Amy R. Stein

Degrees

JD, 1988, Fordham University

Bio

Amy Stein received her B.A. degree in American Studies and English from Tufts University and her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law. After law school, Professor Stein worked as a litigation associate at a 350-lawyer Manhattan law firm. She then became associated with a midsize Manhattan law firm, where she specialized in the defense of employment and products liability cases. She later served as counsel to a Syosset, New York, law firm.

Professor Stein began her academic career at Touro Law Center, where she was the inaugural Director of the Continuing Legal Education program. She came to Hofstra Law in 2000 and has been teaching Legal Writing and Research and Appellate Advocacy since then. Professor Stein also teaches Civil Procedure and Discovery Skills courses, where she draws on her experience in complex civil litigation.

Professor Stein is particularly interested in the areas of law school teaching and learning. She has written articles on these topics, as well as presenting at workshops and conferences at both the regional and national level. In her roles as Coordinator of the Legal Writing Program and Assistant Dean for Adjunct Instruction, she works with new Legal Writing and Adjunct faculty to assist them in becoming effective classroom teachers. She is a member of the American Bar Association Adjunct Committee and is a co-author of the Best Practices for Adjunct Teaching manual recently published by the ABA.

Professor Stein is committed to encouraging high school students to pursue higher education and careers in the law, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds. She frequently judges high school moot court competitions and speaks to students to encourage them to continue their educations. She has participated in the Law, Youth and Citizenship program sponsored by the New York State Bar Association, which trains K-12 educators to create opportunities in the classroom to educate students to become effective citizens, and has also participated in Youth Law Day programs.

Curriculum Vitae

Publications

Books

Do English-only Rules Work in the Workplace? (Book, William S. Hein & Co., 2017) (research guide)

Best Practices for Adjunct Teaching (Co-author, American Bar Association 2011) (Manual)

Reassignment Under the ADA: Must an Employer Hire a Minimally Qualified Disabled Employee Over a More Qualified, Non-disabled Applicant? (Book, William S. Hein & Co., 2009) (research guide)

Illegal Sex Discrimination or Permissible Customer Preference? Refusal To Hire And Employ Male Gynecologists, (Book, William S. Hein & Co., 2007) (research guide)

Articles

A Letter to my Younger (Teaching) Self, published in the newsletter of the AALS section on Legal Research and Writing (Summer 2018)

Using Formative Assessment Techniques in the Classroom, published in the Newsletter of the AALS Section on Teaching Methods (Fall 2016)

Hot Fun in the Summertime and Looking Ahead to Fall, Newsletter of the AALS Section on Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing (Summer 2016)

The Key to an Effective Student Conference Is . . . What Happens After the Conference, Newsletter of the AALS Section on Legal Reasoning, Research and Writing (Spring 2015)

Erasing Boundaries: Inter-School Collaboration and Its Pedagogical Opportunities, published in the AALS Newsletter of the Section of Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research (with Robin Boyle, Ian Gallacher and David Thomson)(Spring 2014)

Resolving  to Break Down Institutional Barriers Through Distance Learning, published in the AALS Newsletter of the Section of Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research (Fall 2013)

The World is Not Flat: Expanding the Conversation to Create A Multi-dimensional Definition of Scholarship, The Second Draft (Spring, 2013)(with Iselin Gambert and Karen Thornton); also selected for publication in Vol. 11 No. 52 of the LSN  Legal Education eJournal (Sept. 16, 2014)

This Time It's for Real Continued: More Ways to Use Law-Related Current Events in the Classroom, 21 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Res. & Writing 18 (2012)

This Time It's for Real: Using Law-Related Current Events in the Classroom, 20 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Res. & Writing 1 (2011)

Using Case Synthesis to Identify Implicit Reasoning, The Second Draft (Fall, 2009)

Helping Students Understand that Effective Organization is a Prerequisite to Effective Legal Writing, 14 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (Fall, 2006)       

Form, Substance and Personal Responsibility, The Second Draft (July, 2003)

Solid Partnerships Key in Litigation, Business Insurance (March 23, 1998)

Employee Absence Under the Family and Medical Leave Act, The Network (March - April, 1998)

Is Employment Practices Liability Insurance Against Public Policy?, CPCU Journal (Fall, 1998) (co-authored with Steven R. Goldstein)

CLE - A Reality for All Lawyers, Esq. Wires (Fall, 1998)

COMMITTEE WORK

Co-chair of the Legal Writing Institute (LWI) One-Day Workshops Planning Committee (2014-2016).  The Leqal Writing Institute is the professional organization for those who teach legal writing.  It is the second largest organization of legal academics, second only to the American Association of Law Schools.  Every December, LWI sponsors one-day workshops in collaboration with law schools around the country. They are held in multiple locations to allow greater participation from legal writing professors (including adjunct professors, law librarians and persons interested in entering the field of legal writing).

EDITORIAL EXPERIENCE

Editorial Board, Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research and Writing (2014-2017). Perspectives is an electronic journal published by Thomson Reuters twice a year for legal research and writing instructors and law firm and law school librarians. The journal provides a forum for discussing the teaching of legal research and writing, focusing on research materials, tools and theories.

Assistant Editor, Legal Writing-The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute (2005)

CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS

Writing Wrappers and Metacognition: Teaching Students to Think About Thinking, presented at the Association of Legal Writing Directors Biannual Conference at Suffolk University School of Law.

Conference Planning Committee, Fifth Annual Empire State Legal Writing Conference at New York Law School, May, 2019.

Contract Negotiation Skills for Women in Medicine, presented at the Women in Medicine Conference, at the Hofstra/Northwell School of Medicine, May, 2019.

Best Practices for Integrating Online Teaching Into the Legal Writing Classroom, presented at the New England Consortium of Legal Writing Teachers Conference at the University of Maine School of Law, May, 2019.

Integrating Plain Language Across the Law School Curriculum, presented at the Plain and Simple: Making the Legal System Accessible to All Conference on Plain Language and Simplification at Hofstra Law School, March, 2019.

Catch the Wave: Teaching Legal Writing and Skills Online, and All I Really Need to Know About Law Teaching I Learned in Kindergarten: Why Law Matters, both presentations were given at the July, 2018 Legal Writing Institute Biennial National Conference in Milwaukee.

Flip it: Best Practices for Flipping the Classroom Effectively, presented at the Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop at Drexel University, Thomas R. Kline School of Law, December, 2017.

Judicial Independence: Essential to Democracy, presented at the 41st Annual Civics and Law-Related Education Conference sponsored by the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association, October, 2017.

Conference Planning Committee, Fifth Annual Empire State Legal Writing Conference at New York Law School, May, 2017.

All I Really Need to Know About Law Teaching I Learned in Kindergarten: Why Law Matters, presented at the Southeastern Regional Writing Conference at Stetson University School of Law, April, 2017.

Practical Tips to Flip-Ways to Integrate Technology Inside and Outside the Classroom to Facilitate Learning, presenter and topic facilitator as part of the AALS Section on Teaching Methods Ideas, Problems, and Resources virtual series on teaching methods, April, 2017.

Presentation on Teaching and Technology, Hofstra Law School Faculty Workshop, March, 2017.

Flipping the Classroom, presented at the Legal Writing Institute One-Day Workshop held fully online and sponsored by Touro Law School, December, 2016.

Using Frequent Formative Assessment in the Legal Writing Classroom, presented at the July, 2016 Legal Writing Institute Biennial National Conference in Portland.

The Voting Rights Act: A Noble Past, An Uncertain Future, presented at the 39th Annual Civics and Law-Related Education Conference sponsored by the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program of the New York State Bar Association, October, 2015.

So Happy Together: Dialoguing with Students Throughout the Semester to Provide Effective Formative Assessment, presented at the Association of Legal Writing Directors 2015 Biennial Conference in Memphis, Tennessee.

Tom Buchanan v. Jay Gatsby: Using The Great Gatsby as the Basis of a Teaching Module About Narrative Theory" presented at the July, 2014 Legal Writing Institute Biennial National Conference in Philadelphia.

"Erasing Boundaries:  Inter-School Collaboration and its Pedagogical Opportunities in the First Year and Beyond," presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Schools, New York, New York, January, 2014 (co-presenters are Robin Boyle, Ian Gallacher and David Thomson).

Conference Planning Committee, Fourth Annual Empire State Legal Writing Conference, June, 2013.

"My Corner of the Sky: Harnessing the Benefits of Hosting A Legal Writing Conference," presented at the Capital Area Legal Writing Conference, American University Washington College of Law, Washington D.C., March, 2013 (Co-presenters Iselin Gambert and Karen Thornton).

"The Scholarly Way: Approaches to Scholarship for Legal Writing Faculty," presented at the fourth annual workshop for new legal writing faculty and for adjunct faculty who teach legal writing, sponsored by The Legal Writing Institute (workshops were held in thirteen cities simultaneously), George Washington Law School, November, 2013.

Conference Planning Committee for the Third Annual Empire State Legal Writing Conference, June, 2012.

"The Use of News Articles in the Legal Writing Classroom," presented at the national biannual conference of the Legal Writing Institute in Palm Desert, California, (The Legal Writing Institute has more than 2,800 members and is the second largest organization of law professors in the country), May, 2012.

"Effective Writing in the Real World," presented at the Nassau County Bar Association as part of a two-day Continuing Legal Education program offered by the Bar entitled "Bridging the Gap: From Classroom Theory to the Practice of Law," January, 2012.

 "Legal Writing in the 21st Century: Practical Teaching Tips for Legal Skills Professors," presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Schools, Washington D.C., January, 2012.

Program Planning Committee Member and Panel Moderator for a panel entitled "Teaching Legal Writing," at the third annual workshop for new legal writing faculty and for adjunct faculty who teach legal writing, sponsored by The Legal Writing Institute (workshops were held in thirteen cities simultaneously), Brooklyn Law School, December, 2011.

"Political Satire in the Classroom," presented at the 35th Annual Conference of the New York State Bar Association's Law, Youth and Citizenship Program.  The Law, Youth and Citizenship (LYC) Program promotes citizenship and law-related education in schools throughout New York State, October, 2011.

"How Engaging Students Outside of the Classroom will Engage Students Inside the Classroom," presented at the annual Summer Conference of the Institute for Law Teaching, June, 2011 (Co-presenter Scott Colesanti).

Conference Planning Committee, Second Annual Empire State Legal Writing Conference, May, 2011.

"Legal Writing 911: an Advanced Writing Workshop for Practicing Lawyers," a Continuing Legal Education program presented at the Nassau County Bar Association, February 2011.

"Extra, Extra, Teach All About It!" presented at the Capital Area Legal Writing Conference, George Washington University School of Law, February, 2011.
Panel Moderator, Presenter and Discussion Group Leader at the second annual workshop for new legal writing faculty and for adjunct faculty who teach legal writing, sponsored by The Legal Writing Institute (workshops were held in twelve cities simultaneously), New York Law School, December, 2010.

Conference Chair, First Annual Empire State Legal Writing Conference. More than 80 Legal Writing Professors, representing 40 law schools and 21 states, attended the conference, held at Hofstra Law School. The event focused on creative teaching suggestions that attendees can implement in their own classrooms. Topics included: training students to be ethical lawyers; teaching students oral presentation skills through client interviews and presentations to supervisors; and the application of hope theory in the legal writing classroom, May, 2010.

Forum Chairperson, ALWD Scholars' Forum. The forum was held at Hofstra Law School in connection with the Empire State Legal Writing Conference. Applied for and received a grant from the Association of Legal Writing Directors ("ALWD") to fund the event. The forum was composed of legal writing faculty from all over the United States, who came to discuss their current scholarship in a roundtable format, May, 2010.

Facilitated a panel for high school students on high school dress codes as part of a Youth Law Day program held at Hofstra Law School.  The program is sponsored by the New York State Bar Association's Minorities in the Profession Committee and involves 120 local high school students, primarily minority and at risk students.  The goal is to introduce them to the legal profession and inspire them to pursue higher education (college and beyond), February, 2010. 

"The Write Stuff: Tips for Effective Writing in the Real World," presented at the Nassau County Bar Association as part of a two-day Continuing Legal Education program offered by the Bar entitled "Bridging the Gap: From Classroom Theory to the Practice of Law," January, 2010.

"Grading Papers and Handling Student Conferences: Effective Comments and Best Practices for Handling Student Conferences," presentation and panelist at a workshop for new legal writing faculty and for adjunct faculty who teach legal writing, sponsored by The Legal Writing Institute (simultaneous workshops were held in Chicago and in New York), St. John's University School of Law, December, 2009.

"Election 2008 and Beyond: Teaching Students to Become Lifelong Citizens," presented at the New York State Bar Association's Annual Conference of the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program, Lake George, New York, October, 2008.

"Working Together: How the Collaborative Efforts of Academic Support Professionals and Other Faculty Members Enhance Law Student Education," presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Law Schools, New York City, January, 2008.

"The Separation of Powers," presented at the New York State Bar Association's Annual Conference of the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program, Lake George, New York, October, 2007.

"You Can't Build A House Without A Solid Foundation: Organization As A Prerequisite to Legal Writing," presented at the New England Consortium of Legal Writing Teachers, Boston University School of Law, December, 2005.

BLOG POST

Featured in Hein Publishers "Author Spotlight" blog. The blog features posts about Hein authors, and discusses their background and topics related to titles they have published.

PODCASTS

"Being A Good Citizen of A Law Firm," part of the Suffolk University Law School Series, "Transitioning from One-L to Summer Legal Work," available on iTunes University, June, 2008.

MOOT COURT JUDGING

Co-chair, Annual Moot Court Competition, held at Plainview-Old Bethpage/John F. Kennedy High School. Each year, the tournament is attended by more than a dozen high schools from Nassau, Suffolk and Queens; over 35 Judges, attorneys and court officials volunteer their time to judge each of the student trials, 2007-2018.

Brief Judge, Northeast Regional Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition. This national competition, which is sponsored by the National Black Law Students Association, provides students with the opportunity to draft and argue a brief relating to minority and constitutional law issues, 2016-2017.

Brief Judge, National Moot Court Competition in Child Welfare and Adoption Law, sponsored by Capital University School of Law, 2007-2018.

Brief Judge, Annual Best Brief Contest, sponsored by Scribes, the American Society of Legal Writers, 2008-2015.

INTERVIEWED/QUOTED IN

"Be concise, accurate when responding to Requests For Proposals," Article, Long Island Business News, by Kristen D'Andrea, January 25, 2012.

Recent Courses Taught