Featured Faculty: Stephen Smith
When asked why he decided to leave University of Virginia Law School to teach law at Notre Dame, Professor Stephen Smith didn’t hesitate. “I wanted to become a part of the making of a top-10, authentically Catholic law school. That has never been done before, but Notre Dame has all of the vital components.”
Notre Dame Law School can boast one of the best junior faculties in the nation, the respect of bench and bar, incredible alumni support, and a strong commitment to Catholic mission. Smith adds that, unlike some top-ten schools with highly productive faculty scholars, “Notre Dame hires professors who are entirely committed to their students—they’re focused on being great teachers as well as great scholars.”
Smith takes that responsibility very seriously, and says it is his duty as a professor to help students achieve their full potential and find happiness in their work. “We are shaping tomorrow’s legal leaders, and they will—by virtue of this being a law-governed nation—have enormous influence over society. We want those leaders to be principled, clear thinkers who see it as their duty to make the world a better place.”
Smith certainly walks the talk when it comes to public service. He’s the founding director of two Haiti relief projects, served on the executive committee for the Multiple Sclerosis Society of the Blue Ridge (Va.), and served on the board of directors for the United Way of the Thomas Jefferson Area.
An expert on criminal law and criminal procedure, Smith was the University of Virginia’s liaison to the FBI National Academy in Quantico and served as advisor for the National Criminal Justice Command College, which educates Virginia’s state police officers. At both places, he helped to shape the curriculum and improve instruction.
Among his many professional accomplishments, Smith clerked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, practiced at Sidley & Austin in Washington, D.C., and served as associate majority counsel to a House of Representatives select subcommittee investigating U.S. involvement in Iranian arms transfers to Bosnia.
For more on Professor Smith, including his CV and selected scholarship, visit his faculty profile page.
