Carli N. Conklin

Carli N. Conklin is an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Missouri School of Law, where she serves as Director of the Center for Study of Dispute Resolution. She also holds the position of Kinder Institute Associate Professor of Constitutional Democracy at the University of Missouri's Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy. Her academic career bridges legal scholarship with historical analysis of America's founding principles.

Professor Conklin received her educational training from prestigious institutions:

• BS/MAE from Truman State University
• JD/MA from University of Virginia
• PhD in American Legal History from University of Virginia

Professor Conklin's research focuses on the intersection of legal history, constitutional democracy, and dispute resolution. Her work particularly examines arbitration practices in early America and the intellectual history of the "pursuit of happiness" as articulated in the Declaration of Independence. She explores how Enlightenment philosophy, English common law, and classical thought informed the Founding Fathers' understanding of rights and governance. Her scholarship reveals the depth and coherence of early American legal thought, challenging notions that the pursuit of happiness was merely a "glittering generality" without substantive meaning.

Professor Conklin's publications demonstrate a consistent trajectory examining the historical foundations of American legal principles and dispute resolution mechanisms. Her work spans legal history journals, dispute resolution publications, and constitutional law reviews, reflecting her interdisciplinary approach that bridges historical analysis with contemporary legal questions. A significant portion of her scholarship examines how early American legal practices inform modern approaches to arbitration and alternative dispute resolution.

Professor Conklin has received numerous prestigious awards recognizing her scholarly contributions:

• Missouri Lawyers' Weekly Women's Justice Award (Legal Scholar category)
• University of Missouri School of Law's Shook, Hardy, & Bacon, LLC Excellence in Research Award
• CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award from the Association of College & Research Libraries for her book "The Pursuit of Happiness in the Founding Era: An Intellectual History"
• Kappa Alpha Theta Outstanding Faculty Award (one of ten awardees chosen nationally)
• School of Law Board of Advocates Faculty Achievement Award (student-selected)
• University of Missouri Friars Chapter of Mortar Board Faculty Honor Tap
• Mizzou '39 Faculty Mentor (awarded twice)

Professor Conklin teaches courses in lawyering, dispute resolution, and American legal history at the School of Law, and courses in intellectual and legal history at the University of Missouri's Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy and Honors College. Her teaching excellence has been recognized through multiple awards, including the Kappa Alpha Theta Outstanding Faculty Award and the School of Law Board of Advocates Faculty Achievement Award. She serves as Director of the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution, which provides leadership in dispute resolution education and scholarship at the University of Missouri.

Through her leadership of the Center for the Study of Dispute Resolution, Professor Conklin oversees initiatives that advance research and education in alternative dispute resolution methods. Her work connects historical legal practices with contemporary dispute resolution approaches, creating valuable interdisciplinary connections between legal history, constitutional theory, and practical dispute resolution techniques.