Paul E . McGreal, JD, LLM
James L. Koley '54 Professor of Constitutional Law
Professor
Professor McGreal's SSRN Author PageProfessor McGreal was appointed the James L. Koley ’54 Professor of Constitutional Law in July 2025, and has been a Professor of Law since 2015. His teaching, research, and speaking span two fields: constitutional law—particularly religious liberty and the economic analysis of law and religion—and the design and effectiveness of corporate compliance and ethics programs.
In constitutional law, Professor McGreal has published widely on First Amendment doctrine and theory, with recent articles including
Reforming the Ministerial Exception in the
Villanova Law Review (2024),
True Threats and the Neuroscience of Fear in
Case Western Reserve Law Review (forthcoming 2025) and
Resolving the Ministerial Exception's Economic Paradox in the
Florida State University Law Review (forthcoming 2026). One of his current research projects applies economic analysis to claims of clergy malpractice, and another examines the relevance of historical analogies from religious persecution in Reformation Era Europe to current litigation over Ten Commandments displays in public schools.
He is co-author of the leading constitutional law student guide
Questions & Answers: Constitutional Law (4th ed., Carolina Academic Press 2023), and the coursebook
Skills & Values: The First Amendment (3rd ed., LexisNexis 2021).
On the compliance side, Professor McGreal has written, taught, and spoken on the subject since 1997. During that time, he was a frequent speaker at the Practising Law Institute’s annual Compliance and Ethics Workshop. For over fiften years, he wrote the annual
Corporate Compliance Survey for the ABA publication
The Business Lawyer, and he published the article Caremark
in the Arc of Compliance History in the
Temple Law Review. He founded and served as Director of the Corporate Compliance Center at South Texas College of Law (2003–06), where he taught the first course on corporate compliance and ethics programs at a US law school. He is also a founding faculty member of the Texas A&M Mays Executive MBA Program, where he has taught modules on corporate compliance and ethics since 1999.
Professor McGreal’s administrative leadership includes terms as Dean of Creighton University School of Law (2015–17) and Dean of the University of Dayton School of Law (2011–15). He was previously Director of Faculty Development and Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at Southern Illinois University School of Law.
Professor McGreal was a full-time faculty member at South Texas College of Law Houston from 1996 to 2006, and at SIU School of Law from 2006 to 2011. He has also been a visiting professor at George Mason University (spring 2022) and SMU (spring 1996).
Professor McGreal received his LL.M. from Yale Law School (1994) after clerking for the Hon. Warren W. Matthews of the Alaska Supreme Court, and graduated magna cum laude from SMU Dedman School of Law (J.D. 1992), where he served as Editor-in-Chief of the SMU Law Review/Southwestern Law Journal. He holds a B.A. in Economics, cum laude, from Williams College (1989).
Research Focus
Freedom of religion under the First Amendment. Economic analysis of law and religion.Department
Law
Position
Professor
Books
- SCOTUS 2024: major decisions and developments of the US Supreme Court
McGreal Paul E., NRA v. Vullo [Book Chapter] 2025 - McGreal Paul, Rhodes Charles, Questions & answers 2023
- Rhodes Charles W, McGreal Paul E, Skills & values 2022
- McGreal Paul E, Eads Linda S, Rhodes Charles W, Questions & answers 2017
- Corporate Compliance Practice Guide: The Next Generation of Compliance
McGreal Paul E., Cutting edge issues in corporate compliance [Book Chapter] 2009 - McGreal Paul E, Eads Linda S, Questions & answers 2007
- McGreal Paul E, Staying out of jail 2004
- Courting the Yankees: Legal essays on the Bronx Bombers
McGreal Paul E., The Pine Tar Incident [Book Chapter] 2003 - McGreal Paul E., Eads Linda, Questions & answers 2003
- McGreal Paul E, , 3 + 2 = 5 1992
General
- McGreal Paul, First US law school course in compliance 2025
Articles
- Creighton Lawyer
McGreal Paul, Message from the Dean, p. 2 - 2016 - Creighton Lawyer
McGreal Paul, Message from the Dean, p. 2 - 2015
Publications
- McGreal Paul, Judicial power should not be a license to harass 2025
- Villanova Law Review
McGreal Paul, Reforming the ministerial exception
69:1, p. 101 - 156 2024 - SMU Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Tribute to Professor Linda Eads
72:4, p. 553 - 554 2019 - Syracuse Law Review
McGreal Paul E., On the cost disease and legal education
66:3, p. 631 - 640 2016 - Religion & Education
Russo Charles J., McGreal Paul E., Religious freedom in American Catholic higher education
39:2, p. 116 - 132 2012 - The Business Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
67:1, p. 227 - 253 2011 - The Business Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
66:1, p. 125 - 154 2010 - Southern Illinois University Law Journal
McGreal Paul E., The making of the Supreme Court's Free Exercise Clause jurisprudence
34:3, p. 469 - 532 2010 - The Business Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
65:1, p. 193 - 226 2009 - McGreal Paul E., Newsletter (American Bar Association Ad Hoc Committee on Corporate Compliance) 2009
- McGreal Paul E., Book review 2009
- The Business Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
64:1, p. 253 - 277 2008 - Journal of Legal Medicine
McGreal Paul E., 2007-2008 National Health Law Moot Court Competition
29:4, p. 395 - 409 2008 - Arizona State Law Journal
McGreal Paul E., Social capital in constitutional law
40:2, p. 585 - 649 2008 - Southern Illinois University Law Journal
McGreal Paul E., The unpublished Free Exercise opinion in Jensen v. Quaring
33:1, p. 1 - 22 2008 - University of Pennsylvania Law Review PENNumbra
McGreal Paul E., Alfini James J., First Amendment limits on the regulation of judicial campaign speech
157, p. 76 - 99 2008 - The Business Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
63:1, p. 195 - 216 2007 - SMU Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Counteracting ambition
60:4, p. 1571 - 1603 2007 - University of Pennsylvania Law Review PENNumbra
McGreal Paul E., In defense of complete preemption
156, p. 147 - 156 2007 - Business Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
61:4, p. 1645 - 1665 2006 - Corporate Counsel Review
McGreal Paul E., Best practices in corporate compliance
25:1, p. 29 - 74 2006 - Business Lawyer
Fitzsimon Jean K., McGreal Paul E., Corporate compliance survey
60:4, p. 1759 - 1798 2005 - Corporate Counsel Review
McGreal Paul E., Top ten things corporate counsel should know about the amended organizational sentencing guidelines
24:1, p. 67 - 80 2005 - William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
McGreal Paul E., A constitutional defense of legislative history
13:4, p. 1267 - 1299 2005 - Houston Lawyer
McGreal Paul E., The amended organizational sentencing guidelines
42:5, p. 10 - 19 2005 - South Texas Law Review
McGreal Paul, Foreword
47:1, p. 1 - 2 2005 - Corporate Counsel Review
McGreal Paul E., Legal risk assessment after the amended sentencing guidelines
23:2, p. 153 - 199 2004 - University of Kansas Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Slighting context
52:2, p. 325 - 383 2004 - San Diego Law Reivew
McGreal Paul E., Why repeal of the death tax means the second demise of substantive due process
39:2, p. 551 - 561 2002 - South Texas Law Review
McGreal Paul, Foreword
43:3, p. 741 - 742 2002 - SMU Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Saving Article I from Seminole Tribe
55:2, p. 393 - 426 2002 - Notre Dame Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Baba DeeDee, Applying Coase to qui tam actions against the states
77:1, p. 87 - 134 2001 - Fordham Law Review
McGreal Paul E., There is no such thing as textualism
69:6, p. 2393 - 2469 2001 - Notre Dame Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Unconstitutional politics
76:2, p. 519 - 641 2001 - Fordham Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Ambition's playground
68:4, p. 1107 - 1198 2000 - South Texas Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Impeachment as a remedy for ethics violations
41:4, p. 1369 - 1398 2000 - William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal
McGreal Paul E., The role of suspicion in federal equal protection
8:1, p. 183 - 198 1999 - SMU Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Kyle Jeffrey D., Conflict of laws
52:3, p. 835 - 857 1999 - Alaska Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Alaska equal protection
15:2, p. 209 - 280 1998 - William & Mary Law Review
McGreal Paul E., The flawed economics of the dormant Commerce Clause
39:4, p. 1191 - 1287 1998 - South Texas Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Equal protection and intersectionality
38:4, p. 1167 - 1173 1997 - McGreal Paul E., Constitutional illiteracy 1997
- Case Western Reserve Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Some Rice with your Chevron?
45:3, p. 823 - 888 1995 - SMU Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Conflict of laws
47:4, p. 865 - 890 1994 - Texas Bar Journal
McGreal Paul E., Are we to be a profession?
56:1, p. 38 - 39 1993 - SMU Law Review
McGreal Paul E., Conflict of laws
46:4, p. 1123 - 1155 1993 - Alaska Law Review
McGreal Paul E., A tale of two courts
9:2, p. 305 - 342 1992 - Harvard Journal of Law & Public Policy
McGreal Paul E., Back to the future
15:2, p. 505 - 620 1992 - Library Trends
Weissbord David, McGreal Paul, Moral autonomy, censorship, and the enlightened community
39:1-2, p. 51 - 68 1990