Mireille Butler

  • Teaching Professor
  • Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Development
  • Co-Director, Legal Analysis, Research and Writing

Contact

Phone: (206) 616-5343
Email: butlm@uw.edu

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Education

Certificate in English Law 1991, University of Warwick Maitrise, droit civil et droit des affaires 1992, University of Bordeaux School of Law J.D. 1996, Washington University School of Law

Recent Courses

Course Number Course Name
Legal Analysis, Research and Writing

Selected Publications

  • Lauren Sancken & Mireille Butler, The Benefits of Integrating Statutory Construction and Analysis in a First Year Legal Writing Course, 3 Proceedings 35-41 (Fall 2022).

See the full list under the Publications tab below.

Mireille Butler has taught Legal Research and Writing for many years at several institutions in the United States and abroad. She currently teaches in the first year Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing program at the University of Washington Law School in Seattle. She also teaches Legal Writing to international students at Berkeley Law and at Sciences Po in Paris, France.  Prior to joining the University of Washington Law School, Mireille was the Director of Legal Research and Writing at Pepperdine University School of Law, a position that she held since 2011, and where she formerly served as an Assistant Dean and Director of Career Development. She received her first degree in law from the University of Bordeaux, France, where she was first in her class. She also received a J.D. degree from Washington University School of Law in St. Louis, where she graduated Order of the Coif. Mireille has experience as a senior recruiting manager at three multi-national law firms in California, and earlier in her career practiced business law at firms in Seattle and St. Louis. She speaks French and Spanish fluently.

Peer Reviewed Journals & Law Reviews

  • Mireille Butler & Jaclyn Celebrezze, Teaching Cross-Cultural Communication in Law School: Lessons from Medicine, Social Work, and Business, 16 St. Mary's J. Legal Mal. & Ethics __ (forthcoming 2026).
  • Mireille O. Butler, Note. Parental Autonomy Versus Children's Health Rights: Should Parents be Prohibited from Smoking in the Presence of Their Children, 74 Wash. U. L. Q. 223-252 (1996).

Professional Publications

  • Lauren Sancken & Mireille Butler, The Benefits of Integrating Statutory Construction and Analysis in a First Year Legal Writing Course, 3 Proceedings 35-41 (Fall 2022).
  • Mireille O. Butler, 5 Practical Steps To Ensure Your Students Listen – You Can Catch More Flies With Honey, Law Teacher (Spring 2012).
  • Mireille O. Butler, Finding Motivation Again, 23(4) NALP Bulletin (April 2011).
  • Speaker, "Legal Reasoning & Writing," Short Course on Legal Research in the American Legal System, Indonesia Jantera School of Law (August 20, 2025)
  • Panelist, "AI and Legal Education: Repositioning Legal Reasoning Skills in the AI Age," with Jaclyn Celebrezze, Amit Ranade, Hoang Xuan Chau, Le Mai Anh, Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Panelist, "AI Legal Research and Drafting Tools in the United States and Vietnam," with Jaclyn Celebrezze, Duong Le Minh, Duong Bao Trung, Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Speaker, "AI’s Role in Judicial Legal Reasoning," with Nguyen Minh Tuan, Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Speaker, "Legal Education in the Age of AI," with Nguyen Hoang Anh, Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Speaker, "Opening of the First Thematic Symposium," with Nguyen Hoang Anh, Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Speaker, "Some Introduction to Legal Analysis, Reasoning, Research, and Writing," Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Speaker, "What Do We Mean by Legal Reasoning and Legal Reasoning in the Ai Age?," with Nguyen Hoang Anh, Legal Reasoning in the AI Age International Conference, Fifth VNU-UL Autumn Law Forum (August 14, 2025)
  • Speaker, "Shared Understanding: Preparing International Students for an International Client Base," with Jaclyn Celebrezze, 15th Global Legal Skills Conference, Nottingham Trent University (August 1, 2023)
  • Speaker, "Creating Shared Understanding: Preparing Students for a Modern Client Base," with Jaclyn Celebrezze, Legal Writing Institute One Day Conference, Case Western Reserve University School of Law (December 9, 2022)
  • Speaker, "The Benefits of Integrating Statutory Construction and Analysis in a First Year Legal Writing Course," with Lauren Sancken, The Western States Legal Writing Conference, University of Oregon School of Law (October 7, 2022)
  • Speaker, "Using Therapeutic Principles in the Legal Writing Classroom," with Lauren Sancken & Phillip Lentz, Legal Writing Institute Biennial Conference, Georgetown Law (July 22, 2022)

Recent Â鶹ÉçÇø Law News

Member of the Jentera trip pose together for a photo.

Building Global Legal Understanding

Published:

Â鶹ÉçÇø Law and Jentera collaborated in Jakarta, Indonesia on a 10-day short legal course.
Legal Analysis, research and Writing Spring 2023 Update

Legal Writing Program Spring 2023 Update

Published:

As we are nearing the end of the 2022–23 academic year, we want to acknowledge and highlight the work of our colleagues, our students, and share some good news about Â鶹ÉçÇø Law’s Legal Analysis, Research and Writing Program.
Dean Lawson and Arief Surowidjojo pictured about to shake hands.

Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award

Published:

Â鶹ÉçÇø Law Celebrates Arief Surowidjojo with an Alumni Lifetime Achievement Award and forges a new partnership with Jentera School of Law, advancing Indonesian legal education with an impact on policy.