Drake University Law School is pleased to announce the arrival of two outstanding new faculty members for the coming school year, Dean Strang and Kristi Harshbarger. Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Entrepreneurial and Transactional Legal Clinic, Kristi Harshbarger, will play a key role in advancing the law school’s clinical education in transactional and business law. Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Institute for Justice Reform and Innovation, Dean Strang, will teach criminal law and criminal procedure. Each bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to their respective roles.
“I am delighted to welcome these two exceptional new faculty members to the Drake University Law School,” said Roscoe Jones, Jr., dean of the law school. “Each brings a depth of expertise and a wealth of experience that will enhance our academic community. Their dedication to teaching excellence, student success, and impactful scholarship and service will strengthen our mission and elevate the Drake Law experience.”
Kristi Harshbarger is a seasoned attorney with nearly two decades of experience in legal practice and public sector advocacy. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Iowa and earned her Juris Doctor from Drake University Law School in 2006.
Kristi began her legal career as an associate at Brown Winick, where she spent five years focusing on secured transactions—particularly with ethanol and biodiesel facilities—alongside estate planning and general business law.
Since 2011, she has served as General Counsel for the Iowa State Association of Counties, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Iowa’s county governments. In this role, Kristi provided in-house legal counsel and served as a trusted legal resource for county officials and employees across the state. Her work centers on ensuring legal compliance and advancing the interests of local governments through education, training, and legislative advocacy.
Dean A. Strang is a Distinguished Professor in Residence at the Loyola University Chicago School of Law and a part-time criminal defense lawyer. He has written two books of legal history, Keep the Wretches in Order: America’s Biggest Mass Trial, the Rise of the Justice Department, and the Fall of the IWW (2019 & paperback ed. 2020); and Worse Than the Devil: Anarchists, Clarence Darrow, and Justice in a Time of Terror (2013 & rev. ed. 2016). Additionally, Strang has written and co-authored several law review articles and book chapters as well. His past work includes five years as Wisconsin’s first Federal Defender. He has argued in the United States Supreme Court, five federal Courts of Appeal, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court. He is a co-founder of the Center for Integrity in Forensic Sciences and a member of the American Law Institute since 2004. Strang also is known for his work in a trial documented in Netflix’s Making A Murderer.