Peter Joy


Henry Hitchcock Professor of Law

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Joy is well known for his work in clinical legal education, legal ethics, criminal justice, and trial practice. As director of the Criminal Justice Clinic, he supervises student-lawyers who provide direct legal representation to clients and work with experienced public defenders on criminal matters. In addition to his clinical work and teaching, Joy has written extensively and presented nationally and internationally on legal ethics, lawyer and judicial professionalism, clinical legal education and access to justice issues.

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Joy elected to American Law Institute

Joy elected to American Law Institute

Peter Joy, the Henry Hitchcock Professor of Law and director of the Criminal Justice Clinic, has been elected one of 34 new members of the American Law Institute.
WashU Expert: Attorney-client privilege explained

WashU Expert: Attorney-client privilege explained

The recent search of the office, home and hotel of Michael Cohen, lawyer to President Donald Trump, is a pivotal event when it comes to issues of attorney-client privilege and client confidentiality, says Peter Joy, professor at the School of Law and an expert on criminal law.
WashU Expert: Porn star payment raises ethics concerns

WashU Expert: Porn star payment raises ethics concerns

President Donald Trump’s lawyer claims that he personally sent $130,000 to porn star Stephanie Clifford, who states that she had an affair with Trump prior to his election. The lawyer, Michael Cohen, claims the payment was legal, but was it ethical? Washington University in St. Louis legal ethics expert Peter Joy weighs in.
The grand jury’s role in American criminal justice, explained

The grand jury’s role in American criminal justice, explained

Grand juries play a major role in the U.S. criminal justice system. Special Counsel Robert Mueller has called upon a federal grand jury to help him investigate Russia’s role in the 2016 election. It is a logical step in an investigation where there is some evidence that needs to be be gathered. The new grand jury widens the scope of the investigation, and it is likely focusing on others associated with the Trump campaign.
WashU Expert: The role of peremptory challenge in jury selection

WashU Expert: The role of peremptory challenge in jury selection

The trial of former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Hotlzclaw, accused of 36 charges resulting from assaults against several black women while on duty, has begun. Though African Americans make up approximately 16 percent of the population of Oklahoma County, there are no black jurors among the eight men and four women serving. The jury selection process allowed for the controversial makeup, said Peter Joy, JD, a criminal justice expert at Washington University in St. Louis.

Legal Scholar: Race matters in jury selection

Given the importance that race and racial bias may play in certain cases, defense counsel has an obligation to determine when and how to discuss issues of race during jury selection in order to be effective, argues Peter Joy, JD, criminal justice expert in the School of Law.

Service learning under fire outside of the classroom

Students in various disciplines throughout universities receive hands-on training through service-learning programs such as law school clinics. But that type of academic training is under attack from both big business and legislative bodies, say two professors from the Washington University in St. Louis School of Law. “Recent legislative and corporate efforts to interfere in the operations of law clinics indicate that academic freedom is at risk when hands-on student learning bumps up against ‘real-world’ disputes,” write Robert Kuehn, JD, and Peter Joy, JD, in “‘Kneecapping’ Academic Freedom,” the recent lead article for “The Conflicted University,” a special edition of Academe, the publication of the American Association of University Professors.