The University of New Hampshire School of Law and its Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property will welcome Tonya M. Evans as a member of the faculty in Fall 2017. Evans is currently an Associate Professor of Law at Widener University Commonwealth Law School, where she is also Associate Dean for Inclusion and Equity.
“We are fortunate to welcome someone of Tonya’s distinction to our faculty at UNH Law,” said Jordan Budd, Interim Dean of UNH Law. “Her diverse experience and expertise in IP will be tremendously beneficial for our students, and her arrival will only help strengthen our position as a national leader in intellectual property law.”
Evans is an expert in intellectual property law, trusts and estates law, and entertainment law. Her scholarship explores the intersection of intellectual property and trusts and estates law, as well as the impact of new technology and new forms of artistic expression on copyright law.
Also a published author and poet, Evans authored an award-winning series of legal reference guides for writers and publishing industry professionals that was identified by Writer’s Digest Book Club as a club selection. Evans is a sought-after speaker who has presented to numerous groups on publishing law and intellectual property law, among other topics.
“I’m thrilled to join the distinguished UNH Law community,” Evans said. “It’s a privilege to be part of such a high-caliber faculty. I’m eager to begin working with the outstanding students, and look forward to contributing to the school’s tremendous IP legacy.”
Evans is a former professional tennis player, having competed in the US Open, Virginia Slims of Philadelphia, and Lipton in 1993 (after attending Northwestern University on a four-year tennis scholarship). She retired from the tennis circuit in 1995 to attend Howard University School of Law, where she interned with the Honorable Arthur L. Burnett, Sr. in the Superior Court for the District of Columbia, with U.S. Congressman Chaka Fattah and with the Honorable Theodore A. McKee in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Howard Law Journal.
Evans clerked for the Honorable Theodore A. McKee in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit after graduating with honors from Howard Law, and later worked at two national law firms in Philadelphia before establishing her own firm in 2002.
She also founded an independent publishing company now known as Legal Write Publications.
Ann Bartow, Director of the Franklin Pierce Center for Intellectual Property, said: “Tonya will be a wonderful addition to the UNH Law intellectual property faculty. Her pedagogical expertise in both intellectual property law and trusts and estates law will greatly enrich our curriculum. She brings creativity and additional strength to our entertainment law offerings, as well. She is a prolific and nationally-respected scholar, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our senior faculty.”
Evans is admitted to practice in Pennsylvania, District of Columbia, New Jersey, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the Third Circuit and New York.
