Kari Mercer Dalton

Associate Professor, Director of Legal Writing Program

kdalton@johnmarshall.edu

(678) 916-2644

Education

B.A., Boston College
J.D., Loyola University School of Law, cum laude

Courses Taught

Legal Research, Writing & Analysis I & II; Pretrial Practice & Procedure; Negotiations; Transactional Drafting; Appellate Advocacy

Career Highlights

Professor Kari Mercer Dalton has built a multifaceted legal career that spans private practice, corporate counsel, and legal academia. She graduated at the top of her class from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where she served on the Loyola Law Review, the Moot Court Board, and as a Teaching and Research Assistant.

Before joining the Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School faculty in 2007, Professor Dalton served as a Senior Attorney at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where she managed complex litigation in mass torts, commercial disputes, personal injury, and employment law. She previously practiced at Arnall Golden Gregory LLP, where she was part of the Professional Liability Practice Group handling high-stakes insurance defense and litigation matters.

In her more than 15 years as a professor, Professor Dalton has taught and mentored future Georgia lawyers with a focus on practical skills, ethics, and critical legal reasoning. She is known for her fairness, clarity, and strong commitment to access to justice. Her experience spans every corner of the legal system—corporate, courtrooms, and classrooms—giving her a well-rounded, real-world perspective that she brings to every legal issue.

Admitted to Practice

Georgia

Publications

Their Brain on Google:How Digital Technologies are Altering the Millennial Generation’s Brain and Impacting Legal Education, 16 SMU Science and Technology Law Review 409 (2013).

The Priest-Penitent Privilege v. Child Abuse Reporting Statutes: How to Avoid the Conflict and Serve Society, 18 Widener L. Rev. 1 (2012).

Bridging The Digital Divide and Guiding the Millennial Generation’s Research and Analysis, 18 Barry L. Rev. 167 (2012).

Mistakes Young Lawyers Make (part 1-4), Atlanta Council of Younger Lawyers Section News (2008).

Major Contributor to J. Randolph Evans’ Practical Guide to Legal Malpractice Prevention 6th Ed., The Institute of Continuing Legal Education in Georgia (1988).

Media, Public & Professional Appearances