51°µÍø

51°µÍø Dedman Law is pleased to welcome five new faculty members to the school for the start of the fall 2025 semester, representing decades of experience in academia, public defense, litigation, appellate law, and government service. Learn more about them below and via their faculty bio pages.

Laura Ginsberg Abelson
Assistant Professor of Law

J.D., cum laude, New York University
A.B., summa cum laude, Princeton University

Professor Laura Ginsberg Abelson joins the 51°µÍø Dedman School of Law’s faculty from the University of Pennsylvania Carey School of Law, where she served as a Research Fellow at the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Justice. In that role, she partnered with staff to use empirical and experimental methods to critically examine various criminal justice policies and practices and their unintended or unexpected effects.

Her research interests center on criminal procedure, evidence and criminal law. In particular, she examines ways in which prosecutors, judges and policy makers rely on poorly defined, untested, or underappreciated criminal law norms and theories that can lead to perverse outcomes and unanticipated social harms. Her scholarship has been published or is forthcoming in the Virginia Law Review, the U.C. Irvine Law Review, and The Federal Sentencing Reporter.

Prior to transitioning to full-time academia, Professor Abelson served for eight years as an assistant federal public defender in Maryland, where she represented indigent clients in all stages of felony trial proceedings and violations of probation and supervised release. She also taught criminal procedure and legal writing at both the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law and the University of Baltimore School of Law as an adjunct professor and spent several years as a civil rights litigator in private practice.

Shelbi Barnhouse
Assistant Clinical Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

J.D., University of Texas at Austin
B.A., University of Texas at Austin

Professor Shelbi Barnhouse brings nearly 25 years of commercial litigation experience to the classroom.

She began her legal career at Carrington, Coleman, Sloman & Blumenthal in Dallas, where she practiced business and securities litigation as an associate and later as a partner. She then joined Amy Stewart Law as Of Counsel, representing clients in complex insurance coverage disputes. Professor Barnhouse also serves as president of the Board of Trustees for The Kessler School, an independent pre-K through 8 school in the Oak Cliff neighborhood of Dallas.

In addition to teaching first-year legal writing, Professor Barnhouse teaches a new upper-level professional writing course, Discovery in Action: Writing for Litigation Success.

Lance Caughfield
Director of Advocacy Programs and Assistant Clinical Professor of Legal Advocacy

J.D., University of Texas at Austin
B.A., B.A., Abilene Christian University

A board-certified appellate attorney, Professor Caughfield brings nearly 30 years of experience as a practitioner, coach, and instructor in advocacy to his new role at 51°µÍø Dedman Law.

Before joining the faculty, he focused on civil appeals at the law firm of Baker Moran. With a strong background in trial litigation and mediation, he emphasizes the importance of understanding these areas to successfully handle appellate work.

Professor Caughfield has argued numerous appeals in state and federal courts across the country, as well as before the Board of Immigration Appeals in pro bono matters. As a coach, he has led multiple 51°µÍø Dedman Law moot court teams to national championships, including the 2024 ABA National Appellate Advocacy Competition.
Beyond the courtroom and classroom, Professor Caughfield is a frequent contributor to the Appellate Advocacy Blog and other legal publications. He also authored a chapter on credibility in the ABA’s Litigation Manual: Jury Trials.

Catherine Gaither
Assistant Clinical Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing and Research

J.D., Duke University
B.B.A., University of Texas at Austin

Professor Catherine Gaither specializes in appellate law and federal civil litigation and has practiced law in Dallas for more than 15 years.

She has led multiple state and federal trial teams and argued appeals before the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and multiple Texas Courts of Appeals. During her years in practice, Professor Barnhouse developed a passion for legal writing and is honored to teach the next generation of lawyers how to effectively advocate for their clients in court. Before joining the Dedman School of Law faculty, she led the appellate practice at a boutique law firm in Dallas and represented banks and other financial institutions in litigation and arbitrations. 

Her areas of expertise include appellate practice and advocacy; civil litigation; and legal analysis, writing, and research. Her courses will include Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research and Civil Litigation and Motion Practice.

Mike Sims
Director of Academic Success and Assistant Clinical Professor of Legal Analysis, Writing, and Research

J.D., University of Texas at Austin
B.S., Texas A&M University

Professor Mike Sims has dedicated his legal career to helping students succeed at law school and on bar exams. As the former president of BARBRI, he collaborated closely with law students, faculty, and administration nationwide to enhance outcomes. His strong understanding of the state-specific and national components of the bar exams, along with his knowledge of the legal education landscape, has established him as a leading expert for those seeking insights into legal education trends and challenges, particularly those related to the NextGen bar exam.

Before joining BARBRI, he worked in both national and state government, where he served as a special assistant to U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen and later as chief clerk for the State Affairs Committee of the Texas House of Representatives.

Professor Sims earned his J.D. from the University of Texas School of Law and his B.S. in Agricultural Education from Texas A&M University. Currently, he is a member of the City Plan Commission in Dallas, representing District 11.