Law School welcomes four new Dean’s Advisory Council members

DAC New Members feature photo, Michael Callier, Sarah Crooks, Judge Mustafa Kasubhai, and Ningling Wang

June 7, 2021

The University of Oregon School of Law added four new members to its Dean’s Advisory Council (DAC) this year. The council helps Oregon Law School stay relevant and informed. DAC members assist in promoting a commitment to excellence in education, advocating for the law school within the profession and the community, and supporting the law school’s philanthropic efforts. These experts in their fields are instrumental in ensuring the law school lives up to its reputation for eminence into the future.

The four new members are: Michael Callier, JD ’04, Vice President and Head of Solutions at Factor; Sarah Crooks, JD ’96, Partner at Perkins Coie in Portland, Oregon; the Honorable Mustafa Kasubhai, JD ’96, U.S. Magistrate Judge; and Ningling Wang, JD ’01, Partner at Finnegan in Shanghai, China.

“This council of esteemed professionals is critical to Oregon Law staying in touch with and meeting the needs of the profession,” said Marcilynn A. Burke, Dean and Dave Frohnmayer Chair in Leadership and Law. “I’m so very grateful to this group of individuals – both new and existing members.”

Michael Callier

Michael Callier, JD ’04
Las Vegas, Nevada

BA ‘2001 (was co-captain and starting linebacker for the football team)
Position: Vice President and Head of Solutions at Factor

Michael Callier is known for leading cross-functional teams to design, develop, and deploy innovative legal solutions. Currently, Michael is Vice President and Head of Solutions at Factor. Factor combines legal services with technology and data to focus on complex legal work at scale. Michael has more than 16 years of experience in the legal industry guiding in-house legal operations and transformation efforts, as a consulting entrepreneur and as a former general counsel and practicing attorney. Michael oversees Factor’s forthcoming solutions consulting practice, which will launch in the coming months.

Before his current position, Michael was co-founder and partner at Pivot Legal Solutions. This leading legal services organization works at the intersection of legal departments, outside counsel, and alternative service providers to build and implement collaborative solutions to real-world problems. Previously he served as senior corporate counsel at Darigold, Inc., providing primary legal counsel and operational leadership. 


Sarah Crooks

Sarah Crooks, JD ‘96
Portland, Oregon

Position: Partner at Perkins Coie

According to Super Lawyer, Sarah is the top-rated Business Litigation Attorney in Portland, Oregon.

A partner in the firm's Business Litigation practice, Sarah Crooks navigates clients through complex business litigation, class action lawsuits, and attorney general investigations across a variety of industry sectors. Sarah also has extensive experience representing clients in the areas of consumer protection, securities litigation, fraudulent transfer litigation and will contests.

Sarah dedicates a significant portion of her time to pro bono work and volunteer efforts to serve the legal community. Since 2002, Sarah has served as a volunteer attorney for Legal Aid Services of Oregon representing victims of domestic violence in obtaining restraining orders. Sarah is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers, involved with the American Bar Association, the Multnomah Bar Association (past President), and Oregon Women Lawyers (past President). In 2012, the Oregon Bench and Bar Commission on Professionalism recognized Sarah with the Justice Edwin J. Peterson Professionalism Award for consistently demonstrating the highest standards of conduct to the bench, bar, and public.  


The Honorable Mustafa Kasubhai

The Honorable Mustafa Kasubhai, JD ‘96
Eugene, Oregon

Position: Magistrate Judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon

Judge Kasubhai was appointed to the federal bench on September 21, 2018, following 11 years of service as a Lane County Circuit Court Judge. Before joining the state bench, Judge Kasubhai practiced law in Eugene and Klamath Falls, and served as a member of the Oregon Workers’ Compensation Board. Judge Kasubhai is the first Muslim American to serve as a federal judge in the United States. He has been dedicated to promoting diversity and equality throughout his legal career, serving as a mentor and role model to many young attorneys and students over the years.

Judge Kasubhai has been an active member of several Oregon legal associations and diversity groups including the Oregon State Bar Board of Bar Examiners, Lane County Bar Association, Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Oregon Gay and Lesbian Lawyers Association, and the Oregon chapters of Hispanic Bar Association and South Asian Bar Association. Kasubhai co-founded the Oregon Mediation Diversity Project in 2020.


Ningling Wang

Ningling Wang, JD ‘01
Shanghai, China

Position: Managing Partner at Finnegan (has 10 offices around the world)

Ningling Wang serves as the managing partner of the Finnegan’s Shanghai office. Her practice involves patent prosecution, opinions, due diligence, client counseling, licensing, and patent litigation in the areas of chemicals, chemical engineering, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, semiconductor materials, 3D printing, and nanotechnology.

Ningling speaks frequently at conferences and seminars in China and internationally on patent-related topics. She taught a graduate course on US Intellectual Property (IP) law at Renmin University of China Law School and a graduate course on US IP law at Shanghai Jiao Tong University KoGuan Law School. Ningling also served as a program professor of law at China Science and Technology University and is currently an adjunct professor with Dalian University of Science and Technology, School of Law. Ningling has been recognized by Intellectual Asset Management as a leader in patent transactions in China, as well as for patent prosecution. She was listed as a top IP strategist in the Strategy 300World IP Review (WIPR) named Ningling as a WIPR Leader for patents in China.


The four new members join current Dean’s Advisory Council members: the Honorable John Acosta, Vancouver, Washington; Jeffrey Beaver, Seattle; Deirdre Dawson, San Francisco; John Gartland, Eugene; Kurt Hansen, Portland; Scott Lucas, Eugene; Paul Nelson, Piedmont, California; Ron Oliner, Walnut Creek, California; the Honorable Karen Overstreet, Seattle; Richard Shaw, San Diego, California; Deb Tellier, Lafayette, California; the Honorable Vicki Toyohara Mukai, Seattle; John Wilson, Seattle; and Maryann Yelnosky-Smith, Portland.