John W. Smagula, J.D., M.S. is the Director of Asian Programs at Temple University School of Law. As professor, John teaches Legal English and Reasoning to Master of Laws (LL.M.) students. As facilitator of Temple's Judicial and Prosecutor Training Program, John coordinates with the Supreme People's Court of China, the Supreme People's Procuratorate of China, and Temple faculty to bring Chinese judges and prosecutors to the United States to study criminal procedure and trial advocacy. As co-director of Temple's Scholarly Roundtable Program, John invites top Chinese law scholars and government officials to Temple to conduct and then present research on aspects of Chinese law presently under revision. The most recent roundtable focused on simulation and experiential legal education. John's current position has enabled him to gain valuable teaching experience as a professor, practical organizing experience as an administrator and fundraiser, and intercultural experience exchanging with the highest levels of Chinese legal authority and government.

John has both academic and legal practice experience in China. John spent three years as a visiting law professor in China on programs sponsored by the Yale-China Association and Ford Foundation. He taught for one year each at Guangzhou's Zhongshan University, Beijing's Tsinghua University, and Chengdu's Sichuan University. His course titles included U.S. Criminal Procedure (taught in Chinese), U.S. Corporations Law, International Trade Law, and Internet Law. In Beijing, in conjunction with Tsinghua and the Beijing Consumers Association, John helped to expand the consumer rights clinic. In the clinic, students counseled aggrieved consumers and carried out face-to-face mediations between consumers and merchants. In Chengdu, he oversaw the development of China's first and only criminal defense legal clinic. Students in this clinic directly advocated for criminal defendants through court arguments and pre-trial proceedings. John also has practical legal experience involving China. From 1997 to 2000, John worked in the New York and Hong Kong offices of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison. He worked on international transactions, specializing in foreign investment funds in China. John's legal practice and clinic work provide a strong foundation for legal teaching and scholarship.