Law School Faculty Appointments and Promotions for 2025
Gonzaga University School of Law is pleased to announce additions to its faculty for the 2025 academic year. Judge Tim Fennessy will begin his role as a Visiting Assistant Professor in Spring 2025. Additionally, current Visiting Assistant Professor Abe Ritter will join the full-time faculty as Assistant Professor in Fall 2025, and Kai Wang will join the faculty as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Fall 2025.
Judge Tim Fennessy, Visiting Assistant Professor
Judge Tim Fennessy brings a wealth of practical legal experience to the classroom. As a graduate of Gonzaga Law School, Judge Fennessy practiced law in Spokane for over three decades, primarily as a litigator. His career included extensive experience in trial courts across Washington and Idaho, where he represented clients in civil and family law cases. He appeared before the Washington State Supreme Court, the Idaho State Supreme Court, and the Washington State Court of Appeals, honing his skills in client counseling, discovery, case evaluation, and witness preparation.
In 2016, Judge Fennessy was elected to the Spokane County Superior Court, where he served eight years and presided over numerous family law trials, jury trials, and civil/criminal motions. Notably, he held leadership roles as Chief Criminal Judge from 2023 to 2024 and as the Presiding Judge in 2024. He also previously served the Law School as Chair of the Board of Advisors and as a Director of the Gonzaga Law School Foundation. In his new role as Visiting Assistant Professor, Judge Fennessy will teach Lawyering Skills classes, sharing his extensive experience and knowledge with students at Gonzaga Law starting in Spring 2025.
Abe Ritter, Assistant Professor
Abe Ritter, a Gonzaga alumnus, has been an integral part of the Gonzaga Law community since 2018. Previously serving as the Associate Director of the Center for Professional Development and Externships, he helped manage the Externship Program and taught seminars designed to prepare students for the challenges of legal practice. Currently a Visiting Assistant Professor, Ritter will start as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Fall 2025.
Ritter’s scholarly interests include behavioral legal ethics, systems and practices in criminal courts, and experiential learning pedagogy. As a former Deputy District Attorney in Colorado, Ritter litigated over 75 jury trials, including 60 solo jury trials. He currently teaches Professional Responsibility and continues to contribute to the legal profession as a member of the Washington State Bar, the WSBA Council on Public Defense, and the Colorado State Bar.
Kai Wang, Assistant Professor
Gonzaga Law is also excited to announce that Kai Wang will join the faculty as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Fall 2025. Professor Wang’s research focuses on financial regulation, particularly the regulation of cryptocurrency, banks, and payment systems. His most recent article, exploring cryptocurrency payments in the context of U.S. anti-money laundering law, is forthcoming in the University of Chicago Business Law Review.
Professor Wang earned both his J.S.D. and LL.M. degrees from Cornell Law School, where he served as an Articles Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal. His career includes significant international experience, having worked for the International Monetary Fund’s Legal Department, the Asian Development Bank’s Office of Anticorruption and Integrity, and the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. His expertise in financial regulation and international law will make a significant contribution to Gonzaga Law’s Center for Law, Ethics & Commerce.
"We are thrilled to welcome Tim Fennessy back to Gonzaga Law School as a Visiting Assistant Professor. We also look forward to Abe Ritter joining our permanent faculty, and welcoming Kai Wang to the ZagLaw community in Fall 2025," said Smithmoore P. Myers Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law Jacob Rooksby. "These appointments reflect our ongoing commitment to providing students with a diverse, highly experienced, and dedicated faculty who are leaders in their respective fields."
Judge Tim Fennessy, Visiting Assistant Professor
Judge Tim Fennessy brings a wealth of practical legal experience to the classroom. As a graduate of Gonzaga Law School, Judge Fennessy practiced law in Spokane for over three decades, primarily as a litigator. His career included extensive experience in trial courts across Washington and Idaho, where he represented clients in civil and family law cases. He appeared before the Washington State Supreme Court, the Idaho State Supreme Court, and the Washington State Court of Appeals, honing his skills in client counseling, discovery, case evaluation, and witness preparation.
In 2016, Judge Fennessy was elected to the Spokane County Superior Court, where he served eight years and presided over numerous family law trials, jury trials, and civil/criminal motions. Notably, he held leadership roles as Chief Criminal Judge from 2023 to 2024 and as the Presiding Judge in 2024. He also previously served the Law School as Chair of the Board of Advisors and as a Director of the Gonzaga Law School Foundation. In his new role as Visiting Assistant Professor, Judge Fennessy will teach Lawyering Skills classes, sharing his extensive experience and knowledge with students at Gonzaga Law starting in Spring 2025.
Abe Ritter, Assistant Professor
Abe Ritter, a Gonzaga alumnus, has been an integral part of the Gonzaga Law community since 2018. Previously serving as the Associate Director of the Center for Professional Development and Externships, he helped manage the Externship Program and taught seminars designed to prepare students for the challenges of legal practice. Currently a Visiting Assistant Professor, Ritter will start as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Fall 2025.
Ritter’s scholarly interests include behavioral legal ethics, systems and practices in criminal courts, and experiential learning pedagogy. As a former Deputy District Attorney in Colorado, Ritter litigated over 75 jury trials, including 60 solo jury trials. He currently teaches Professional Responsibility and continues to contribute to the legal profession as a member of the Washington State Bar, the WSBA Council on Public Defense, and the Colorado State Bar.
Kai Wang, Assistant Professor
Gonzaga Law is also excited to announce that Kai Wang will join the faculty as a tenure-track Assistant Professor in Fall 2025. Professor Wang’s research focuses on financial regulation, particularly the regulation of cryptocurrency, banks, and payment systems. His most recent article, exploring cryptocurrency payments in the context of U.S. anti-money laundering law, is forthcoming in the University of Chicago Business Law Review.
Professor Wang earned both his J.S.D. and LL.M. degrees from Cornell Law School, where he served as an Articles Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal. His career includes significant international experience, having worked for the International Monetary Fund’s Legal Department, the Asian Development Bank’s Office of Anticorruption and Integrity, and the United Nations Security Council’s Counter-Terrorism Committee Executive Directorate. His expertise in financial regulation and international law will make a significant contribution to Gonzaga Law’s Center for Law, Ethics & Commerce.
"We are thrilled to welcome Tim Fennessy back to Gonzaga Law School as a Visiting Assistant Professor. We also look forward to Abe Ritter joining our permanent faculty, and welcoming Kai Wang to the ZagLaw community in Fall 2025," said Smithmoore P. Myers Dean of Gonzaga University School of Law Jacob Rooksby. "These appointments reflect our ongoing commitment to providing students with a diverse, highly experienced, and dedicated faculty who are leaders in their respective fields."