Dean Joshua Fershée Biography

Dean’s Biography

Joshua Fershée, JD, became the 11th dean of the Creighton University School of Law on July 1, 2019. Fershée previously served as associate dean for faculty research and development, professor of law, and director of LLM programs at West Virginia University College of Law.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in social science from Michigan State University in 1995, Fershée began his career in public relations and media outreach before attending the Tulane University School of Law, graduating magna cum laude in 2003 and serving as editor in chief of the Tulane Law Review. He worked in private practice at the firms of Davis Polk & Wardell in New York and Hogan & Hartson, LLP, in Washington, D.C., before joining the legal academy.

Fershée joined the faculty of the University of North Dakota School of Law in 2007, and later served as associate dean for academic affairs and research. He was awarded the North Dakota Spirit Faculty Achievement Award in 2010 for significant contributions in teaching, research, and service. Fershée began his teaching as a visiting assistant professor at Penn State Law.

While at West Virginia University, Fershée facilitated creation of the law school’s first LL.M. Program in Energy and Sustainable Development and was a co-investigator on a $1.2 million grant to advance science and engineering for localized gas utilization. He also headed the Economic and Community Development Group and was a faculty researcher in the Center for Innovation in Gas Research and Utilization, a multidisciplinary center housed in West Virginia University’s Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources. Fershée was awarded the 2014-15 Outstanding Faculty Award by the West Virginia Law Review at West Virginia University College of Law.

Fershée’s research has appeared in a variety of journals, including the Harvard Journal on Legislation, Harvard Business Law Review Online, William and Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review, and the Energy Law Journal, and he recently contributed a book chapter published by Oxford University Press. He is the author of Energy Law, A Context and Practice Casebook (Carolina Academic Press) and co-author of Unincorporated Business Entities (LexisNexis, 5th ed.). Fershée is also an editor of the Business Law Prof Blog.