Melissa Ramirez Kilmer

Melissa Ramirez Kilmer is a legal educator and academic administrator at Gonzaga University School of Law. She earned her Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in 2001 and holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington (1997). With extensive professional legal experience in family law, civil litigation, and criminal prosecution, she has served as Assistant Director of Academic Success and Bar Programs (ASP) for three years and will transition to Director of ASP while becoming a Visiting Assistant Professor of Law in fall 2024.

• Education: Juris Doctor (DePaul University College of Law, 2001), Bachelor of Arts (UNC Wilmington, 1997)

Melissa's research and teaching interests focus on legal education methodologies and bar exam preparation strategies, particularly through doctrinal course design. Her current law review article explores innovative approaches to preparing students for the NextGen Bar Exam.

She brings practical legal expertise from 11 years at Maryland Legal Aid Bureau, two years at Idaho Legal Aid Services, and two years as Assistant Prosecutor in Dorchester County, Maryland. She is licensed in Maryland (2001), Idaho (2019), and Coeur d'Alene Tribal Court (2021).