Barbara McQuade

The University of Michigan Law School announced on March 14, 2017, that former U.S. Attorney Barbara McQuade, (ED Michigan 2010-2017), will join the faculty as a professor from practice, effective May 1, 2017. She will teach in the areas of national security, criminal law, and criminal procedure. She is also NAFUSA’s newest member.

“As a U.S. attorney, Barb oversaw more than 1,000 cases a year and a team of more than 100 attorneys. Her legacy includes an impressive number of important convictions, and our students will benefit tremendously from the experience and perspective she brings to the classroom,” said Mark D. West, University of Michigan Law School Dean and Nippon Life Professor of Law. “I am thrilled to welcome Barb home to Michigan Law as a member of our faculty.”

“I am honored to return to Michigan Law to teach the next generation of law students at a critical moment in our nation’s history. Michigan’s unique learning environment opened a new world of ideas for me when I was a student there, and I am thrilled to join its great faculty,” McQuade said. “Helping students to develop a deep understanding of our laws, courts, and legal system has never been more important.”

McQuade, the first woman to serve as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, was appointed by President Barack Obama, and sworn in on January 4, 2010. During her tenure, she oversaw many significant cases, including the conviction of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and more than 30 others on public corruption charges; the conviction and life sentence of an Al-Qaeda operative for attempting to blow up an airliner over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009; the conviction and 45-year sentence of Dr. Farid Fata for Medicare fraud; the conviction and $4.3 billion fine against Volkswagen AG relating to emissions tests; the conviction and $1 billion fine against Takata Corp. for fraudulently concealing defective airbags; and settlements with local municipalities regarding enforcement of religious land use laws. McQuade also served as vice chair of the U.S. Attorney General’s Advisory Committee under Attorney General Loretta Lynch, and served as co-chair of the Terrorism and National Security Subcommittee from 2010 to 2017.

Before becoming a U.S. attorney, McQuade was an assistant U.S. attorney in Detroit for 12 years, serving as deputy chief of the National Security Unit. She prosecuted cases involving terrorism financing, foreign agents, export violations and threats, and served as the district’s crisis management coordinator. McQuade practiced law at the firm of Butzel Long in Detroit from 1993 to 1998, and served as a law clerk to the Hon. Bernard A. Friedman on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan from 1991 to 1993. From 2003 to 2009, McQuade served as an adjunct professor at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, teaching criminal law in the evenings. Born in Detroit, McQuade is a 1987 graduate of the University of Michigan and a 1991 graduate of Michigan Law.