Marily Nixon

Marily Nixon is a Professor of the Practice at Pitt Law, where she also created and directs the Online Master of Studies in Law program and the Practical Business Law certificate. She teaches law, policy, and legal skills to diverse student populations, including MSL students, JD students, licensed attorneys seeking their LLM degree, and undergraduate students.

Professor Nixon maintains a diverse teaching portfolio.  At Pitt Law, she teaches primarily in areas that relate to real property. She has special expertise in property law, land use law, legislation and regulation, local government/ administrative law, environmental law, and public lands law.  She also teaches law and legal culture to international attorneys; she directs and teaches in the Summer Institute on Law, Language and Culture at Duke University School of Law. Outside of the legal field, she teaches professional communications skills to students in technical master degree programs.  

Before beginning her teaching career, Professor Nixon practiced law for more than 20 years in Big Law (Holland & Hart LLP and Dorsey & Whitney LLP), leading nonprofit legal groups including the Southern Environmental Law Center, and a County Attorney's office in the Denver metro area. She also managed an air quality improvement initiative for The Heinz Endowments in Pittsburgh.  She gained her interest in matters related to property and environmental protection through seasonal work prior to law school with the National Park Service at several inspiring national park sites.