Legal Studies, M.S.

MTSU Faculty

Sandra S. Benson, J.D., Interim Chair of the Department of Accounting, MSLS Program Director, and Professor of Business Law, represented physicians and other healthcare professionals, as well as business entrepreneurs, to establish business organizations, handle healthcare law and regulatory matters, and draft contracts. She began her journey at MTSU as an adjunct professor while practicing law in 2005, later becoming a full-time lecturer and ultimately a full professor. She has been honored with teaching and excellence awards, including MTSU’s Outstanding Teaching award. Her work has been recognized by The Federal Research Division of the Library of Congress, the New York Society of CPAs, and CNBC where she was featured as the legal scholar on an episode of American Greed.

Susan K. Bradley J.D. graduated from Western Kentucky University in 1983 and the University of Tennessee School of Law in 1990. As a partner with Wilson and Bradley Law Offices, Dr. Bradley engaged in private practice for over twenty years. Dr. Bradley served as an Administrative Law Judge for the Murfreesboro Disciplinary Board from 1999 until 2014.  Dr. Bradley was a Rule 31 Listed Mediator until 2017 and is admitted to practice in the U.S. District Court, Eastern and Middle District, U.S. Court of Appeals, Sixth Circuit, and all Tennessee Courts. Susan began teaching at Middle Tennessee State University in 2011.

Jarett B. Decker, Jacobs Chair of Excellence in Accounting and Professor of Practice, J.D., C.P.A. A former head of the World Bank’s Centre for Financial Reporting Reform in Vienna, Austria, Decker has advised governments on reforms to improve corporate accounting, auditing and governance in more than 30 developing and transitional countries in Europe, Asia and Africa. Jerry served as deputy director and chief trial counsel for the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or PCAOB, the entity created by Congress to police corporate auditing in the wake of the Enron and WorldCom accounting scandals. He established and led the PCAOB’s program of disciplinary litigation against Big Four and other public accounting firms for violations of auditing standards, ethics, and securities laws in the auditing of publicly traded companies and broker-dealers.  Before his PCAOB service, Decker was senior trial counsel for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Chicago. He served as an adjunct professor at the University of Miami School of Law where he designed courses on anti-money laundering and offshore financial centers. He has also taught accounting, auditing and business law as an adjunct at the business school of Nova Southeastern University, a private university in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  He served as an adjunct scholar with the Cato Institute from 1995 through 2003 and has published articles in the New York Times and Reason magazine, among others.

Wayne M. Irvin, J.D., CPA has been an Attorney and CPA for over 30 years, including extensive experience working with public and private businesses and individuals, as well as service with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office.  He has worked on a wide variety of commercial law matters, mergers & acquisitions, corporate governance matters, tax planning and controversy matters, business planning, estate planning and administration, and regulatory counseling and litigation.  He also serves on the Rutherford County Commission.

Horace E. Johns, J.D. Before entering academia, Professor Johns was a trial attorney, staff attorney for the Tennessee Department of Treasury, and assistant general counsel for American General Life Insurance Company. He is the ranking member of the Department of Accounting, now in his 42nd year at MTSU.

John Ouellette, J.D. John earned his Bachelor of Music from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. He has worked in the music industry in Nashville for over 25 years. He worked in music publishing for over 10 years handling every aspect of music publishing administration; from filing copyright applications, interacting with foreign sub-publishers, and negotiating and issuing licenses, to processing royalties and drafting and negotiating songwriter agreements. John graduated from law school, passed the Tennessee Bar Exam in 2006, and has been a practicing entertainment attorney ever since. He represents record labels, publishing companies, managers, concert promoters, artists, songwriters and producers.

Kathleen Denise Shackelford, J.D. Denise began her career in the music industry with Arista Records and later worked for Spalding, ultimately becoming Executive Vice President. After obtaining her J.D. degree from Nashville School of Law in 2010, Denise launched The Primacy Firm, a boutique entertainment law firm catering to the needs of creative individuals and businesses. In 2019, she accepted a tenure-track position with Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, where she teaches several classes including Survey of the Recording Industry and Entertainment IP I, and also serves as the faculty advisor for Match Records and Urban Entertainment Society. Denise currently serves on the board of the Music and Entertainment Industry Educators Association (MEIEA) and is an alumna of the Leadership Music program class of 2010.

Nashville School of Law

Nashville School of Law (NSL) is a private non-profit law school founded in 1911 that offers high-quality legal education at an affordable tuition. Classes are held exclusively at night. Most students enrolled in the School continue full-time employment, during the day, throughout their law school career. Our students are teachers, police officers, paralegals, doctors, business owners, and various professionals too numerous to list. Obtaining a J.D. at NSL requires a minimum of four years of study. The School is approved by the Tennessee Bar of Law Examiners, although not accredited by the American Bar Association. NSL graduates are practicing lawyers and judges, throughout the state of Tennessee. NSL graduates also can be found among the ranks of federal, state, and local officials, in business leadership roles, and community service positions. The School is now an integral part of Tennessee’s legal history. True to its historic mission, it continues to be a unique institution where today’s leaders of the bench and bar teach tomorrow’s lawyers. It remains a place where dreams are fulfilled, where lives are changed, and where opportunities are created.