Nora Freeman Engstrom
Professor
Department of Law
Stanford University
United States of America
Biography
Nora Freeman Engstrom’s scholarship lies at the intersection of tort law and legal ethics. Her current work explores the day-to-day operation of the tort system and particularly the tort system’s interaction with alternative compensation mechanisms, such as workers’ compensation, no-fault automobile insurance, and the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. Professor Engstrom has also written extensively on law firms she calls “settlement mills”—high-volume personal injury law practices that heavily advertise and mass-produce the resolution of claims. Professor Engstrom’s work has appeared in a variety of scholarly journals, including the Stanford Law Review, the Michigan Law Review, the University of Pennsylvania Law Review, and the NYU Law Review, among others, while her expert commentary has appeared in a wide array of news outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The National Law Journal, Forbes, and the LA Times. She is also the co-author of a leading professional responsibility casebook, Legal Ethics (with Deborah Rhode, David Luban, and Scott Cummings). Before joining Stanford’s faculty in 2009, Professor Engstrom was a Research Dean’s Scholar at Georgetown University Law Center and an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP. She was also a law clerk to Judge Merrick B. Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr., of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Before that, she worked at the U.S. Department of Justice, focusing on terrorism and national security issues. She graduated from Dartmouth College in 1997, summa cum laude, and from Stanford Law School in 2002. Professor Engstrom is an elected member of the American Law Institute, and she currently serves as Stanford Law School’s Associate Dean for Curriculum.
Research Interest
Civil Procedure & Litigation, Class Actions & Mass Litigation, Complex Litigation, Ethics & Professional Responsibility, Legal Profession
