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Law School
Home   >  Law School   >  Faculty & Staff   >  Colleen Cullen

Colleen Cullen

Colleen Cullen

Director of Criminal Defense Clinic; Associate Professor of Law

Legal Clinic

Law School

Phone: 515-271-3930

Email: colleen.cullen@drake.edu

Office: Cartwright Hall

Biography

Colleen Cullen is the Director of the Drake Criminal Defense Clinic and Associate Professor of Law. Prior to joining the faculty at Drake, Professor Cullen was the Lasch Clinical Teaching Fellow for the Criminal Defense Clinic at University of Denver Sturm College of Law. She previously served as an Assistant State Public Defender at the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Milwaukee Trial Office. As an Assistant State Public Defender, Professor Cullen defended clients in 27 jury trials, where her clients faced criminal charges ranging from disorderly conduct to 1st degree reckless homicide. Additionally, she litigated countless motions, negotiated better plea offers, and advocated for clients at sentencing.

Professor Cullen is a graduate of Georgetown University Law Center, where she participated in the Criminal Defense and Prison Advocacy Clinic. During law school, Professor Cullen participated in externships with the Public Defender Service in Washington, D.C., the Office of the Federal Public Defender in Los Angeles, and the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Areas of Expertise

Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, Clinical Education and Experiential Learning

Education

  • JD, Georgetown University Law Center
  • BA, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, summa cum laude

Selected Publications

  • The Nonexistent Speedy Trial Right, 51 Pepperdine Law Review 661 (2024).
  • Mo Money, Fewer Problems: Examining the Effects of Inadequate Funding on Client Outcomes, 30 Georgetown Journal of Legal Ethics 675 (2017).

Significant Accomplishments

  • Co-Organizer and Supervising Attorney, Martin Luther King Jr. Day Expungement & Employment Barriers Clinic (Spring 2025 & 2026)
  • Co-Organizer and Supervising Attorney, Cady Day Expungement & Employment Barriers Clinic (Fall 2025)
  • Co-Authored the Iowa Criminal Statutes Summary Chart—2024 (with Hon. Michael R. Mullins)
  • Co-Authored the Iowa Criminal Statutes Summary Chart - 2025 (with Hon. Michael R. Mullins)

2507 University Avenue
Des Moines, Iowa 50311
1-800-44-DRAKE


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