Law professor challenges students
by Suzi Morales, J.D.
As a teenager, John W. Teeter Jr., J.D., considered himself clumsy and incompetent when in reality, he just hadn’t found his place yet. In college, his professors encouraged him in a way he had never experienced before.
“This was kind of an overwhelming experience for a 19-year-old,” Teeter recalled. “Suddenly, these people with Ph.D.s from prestigious schools like Stanford and the University of Chicago were telling me that I was gifted, that I had so much to offer, and I fell in love with the academic world.”
At age 19, while at the University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Campus, Teeter decided he wanted to be a professor and never looked back from that goal. In 2026, Teeter marks his 35th year as a professor of law at the St. Mary’s University School of Law.
Throughout his teaching career, frequently while wearing his signature Hawaiian shirts, Teeter has tried to encourage his students as he was once encouraged.
“John’s office is always filled with students and their laughter. Sometimes, students line up to see him,” said Professor of Law Chenglin “Gary” Liu, J.S.D., a longtime colleague of Teeter. “John is a real treasure who truly cares about helping his students, whether students are seeking help with the class material or his advice.”
But that’s his office persona. In the classroom, Teeter is a self-described “tough cop.”
“Sometimes students are surprised the first time they come to my office, and they see the soft side of me, the nice cop side of me, and they see, maybe for the first time, that I really care about them so much,” Teeter said. “I want them to be happy and successful.”
A trainer for lawyers
In his classes, Teeter is a strict adherent to the “genuinely noble tradition” of the Socratic method, calling on students to answer difficult questions on the spot. He compares his role to that of a personal trainer, helping students get into shape.
Although he decided early on to pursue a career in academia, Teeter strongly believes that law professors should practice law before teaching, as he did as an employment lawyer in Boston.
“John is a real treasure who truly cares about helping his students, whether students are seeking help with the class material or his advice.”
— Chenglin “Gary” Liu, J.S.D.
“Before anyone is arrogant enough to go out there and purport to train lawyers, they need to be a lawyer themselves,” he said. “They need to get the manure kicked out of them a few times. They need to know what it’s like to make mistakes, to be defeated and to be humiliated, but then to get back up off the canvas — fight the good fight.”
Teeter also taught in St. Mary’s Law’s study abroad programs in Austria and China. Students from his classroom in San Antonio might be surprised to learn that reading assignments were optional during those international classes. Instead, he urged students to leave campus, meet people and experience local culture.
Sacred purpose
As a practicing Buddhist and a member of the Christian denomination Disciples of Christ, Teeter brings a unique philosophical approach to legal scholarship. While he writes about doctrinal issues in labor and employment law, he also publishes on topics such as the application of Stoicism to legal education.
As both nice cop and tough cop, he puts that into practice every day.
“I do believe that life is sacred,” Teeter said. “I do believe we are brothers and sisters, and we were put on earth to help one another. I take that very seriously.”
