Rate My Professor Kevin Zielinski

Kevin Zielinski serves as Clinical Assistant Professor of Finance in the School of Analytics, Finance, and Economics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, within the Business & Economics faculty. He teaches FIN 270: The Legal and Social Environment of Business. Zielinski holds a Juris Doctor from Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School, conferred in May 2025, where he also passed the Illinois Bar Examination in 2025. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His prior appointments include Law School Ambassador at SIU from January 2023 to May 2024, Lesar Law Library Research Assistant from January to May 2024, Legal Intern at the Jackson County State's Attorney's Office from March 2024 to January 2025 and at Crossroad Legal, LLC in May 2025, and Instructor for Introduction to Law in Project Upward Bound in July 2024. From 2017 to 2023, he worked in academic tutoring roles, including Online Academic Tutor for Varsity Tutors, Chegg, and TutorMe, Tutor Manager and Family Care Coordinator at Tutor Doctor, and Preparation Course Instructor at Admission Planning. Since 2025, Zielinski has held the position of Associate Counsel for Legal Reform and Oversight at the Institute for Reforming Government.

Zielinski's research specializations involve data-driven analyses of regulatory design, separation of powers, economic governance, administrative law, and judicial evaluation, with emphasis on translating complex legal doctrines into practical decision frameworks and exploring how law shapes markets and firm behavior. Key publications include co-authoring the IRG Court Watch Report: Wisconsin Supreme Court Term in Review (July 2025), Brief for Center for American Rights Amicus Curiae in United States v. Dugan, No. 2:25-cr-89 (E.D. Wis., June 2025), "SCOTUS RICO’s Civil Cause of Action Clarifies Scope of Cause of Action" (The Federalist Society, April 2025), "When Silence Counts as Violence: United States v. Delligatti" (The Federalist Society, April 2025), "What to Do With Dewberry?: Dewberry Group v. Dewberry Engineers" co-authored with Professor Zvi Rosen (The Federalist Society, February 2025), and "Safe-T for Whom? How Legislative Overreach Transformed Criminals into Victims" (SSRN, January 2024). Among his honors are the CALI Excellence for the Future Award in Advanced Constitutional Law, Joseph R. Bartylak Fellowship, full-tuition merit scholarship to law school, Illinois General Assembly Legislative Scholarships in 2007 and 2008, and FEDI Award for Most-Improved Chapter President. He served as Chapter President of The Federalist Society at SIU Law from May 2024 to May 2025, organizing events with prominent speakers and increasing active membership by 4,000%, and acted as a panelist providing expert insights on the Illinois SAFE-T Act.