the Honorable Robert M. Hill, U.S. District Court judge for the Northern District of Texas, and in the Law Offices of James C. Barber before becoming an associate at what is now Locke Lord and before launching her academic career at SMU in 1984. She has written articles in prominent law reviews, co-authored a study guide for Civil Procedure and two Texas procedure casebooks, and has contributed chapters to many other books on civil procedure issues. She co-authored Lawtalk: The Unknown Stories Behind Familiar Legal Expressions, published by Yale University Press, whose broad appeal reached beyond legal audiences. She received the Altshuler Distinguished Teaching Professor Award in 2016 and the University Scholar/Teacher of the Year Award in 2013. Professor Thornburg was director of the Center for Teaching Excellence from 2012 to 2014, and senior associate dean for Academic Affairs from 2014 to 2017 and 1996 to 1998. She retires as professor emerita of law.