Christine Westphal, Assistant Professor

Christine M. Westphal, J.D.

Assistant Professor of Education and Human Resources
Director, Human Resources, Learning and Performance Graduate Programs

Mailing Address

Suffolk University
8 Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108

Office

73 Tremont Street, 7th Floor
Room 720
Phone:617 994-6455
Email:cwestpha@suffolk.edu

Degrees

• J.D., cum laude, New England School of Law, Boston, MA.
• M.A., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
• B.A.,  Jersey City State University, Jersey City, NJ.

Employment History: Teaching

• Suffolk University, Boston, MA (Full-Time Faculty)
• Merrimack College, Andover MA (Part-Time Faculty)
• Cambridge College, Cambridge, MA (Senior Faculty)
• Mount Ida College, Newton, MA (Full-Time Faculty)
• Curry College, Milton, MA (Part-Time Faculty)
• Thomas College, Waterville, ME (Full-Time Faculty)
• Plymouth State College, Plymouth, NH (Full-Time Faculty)
• Northeastern University, Boston, MA (Part-Time Faculty)
  

Employment History: Legal Practice

• Attorney, Department of Public Utilities, Commercial Motor Vehicle
   Division, Boston, MA
  • Reviewed regulations; wrote legal memoranda; served as hearing officer;
  • Proposed changes in regulations and procedures; advised Division investigators.
• Private Practice; Solo practice and partner in law firm of Pollack and Westphal, Boston, MA
  • Real Estate
  • Domestic Relations
  • General Business Law
  • Litigation
• Law Clerk to Judge Gregory J. Castano, New Jersey Superior Court, Trial Level, Jersey City, NJ
  • Evaluated cases
  • Prepared bench memos and jury charges
  • Researched opinions

Selected Papers Presented

• Westphal, C.M. and Wheeler, S.C. “Overtime Pay in a 24/7 World” 74th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business; Nashville, TN, August, 2003.
• Westphal, C.M. and Wheeler, S.C. “A Revised View of Hiring Practices in Compliance with Civil Rights Laws: Is ‘Affirmative Action’ Simply a Substitute for ‘Networking’ in the Hiring Process or Does it Confer ‘Special Rights’?”  73rd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business; Las Vegas, NV, August, 2002.
• Westphal, C.M. and Wheeler, S.C. “When Ethical Decisions Alienate Stakeholders: Smith & Wesson as a Case Study" 72nd Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business; Albuquerque, NM, August, 2001.
• Westphal, C.M. and Wheeler, S.C. “Is It Possible to Manufacture a Gun which is Not Inherently Dangerous?  70th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business; St. Louis, MS, August, 1999.
• Westphal, C.M. and Wheeler, S.C. “OSHA Liability for Post-Inspection Worker Injuries" 69th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business; San Diego, CA, August, 1998.
• Westphal, C.M. and Wheeler, S.C. “Should Managers be Sent to Jail for Workplace Injuries?”68th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Legal Studies in Business; Atlanta, GA August, 1997.
• Westphal, C.M. “The Criminal Liability of Managers for Foreseeable Industrial Accidents:  People v. Chicago Magnet Wire Corp. and Other Recent Cases.”  Annual Meeting and Conference of the North Atlantic Business Law Association; April, 1989.

Bar Admissions

• Massachusetts Bar, 1978.
• New Jersey Bar, 1979. 
• U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey, 1979.
• U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, 1981.
• U.S. Supreme Court, 1982. 

Professional Certification

• Professional in Human Resources (PHR), 2000.
• Society for Human Resource Management, Alexandria, VA (Originally certified in 1994).

Professional Association Membership

• Academy of Legal Studies in Business
• Society of Human Resource Management
• Northeast Human Resources Association

Courses Taught

• EHS 666 Coaching and Mentoring
• EHS 680 The Human Resources Functions
• EHS 682 Human Resources and the Law
• EHS 683 Recruitment and Selection
• EHS 684 Employee Relations
• EHS 685 Compensation Systems and Employee Benefits