Camille C. Marion

I am committed to helping law students combine legal theory with practical skills so that they understand the actual “practice” of law. I want students to understand the scope of legal skills in the many applications available to practicing lawyers. My teaching focuses on courses in which students learn how to combine legal theory with practical lawyering skills. For ten years, I served as director of the Legal Analysis, Writing and Research Program. I also served for eight years as faculty supervisor of the Externship Program. As co-director of the Semester-in-Washington and the Semester-in-Harrisburg programs, I work with students to develop appropriate placements in government and public interest agencies in Washington, D.C. and Harrisburg, PA.

My research focuses on learning theory as it applies to legal education. I focus on professional skills training, legal education and reform, and legal writing and research. I develop problems that allow students to learn legal analysis skills through structured exercises. I use exercises designed to help students to recognize the skills that they bring to law school and to identify the similarities and differences between formal legal analysis and writing and writing for other disciplines.

As a member of the law school community, I participate in the governance of the law school by serving on committees as appointed by the dean. Like my colleagues, I also participate in the larger community by serving on boards of nonprofit organizations in our community.

One of our strengths as a community is our commitment to working together to share our resources. Faculty, administrators, staff, and loyal alumni work co-operatively to maximize opportunities for our students. I assist students who wish to explore career opportunities in government and public policy organizations find placements in a supervised program of study focused on government and public policy. I also advise students individually regarding appropriate placement opportunities based on their prior academic and work experience, their skills, their personal goals for an internship (i.e. skill development, substantive law experience, exposure to new areas of practice), and the types of experiences offered by each agency or office. 

Before joining Penn State’s Dickinson Law, I practiced tax law with Dechert LLP and McNees, Wallace & Nurick LLC. My practice focused on multistate tax planning and litigation for national and international companies. Through my work in the Semester-in-Practice programs, I maintain strong ties with lawyers in government agencies and nonprofit organizations. I regularly meet with members of the practicing bar through various conferences and continuing legal education programs and I maintain membership in the Pennsylvania Bar Association and the American Bar Association.