Faculty
Adam N. Steinman

Contact Information

Education

  • BA, Yale College
  • JD, Yale Law School
  • LLM, Georgetown University

Links

Areas of Interest

  • Civil Procedure
  • Federal Jurisdiction
  • Federal Practice & Procedure
  • Appellate Practice & Procedure
  • International Business Transactions
  • International Trade

Adam N. Steinman
Professor of Law

Professor Steinman is among the nation's most prolific young scholars in the area of civil procedure and federal courts. His most recent scholarship appears in the Stanford Law Review (forthcoming 2010), Notre Dame Law Review (2008), Northwestern University Law Review Colloquy (2008), Boston College Law Review (2007), Iowa Law Review (2007), Washington & Lee Law Review (2006), and Washington Law Review (2006).

Professor Steinman earned his law degree (JD) from Yale Law School and his bachelor's degree (BA) from Yale College. After law school, he served as a law clerk to federal judges at both the trial and appellate levels (Chief Judge Jerry Buchmeyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas and Judge Emilio M. Garza of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit). Following his clerkships, Professor Steinman spent two years as a teaching fellow and supervising attorney in the Appellate Litigation Program at Georgetown University Law Center, from which he earned a Master of Laws degree (LLM). Before joining the faculty at UC, Professor Steinman practiced at the law firm of Perkins Coie LLP in Seattle, focusing on complex civil litigation (principally product liability, commercial and international matters) and appellate litigation.

Publications

Presentations

  • The Pleading Problem, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Summer Scholarship Series (Aug. 2009); Boston College Law School, Faculty Workshop (March 2009)
  • Panelist, Junior Faculty Federal Courts Conference, Michigan State University College of Law (forthcoming Oct. 2009)
  • Panelist, The Future of Summary Judgment. Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting, New Orleans, Louisiana, co-sponsored by the Section on Litigation and the Section on Civil Procedure (forthcoming Jan. 2010)
  • Ohio Supreme Court Oral Argument Program:Roe v. Planned Parenthood Southwest Ohio Region, University of Cincinnati College of Law (November 2008)
  • Deference and Review, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Summer Scholarship Series (July 2008)
  • Erie's Past, Erie's Future: What is the Erie Doctrine and What Does It Mean for the Twenty-First Century Politics of Judicial Federalism?, Indiana University (Bloomington) School of Law, Faculty Workshop (Sept. 2007)
  • Our Class Action Federalism, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Summer Scholarship Series (June 2007)
  • ‘Less' is ‘More'? Textualism, Intentionalism, and a Better Solution to the Class Action Fairness Act's Appellate Deadline Riddle, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Faculty Workshop (Jan. 2007)
  • A Federal Common Law for the Age of Textualism, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Summer Scholarship Series (Aug. 2006)
  • Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah and its Lessons for the Class Action Fairness Act, University of Kansas School of Law, Faculty Workshop (April 2006)
  • Fueling the Creative Economy: Workforce Development, University of Cincinnati, (April 2006)
  • Reconsidering Summary Judgment Burdens Twenty Years after the Trilogy, University of Cincinnati College of Law, Summer Scholarship Series (July 2005)
  • Optimizing Appellate Jurisdiction, St. Louis University School of Law, Faculty Workshop (March 2005)
  • The Multiparty, Multiforum Trial Jurisdiction Act of 2002, Washington State Bar Association, Continuing Legal Education Program (Nov. 2003)
  • Reconceptualizing Federal Habeas Corpus, Georgetown University Law Center, Summer Faculty Workshop (June 2001)

Courses

  • Civil Procedure I
  • Civil Procedure II
  • International Business Transactions
  • International Trade

December 2009

Adam presented The Pleading Problem, 62 Stan. L. Rev. ___ (2010), at Ohio State as part of our Scholar Exchange Program. His article, 'Less' is 'More'? Textualism, Intentionalism, and a Better Solution to the Class Action Fairness Act's Appellate Deadline Riddle, 92 Iowa L. Rev. 1183 (2007), was cited in D. Zachary Hudson, A Case for Varying Interpretive Deference at the State Level, 119 Yale L.J. 373 (2009).

November 2009

Adam Steinman presented What Is Federal Common Law? at the Second Annual Junior Faculty Federal Courts Workshop at Michigan State.

October 2009

Adam was promoted to Professor of Law (with tenure). His article, The Pleading Problem, was accepted for publication in the Stanford Law Review.

Adam launched a new blog, Civil Procedure & Federal Courts Blog as part of Paul Caron’s Law Professor Blogs Network with former UC Law Professor Cyndi Fountaine (Texas-Wesleyan) and Robin Effron (Brooklyn). His article, An Ounce of Prevention: Solving Some Unforeseen Problems with the Proposed Amendments to Rule 56 and the Federal Summary Judgment Process, 103 Nw. U. L. Rev. Colloquy 230 (2008), was cited in Kevin M. Clermont, Federal Courts, Practice & Procedure: Litigation Realities Redux, 84 Notre Dame L. Rev. 1919 (2009).

Summer 2009

Adam presented his paper The Pleading Problem as part of the 13th Annual UC Faculty Summer Scholarship Series and blogged it on Concurring Opinions. Larry Solum recommended the article on his Legal Theory Blog, and the article was featured on Federal Civil Practice Bulletin, Drug and Device Law, How Appealing, and Mass Tort Litigation. Adam was also selected to present his paper, What Is Federal Common Law?, at the Junior Faculty Federal Courts Conference to be held at Michigan State University College of Law (Oct. 22-23, 2009).

Several of Adam’s articles were cited:

June 2009

The Board of Trustees has approved Adam’s promotion to Professor of Law with Tenure.

Two of Adam’s articles were cited:

Adam has been invited to speak at the Jan. 2010 AALS Annual Meeting in New Orleans on a panel discussion on The Future of Summary Judgment. The panel is co-sponsored by the Section on Civil Procedure and the Section on Litigation.

May 2009

Several of Adam’s publications were cited:

April 2009

Adam attended the Spring 2009 meeting of the American Academy of Appellate Lawyers (AAAL) in Austin, Texas at which he was awarded the AAAL's Eisenberg Prize, which recognizes the best scholarly article on appellate practice and procedure, for his article, Reinventing Appellate Jurisdiction, 48 B.C. L. Rev. 1237 (2007).

Adam presented The Pleading Problem at Boston College as part of the College’s Scholar Exchange Program.

Two of Adam’s articles were cited:

March 2009

Adam acted as the discussant at a faculty workshop at the College by David Olson (Boston College) on Toward a First Amendment Based Copyright Misuse as part of the UC-Boston College Scholar Exchange Program. (Adam will be leading a faculty workshop at Boston College next month on his new paper, The Pleading Problem.)

Adam’s article, Sausage-Making, Pigs’ Ears, and Congressional Expansions of Federal Jurisdiction: Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah and its Lessons for the Class Action Fairness Act, 81 Wash L. Rev. 279 (2006), was cited in Joan Steinman, Claims, Civil Actions, Congress & the Court: Limiting the Reasoning of Cases Construing Poorly Drawn Statutes, 65 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 1593 (2008).

February 2009

The American Academy of Appellate Lawyers will present the 2008 Eisenberg Prize to Adam for his article, Reinventing Appellate Jurisdiction, 48 B.C. L. Rev. 1237 (2007), on March 27 in Austin, Texas. The prize honors the year’s best article in the field of appellate practice and procedure. (Rafael Gely and Michael Solimine won the 2006 Eisenberg Prize for their article, The Supreme Court and the DIG: An Empirical and Institutional Analysis, 2005 Wis. L. Rev. 421).

January 2009

Adam published What is the Erie Doctrine? (And What Does It Mean for the Contemporary Politics of Judicial Federalism?), 84 Notre Dame L. Rev. 245 (2008). His article, The Irrepressible Myth of Celotex: Reconsidering Summary Judgment Burdens Twenty Years after the Trilogy, 63 Wash. & Lee L. Rev. 144 (2006), was cited in Lonny S. Hoffman, Burn up the Chaff with Unquenchable Fire: What Two Doctrinal Intersections Can Teach Us about Judicial Power over Pleadings, 88 B.U.L. Rev. 1217 (2008).

December 2008

Adam published An Ounce of Prevention: Solving Some Unforeseen Problems with the Proposed Amendments to Rule 56 and the Federal Summary Judgment Process, 103 Nw. U. L. Rev. Colloquy 230 (2008). He presented his arguments about the proposed Rule 56 amendments in a formal comment to the Civil Rules Advisory Committee:

Adam’s article, Reconceptualizing Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: How Should AEDPA's Standard of Review Operate after Williams v. Taylor?, 2001 Wisc. L. Rev. 1493 (2001), was cited in Giovanna Shay & Christopher Lasch, Initiating a New Constitutional Dialogue: The Increased Importance under AEDPA of Seeking Certiorari from Judgments of State Courts, 50 Wm. & Mary L. Rev. 211 (2008).

November 2008

Adam's forthcoming essay, An Ounce of Prevention: Solving Some Unforeseen Problems with the Proposed Amendments to Rule 56 and the Federal Summary Judgment Process, 103 Nw. U. L. Rev. Colloquy 230 (Nov. 2008), was featured on three popular legal blogs: Several of Adam's articles were cited:

October 2008

Adam's article, Reconceptualizing Federal Habeas Corpus for State Prisoners: How Should AEDPA's Standard of Review Operate after Williams v. Taylor?, 2001 Wis. L. Rev. 1493 (2001), was cited in Risa E. Kaufman, Access to the Courts as a Privilege or Immunity of National Citizenship, 40 Conn. L. Rev. 1477 (2008).

Summer 2008

Adam presented Deference and Review as part of the 12th Annual UC Faculty Summer Scholarship Series.

Two of Adam's articles were cited:

June 2008

Adam's article, Sausage-Making, Pigs' Ears, and Congressional Expansions of Federal Jurisdiction: Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah and its Lessons for the Class Action Fairness Act, 81 Wash L. Rev. 279 (2006), was cited in Jay Tidmarsh, Finding Room for State Class Actions in a Post-CAFA World: The Case of the Counterclaim Class Action, 35 W. St. U. L. Rev. 193 (2007).

May 2008

Adam's article, What is the Erie Doctrine? (And What Does it Mean for the Contemporary Politics of Judicial Federalism?), was accepted for publication in the Notre Dame Law Review. Larry Solum praised the article on his Legal Theory Blog:
“I read this earlier & just got off the phone with Steinman after a long talk. Fascinating article & highly recommended. This is very rich. They key insight is Steinman's recognition that the rationale of Gaspareni extends to cases in which two conditions are met: (1) there is a substance-effecting difference between state and federal law, and (2) the federal rule of civil procedure underdetermines the outcome and hence requires "construction" (as opposed to "interpretation") in the technical sense. Very cool. The more controversial implication would be that some federal rules may violate 28 USC Sec. 2072(b) if they are substance affecting. ... If you are interested in procedure, read Steinman!”

Adam's article also was featured on Civil Procedure Prof Blog and Federal Civil Practice Bulletin. His scholarship was featured in the University Libraries' 17th Annual Authors, Editors and Composers Reception.

April 2008

Adam completed a new article, What is the Erie Doctrine? (And What Does it Mean for the Contemporary Politics of Judicial Federalism?).

Several of Adam's articles were cited:

February 2008

Adam's article, Sausage-Making, Pigs' Ears, and Congressional Expansions of Federal Jurisdiction: Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah and its Lessons for the Class Action Fairness Act, 81 Wash L. Rev. 279 (2006), was cited in James E. Pfander, Protective Jurisdiction, Aggregate Litigation, and the Limits of Article III, 95 Cal. L. Rev. 1423 (2007).

December 2007

Adam published Reinventing Appellate Jurisdiction, 48 B.C. L. Rev. 1237 (2007). His article, Irrepressible Myth of Celotex: Reconsidering Summary Judgment Burdens Twenty Years after the Trilogy, 63 Wash & Lee 81 (2006), was cited and discussed in Wright & Miller, 10A Fed. Prac. & Proc. 2727 (2007).

November 2007

Adam published Reinventing Appellate Jurisdiction, 48 Boston College L. Rev. 1237 (2007).

October 2007

Adam presented Erie's Past, Erie's Future: What Is the Erie Doctrine and What Does It Mean for the 21st Century Politics of Judicial Federalism? at Indiana as part of the Cincinnati-Indiana Scholar Exchange Program.

Summer 2007

Adam published "Les" is "More"? Textualism, Intentionalism, and a Better Solution to the Class Action Fairness Act's Appellate Deadline Riddle, 92 Iowa L. Rev. 1183 (2007). The article was featured on the Statutory Construction Blog.

Adam completed Reinventing Appellate Jurisdiction and submitted it to law reviews. He presented Our Class Action Federalism as part of the 11th Annual UC Faculty Summer Scholarship Series.

Two of Adam's articles were cited:

June 2007

Adam's promotion to Associate Professor of Law (effective September 1) was approved by the University.

Several of Adam's articles were cited:

Adam was selected by the Class of 2007 to confer the ceremonial hoods at graduation.

May 2007

Adam won the 2007 Goldman Prize for Excellence in Law Teaching.

His article, Reinventing Appellate Jurisdiction, was accepted for publication in the Boston College Law Review. The article was featured on several popular law blogs: Adam was interviewed on Civil Procedure Prof Blog. Two of Adam's articles were cited:

Adam was a contributor to, and signatory of, an Amicus Curiae brief of law professors in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Powerex Corp. v. Reliant Energy Services, Inc., No. 05-85, argued on April 16, 2007. The case involves, among other things, the right to appeal a U.S. District Court decision remanding a case to state court. Other signatories include his UC colleague Michael Solimine and Harvard Law School professor Arthur Miller, the first Stanley M. Chesley Distinguished Visiting Professor at the College of Law in the Spring 2007 semester.

Adam submitted a wonderful rap video entry in TurboTax's Tax Rap Contest.

March 2007

Adam was quoted in Liz Carroll Trial to Begin Today, Cincinnati Post, Feb. 12, 2007, at A2.

February 2007

Adam presented "Less" Is "More"? Textualism, Intentionalism, and a Better Solution to the Class Action Fairness Act's Appellate Deadline Riddle, 92 Iowa L. Rev. __ (2007), at Chicago-Kent as part of the College's Scholar Exchange Program. He attended the AALS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

Adam's article, Sausage-Making, Pigs' Ears, and Congressional Expansions of Federal Jurisdiction: Exxon Mobil v. Allapattah and its Lessons for the Class Action Fairness Act, 81 Wash. L. Rev. 279 (2006), was cited in Brian E. Foster, Serious Mischiefs: Exxon Mobil Corp. v. Allapattah Services, Inc., Supplemental Jurisdiction, and Breaking the Promise of Finley, 81 Notre Dame L. Rev. 2013 (2006).

January 2007

Several of Adam's articles were cited:

Please see Faculty News Archives for earlier issues.