Leslie A. Shoebotham

Professor Shoebotham graduated with honors from the University of Houston Law Center, where she served as Research Editor on the Houston Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Prior to law school, Professor Shoebotham graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelors of Science in Nursing from the University of Texas Medical Branch, and practiced as a critical care nurse. Her law practice was primarily in the areas of toxic torts, products liability, medical malpractice and insurance defense. Professor Shoebotham graduated with honors from Tulane University with an LL.M. in Energy and Environmental Law. She joined the Loyola College of Law faculty in 1992 and teaches in the fields of criminal procedure, criminal law, and torts.

Professor Shoebotham is a nationally recognized expert on search and seizure issues under the Fourth Amendment. Her scholarship has focused primarily on the scope of the Fourth Amendment, with particular emphasis on whether a canine drug-detection sniff is a “search” for Fourth Amendment purposes. In addition to law review articles, Professor Shoebotham has filed Amici Curiae Briefs in the United States Supreme Court in cases involving canine sniffs. Professor Shoebotham also blogs about pending Fourth Amendment cases and has written extensively on such topics as civil forfeiture and the search-incident-to-arrest exception to the Fourth Amendment’s warrant requirement.

Professor Shoebotham is a past recipient of the Professor of the Year award from the Loyola Student Bar Association and in 2013 was named a Leader in Law by New Orleans CityBusiness Magazine.

Classes Taught

Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law Seminar, and Torts.  Other teaching interests include Toxic Torts, Products Liability, and Health Care Law

Areas of Expertise

Constitutional Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Torts, Toxic Torts, and Environmental Law