About

Education

B.A., Concordia University College of Alberta
J.D., Case Western Reserve University School of Law

Biography

Hugh Dowell joined the University of Wisconsin Law School's Legal Analysis, Advocacy, and Writing program in 2025. He brings to the classroom extensive experience in appellate practice and legal writing, having provided legal support to state courts in Michigan and Ohio and the State of Alaska Department of Law. His judicial service includes working as a research attorney for the Michigan Court of Appeals and as a judicial attorney to three justices of the Ohio Supreme Court. As an assistant attorney general in Alaska, Professor Dowell handled tax issues involving the oil and fishing industries, supported agency clients in transactional and legislative drafting matters, and defended the state's leasing interests in federal court. He also assisted in civil appeals before the Alaska Supreme Court.

Originally from Canada, he earned his undergraduate degree in philosphy from Concordia University College of Alberta.  He then pursued graduate studies in theology in both Canada and the United States—a pursuit that ignited his passion for using clear language to communicate complex ideas. Inspired to study law by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, he graduated, magna cum laude, from Case Western Reserve University School of Law, where he was also elected to the Order of the Coif. He now works with law students to develop clarity, precision, and persuasive force in their legal writing.