Elissa J. Germaine

Elissa Germaine joined the St. John’s Law School faculty in 2023 as an Assistant Professor of Clinical Legal Education and the Associate Director of the Securities Arbitration Clinic.

Previously, Professor Germaine spent 10 years teaching the Investor Rights Clinic at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and four years serving as the Executive Director of John Jay Legal Services, where she managed the not-for profit legal services firm that houses and runs Pace Law’s clinic and externship programs. She also has taught legal skills and legal writing at Pace and New York Law School.

Before academia, Professor Germaine practiced law at Latham & Watkins LLP in San Francisco, where she focused on securities litigation and arbitration, white collar defense and government investigations, and complex commercial litigation, with a significant commitment to pro bono work. She clerked for the Honorable John S. Rhoades, Sr. in the United States District Court, Southern District of California.

Professor Germaine serves on the Investor Advisory Committee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and recently completed four years of service on the National Arbitration and Mediation Committee of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). She serves on the Editorial Board of the Bar Journal for the Public Investors Advocate Bar Association (PIABA).