President and Dean

"Many students come to law school with the hope of being of service to others. I hope to provide one model to them of how they can practice law and serve the public. There is a very definite connection between my scholarship, my public service work, and the teaching I do. The practice of law is most satisfying when the lawyer is able to spend part of his or her time doing work that is congruent with his or her personal values."

Education

B.A., 1968, Carleton College
J.D., 1973, Harvard Law School

Experience

William Mitchell College of Law: interim president and dean, 2007-; vice dean, 2004-07; professor of law, 1989-; associate professor of law, 1986-89; assistant professor of law, 1984-86.

Managing attorney, Minneapolis, Legal Aid Society, 1977-84.

Staff attorney, Minneapolis, Legal Aid Society, 1973-77.

Admitted: Massachusetts, 1973; Minnesota, 1974; U.S. Supreme Court, 1996.

Professional Focus

Professor Janus’ focus has been on the interaction of law with psychiatry and other health sciences. He has spent the last 10 years focused on the boundaries of the state’s ability to use civil commitment to protect public safety. He is interested in the effectiveness of risk assessment, the place of danger assessment in society, and the public policy implications of the current approach to dealing with sexual violence. Recently, he has turned his attention to other coercive interventions for the protection of society, specifically quarantine. He also concentrates on diversity and racial justice. He is interested in interdisciplinary legal education, especially William Mitchell’s Law and Psychiatry Clinic and the lessons to be learned teaching new doctors and developing lawyers.

Leadership & Service

Conference organizer, Understanding and Managing Sexually Coercive Behavior, New York Academy of Sciences, June 2002. Recipient of David Graven Public Service Award, Minnesota State Bar Association, 2001.  Local Rules Committee, United States District Court, District of Minnesota.  Board of Governors, Society of American Law Teachers.  Editor, The Equalizer, newsletter for the Society of American Law Teachers. Contributing Editor, Sex Offender Law Report.  Volunteer, fact-finding mission to Uzbekistan, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights.  Co-counsel in constitutional litigation challenging use of civil commitment for sex offenders.  Past-chair, Section on Mental Disability Law, Association of American Law Schools, 1997-98.  U.S. Peace Corps, Turkey, 1968-70.