Sharon McMahon Sawyer, J.D., LL.M.

After practicing law, raising a family, being very active in community projects, and teaching in Lowell, Massachusetts for over twenty years, I moved to Prince Edward Island, Canada in 2009, where I taught online for UMA and on campus for Holland College.

I began teaching full time for UMA’s Justice Studies program in Augusta in 2015. I am particularly interested in the interaction of American and Canadian law in cross-border criminal process, mediation, and restorative justice. I am a member of the Massachusetts bar, and have been admitted to practice before the U.S. District Court (D. Mass), the First Circuit Court of Appeals, and the United States Supreme Court. I speak Spanish, French, and Italian, and I enjoy making art.

I am also the Coordinator of the Maine State Forum.

Education

B.S. Linguistics., Georgetown University.
J.D., Suffolk University Law School.
LL.M. Business and Taxation, Transnational Practice, McGeorge Law School, University of the Pacific.

Research Interests

Cross-cultural conflict resolution, web-based mediation education, domestic violence and enforcement of the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction.

Bar memberships

Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Federal District Court, District of Massachusetts, First Circuit Court of Appeals, United States Supreme Court.

Recognitions

Donald Harward Faculty Award for Service-Learning Excellence, Maine Campus Compact (2018).
Distinguished Educator Award, University of Maine at Augusta (2018).