About

Professor Jean Sbarge specializes in teaching legal writing. She received a B.S., magna cum laude, in Magazine Journalism from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, where she was a member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society; a secondary education teaching certification from the State University of New York at New Paltz; and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she held the Editor-in-Chief position of the University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law, and was as a Legal Writing Instructor. Prior to entering law school, Professor Sbarge was a public high school and middle school English and science teacher. 



Professor Sbarge practiced law as associate attorney at Clifford Chance in New York City, concentrating in litigation, media law, and Internet law; as associate attorney at Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, LLP in Philadelphia, concentrating in litigation and white-collar criminal law; and as federal judicial law clerk for the Honorable John R. Padova of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. 



Prior to joining the Widener faculty full-time in 2004, Professor Sbarge taught as an adjunct faculty member at the law school.  She currently teaches Legal Methods, and Wills & Trusts, and has taught upper-level and first-year legal writing courses, the bar preparation course Essential Legal Concepts, and the Trial Admissions Program Legal Methods.



While teaching, for several summers Professor Sbarge worked as a legal writing consultant to the Summer Associates Program at the Philadelphia office of Ballard Spahr LLP.

Professor Sbarge has presented about teaching legal writing, and teaching professionalism, at the American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, and at national and regional legal writing conferences across the country.

She has served in leadership positions on several law school committees, and also became a volunteer member of many law school committees.


Professor Sbarge served as Assistant Editor to Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute, as Committee Member of the Legal Writing Institute’s Professional Development Committee, and as Committee Member of the Legal Writing Institute’s 2014 Biennial National  Conference Site Committee.  She is a member of the Association of Legal Writing Directors, the Legal Writing Institute, the AALS Section on Legal Writing and Reasoning, the ABA Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, and the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility.

"I strive to innovate in the classroom, making lessons as interesting and accessible as possible—if students relate to the concept or topic, then they are hooked by the learning. I am motivated to best prepare highly skilled attorneys who demonstrate utmost professionalism."

"As a legal writing professor, I teach THE essential lawyering skills, but I also teach THE person.  Students seek me out for career and law school advice, and plain old encouragement.  I welcome this mentoring role and relationship.  Supporting my students and sharing in their lives and accomplishments are some of the most rewarding aspects of teaching."