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School of Business & Economics

Rob Kearney

Edward R. Telling '46 Professor of Business Administration

Department:
School Of Business And Economics
Email:
rkearney@iwu.edu
Phone:
(309) 556-3570
Office Number:
State Farm 355
Office Hours:

Tue: 4-5 p.m.
Wed: 1:45-4:45 p.m.
Thr: 4-5 p.m.
Rob Kearney

Bio

Robert Kearney is the Edward R. Telling Professor of Business at Illinois Wesleyan University, where he has taught since 2002.  As a professor, he teaches Strategy, Business Law, and a Trial Law Class that is unique to college campuses, and has been named “Professor of the Year” by the students.  As a scholar, he has won national awards and has published with leading law journals.  His publications are cited by practicing lawyers at the highest levels.  He is a recurring reviewer for the American Business Law Journal and is called upon to review faculty at other universities.

As an attorney, Kearney is engaged to advise institutions on sensitive legal matters and to conduct C-suite investigations.  He has been lead counsel in federal court cases, has oral argument experience, and has served as Mediator and Monitor appointed by government agencies and private parties.  He engages in pro bono legal work and has served on local boards.

At Illinois Wesleyan, Kearney has served as Chair of the Department of Business and has headed several major academic committees.  Kearney has also served as a Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan Business School, an Executive MBA Instructor at Notre Dame, and an Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where the students also recognized him with the Silver Circle Award for excellence in teaching.  

He began his career as an attorney with Seyfarth Shaw in Chicago, specializing in labor and employment law, and with a federal judicial clerkship on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit.  

Education

  • J.D., Notre Dame Law School, 1994
  • M.B.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, 1990
  • B.A. in English, University of Notre Dame, 1988

Research Interests

  • Employment and Labor Law
  • Business Law and Legal Environment of Organizations
  • Trial Litigation and Mock Trial 
  • Employment Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity
  • Human Resource Management and Workplace Policy
  • Legal Compliance and Risk Management in Business
  • Intersection of Intellectual Property and Employment Law
  • Disparate Impact Theory and Workplace Harassment Law
  • Pedagogical Approaches in Business Law Education

Frequently Taught Classes

  • Strategy and Policy
  • Trial Class
  • Business Law