ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Professor Dawn Figueiras is a self-professed law nerd who genuinely enjoys discussing the esoteric nuances of joinder and the thrilling differences between classic per stirpes and the UPC approaches to intestacy. To survive these topics, she relies heavily on a sharp, sarcastic wit. She promises to provide as much comic relief as the syllabus allows, meaning students with a sense of humor will find her classes enjoyable—everyone else has been properly warned.

Professional Background
Before joining the ASL faculty full-time, Professor Figueiras spent 18 years in private practice across Bristol (Virginia/Tennessee) and Washington, D.C. She currently channels that extensive experience into teaching Civil Procedure, Immigration Law & Policy, Employment Discrimination, Employment Law, Lawyering Skills, and Law & Modern Literature. Her current academic research focuses on decoding the complexities of the NextGen Bar Exam.

Immigration Roots & Genealogy
Her passion for Immigration Law is both personal and marital. She has been married for 36 years to the love of her life, Jorge Figueiras, a Cuban immigrant who originally sparked her interest in the field.

She is also the descendant of a historic, if slightly chaotic, family tree:

– The Pioneer: Her great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, Michael Gardner Glovier, stowed away on a ship from Alsace-Lorraine in 1768 at just 12 years old, later swearing allegiance to the newly-formed Commonwealth of Virginia in 1777.

– The Ancestor of Many Names: In 1870, Michael’s great-great-grandson married a Native American woman named Sarah Agnes Martha Jane Letitia Beau Yankee Doodle Yea Hoo Aliff Glovier. She went by “Sallie,” presumably because none of her ten legal names quite hit the mark.

– The Legacy: One of Sallie’s ten children was, John Wesley Glovier, Professor Figueiras’ great-grandfather. Today, Professor Figueiras splits her time between Grundy and her family home in Castlewood, Virginia, a few miles from where her mother lives in a house built by hand by that same great-grandfather.

Extracurriculars & Alibis
When she isn’t planning her courses, grading finals or committee chairing, Professor Figueiras is an avid reader. For over 13 years, she has been an active member of Not Yo Mama’s Book Club (also affectionately known as Nacho Mamas Book Club). Her remaining spare time is spent crafting, collecting miniature dollhouses, spoiling her nieces and nephews, and serving as the eagle-eyed pre-publication proofreader for novels written by her friend, author Franklin Horton.