F. Philip Manns Jr. named Professor Emeritus at Liberty Law

After over 15 years of teaching at Liberty University School of Law, F. Philip Manns Jr. has received the distinguished honor of being named the school’s first professor emeritus. The title was awarded during the law school’s degree presentation ceremony on May 10.

“During his time at Liberty, Professor Manns has taught countless students and mentored faculty members,” said Dean Timothy Todd at the ceremony. “He also served others, often without a spotlight. … Not only is he the best at what he does, but he does it with humility, patience, and kindness.”

Todd said Manns was instrumental in laying the foundation for the tax and planning curriculum at Liberty Law as one of its first faculty members. In addition to his teaching, Manns also performed pro bono estate planning for missionaries and trained law students on how to serve with excellence during that ministry.

Prior to Liberty Law, Manns taught for 15 years at California Western School of Law, where he also served as associate dean. He was a visiting professor at Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, in 1997. Before his career in the legal field, Manns was a chemical engineer for the Department of Defense. He then practiced tax law with King & Spalding in Atlanta, Ga., and clerked for the Honorable Francis D. Murnaghan Jr., Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. Manns has been admitted to practice law in Virginia, Maryland, Georgia, California, and in a number of federal courts. He has also published extensively in law journals and collaborated with Todd on multiple academic articles. His scholarly work has covered subjects such as testamentary capacity, the estate taxation of reversions, the taxation of damages, powers of attorney, and tax issues affecting limited liability companies, among other topics.

Manns had initially retired at the end of the 2020-21 academic year after 15 years of teaching tax and estate and business planning courses. When Todd was named interim dean and Rodney Chrisman became vice dean for academic affairs and faculty development last year, they asked Manns if he would consider returning for the 2024-25 school year to cover the courses that he previously taught.

“Working with (Todd and Chrisman) and helping our students become good planning lawyers was the highlight of my professional career,” Manns said. “I was glad to answer the call (to come back). This past year has been full of renewed joys of teaching, working with students, and enjoying the company of my faculty colleagues.”

Though Manns has now officially retired, he said he is looking forward to being a resource for the Liberty Law faculty who take over his courses and will continue collaborating with Todd on writing academic articles and other scholarly projects. He said being named professor emeritus has caused him to think back to Liberty’s doctrinal statement, which puts forth that followers of Jesus Christ will show the fruits of the Holy Spirit.

“I am proud to have been part of a law faculty that has shown such evidence of the Holy Spirit living within each of them,” he said. “I am honored to be numbered as an emeritus among them.”