A legal intersection
by Catherine Deyarmond
As a child, Jena Martin, J.D., Professor and Katherine A. Ryan Chair for Global and International Law at the St. Mary’s University School of Law, said she wanted to be an actress, lawyer or teacher.
Martin said she now enjoys a career where she can be all three.
“As a professor, I get to teach and talk about the law,” she said. “There is an element where I perform for my students to help them memorize material. It is great that this is my career path.”
She was drawn to a career in law for one simple reason: “I have an innate sense of fairness. The law seemed to be the best path that I could use to do that.”
Martin, who started teaching at St. Mary’s Law in Fall 2024, shared her path with Gold & Blue Law Edition about emerging as a thought leader in the intersection of business and human rights.
Q: Why did you choose to teach at St. Mary’s Law?
A: In two words, the people. When I interviewed here, it was clear to me that there was a community and being a part of a community is very important to me. This has been proven to be true in the short time that I have been here.
Q: You have written extensively on business and human rights issues, including the intersection of human rights and data privacy. What draws you to these topics?
A: I’m fascinated by the role that information plays in our lives. People give away their information without really thinking about the consequences. For example, a person goes on a website and puts in their information so they can get a “free service.” It isn’t really free because it uses your information. It’s a cliché, but if you don’t pay for the product, it’s because you are the product.
The advent of artificial intelligence and generative AI has accelerated because the whole model for generative AI is based on information we have given up, knowingly or unknowingly. People get into trouble whenever you put something into the generative AI prompt that is now public information. Researchers have gotten into trouble because they have put in confidential patient information and then asked generative AI to write a report based on it. That information is no longer confidential.
Q: Why do you think studies in business law are so imperative at this time?
A: It is because of the rise of businesses and corporations and their influence on society. On the first day of class, I throw out a challenge to my students to tell me about an area of the law that is not affected by businesses. To this day, no one has been able to stump me. Businesses are so integral to everything we do.
Q: What are your impressions of the St. Mary’s Marianist mission in action so far?
A: A big part of what drew me to St. Mary’s was the Marianist focus on inclusivity. That was very important to me, and it was clear when I interviewed here that people were living that as opposed to just professing it.
