Nora Freeman Engstrom

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Nora Freeman Engstrom is a legal scholar whose work focuses on tort law, legal ethics, access to justice, and complex litigation. [1] [2] [3] She is the Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law at Stanford Law School and the co-director of the Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession. [4]

Contents

Early life and education

Growing up in South Carolina, Engstrom graduated from Irmo High School in 1993 and then from Dartmouth College in 1997. [4] [5] She attended Stanford Law School, where she served as an editor of the Stanford Law Review and was elected to the Order of the Coif. [4] [6] Engstrom graduated from Stanford Law School in 2002 and went on to clerk for Judge Henry H. Kennedy Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia and, after that, then-Judge Merrick B. Garland of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. [7] [8]

Engstrom practiced law at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, and in 2007, she joined Georgetown University Law Center as a Research Dean's Scholar. [1] [2]

Academic career

In 2009, Engstrom joined the Stanford Law School faculty. [2] She served as the Associate Dean for Curriculum between 2016 and 2018, and in 2021 was named the Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law. [4] Also in 2021, Engstrom became the co-director of Stanford Law School's Deborah L. Rhode Center on the Legal Profession. [9] [10]

Engstrom is a Reporter for the American Law Institute Third Restatement of Torts: Miscellaneous Provisions, and she served as a Reporter for the Third Restatement of Torts: Medical Malpractice. [11] [12] [13] [14] She is also an Adviser for the Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence project and the Third Restatement of Torts: Remedies. [15] Engstrom had previously served as Chair of the Torts and Compensation Systems Section of the American Association of Law Schools. [16]

Scholarship

Engstrom's scholarship examines the design and the operation of the civil justice system, with a particular emphasis on tort law and legal ethics. One strand of her scholarship addresses common concerns about illegitimate or fraudulent claims. [17] [18] [19] [20] Her Yale Law Journal article, The Lessons of Lone Pine, explores the use of Lone Pine orders in multidistrict litigation (MDLs) to cull illegitimate claims. [18] Engstrom argues that, despite their popularity and perceived efficiency, there are numerous drawbacks to these case management tools that must be considered before deploying them in litigation. [18] [21] She has created and maintains a database of Lone Pine orders from state and federal courts to bring transparency to these often-unpublished orders. A related strand of Engstrom's scholarship considers the broader social utility of mass tort litigation, in which public health outcomes, policy and law changes, and social benefits are achieved through litigation on discrete legal issues. [22] [23] [24] [25]

Engstrom's work in legal ethics often explores the access to justice implications of the current regulatory framework governing lawyers. Much of her recent scholarship in this area is critical of the lawyer monopoly over legal services. [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] Engstrom's 2025 article Auto Clubs and the Lost Origins of the Access to Justice Crisis, calls into question the motivations of bar association efforts in the 1930s and beyond to establish a monopoly on the delivery of legal services. [31] [32] Her research suggests that historical records suggesting trade protection played at least some role in the modern restrictions on who can practice law. [31] [33]

Engstrom co-authors three law school casebooks: Legal Ethics (now in its 8th edition); Tort Law and Alternatives (now in its 11th edition); and Legal Ethics: The Plaintiffs' Lawyers. [34] [35] [36]

Recognition

In 2021, Engstrom's article The Lessons of Lone Pine received Berkeley Law School Civil Justice Research Initiative's inaugural Best Article prize, [37] [38] and her article The Trouble with Trial Time Limits was recognized by the National Civil Justice Institute. [39] In 2022, the American Law Institute awarded Engstrom the R. Ammi Cutter Reporter's Chair in 2022. [40] [41] [42] She received a Complex Litigation Ethics Award in 2024. [43] In 2025, the American Association of Law Schools (AALS) awarded Engstrom the William L. Prosser Award, and AALS recognized her article Auto Clubs and the Lost Origins of the Access to Justice Crisis. [44] [45]

Personal life

Engstrom is married to fellow Stanford Law School professor David Freeman Engstrom. [46] They have two children. [47]

References

  1. 1 2 "Nora Freeman Engstrom | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  2. 1 2 3 School, Stanford Law (2009-10-19). "New Faculty". Stanford Law School. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  3. ↑ TEDx Talks (2024-10-28). Promoting Women by Promoting Access to Law | Nora Engstrom | TEDxSand Hill Road Women . Retrieved 2025-06-20– via YouTube.
  4. 1 2 3 4 School, Stanford Law. "Nora Freeman Engstrom". Stanford Law School. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  5. ↑ Daprile, Lucas; Monk, John (October 27, 2021). "SC 'lost a giant' in death of former USC law professor and ethics scholar John Freeman". The State. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  6. ↑ Review, Stanford Law. "Volume 54 (2001-2002)". Stanford Law Review. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  7. ↑ Tan, LiLi (March 16, 2016). "Garland Would Make 'Extraordinary' Justice: Former Law Clerk". NBC Bay Area. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  8. ↑ "Nora Freeman Engstrom". lawschools.justia.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  9. ↑ School, Stanford Law (2022-05-12). "Stanford's Center on the Legal Profession Renamed after Founder Professor Deborah L. Rhode". Stanford Law School. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  10. ↑ "David and Nora Freeman Engstrom to Lead Center on the Legal Profession | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  11. ↑ "ALI Designates Two Reporter's Chairs | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  12. ↑ "Torts: Miscellaneous Provisions Is Approved | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  13. ↑ "Torts: Medical Malpractice Is Approved | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  14. ↑ Beyer, Rebecca (2023-01-10). "SLS Faculty at the American Law Institute: Focusing on Access to Justice, Torts, and Constitutional Violations". The ALI Adviser. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  15. ↑ "Civil Liability for Artificial Intelligence | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  16. ↑ "AALS Announces 2025 Section Award Winners". Association of American Law Schools. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  17. ↑ "Harnessing Common Benefit Fees to Promote MDL Integrity". Texas Law Review. 2023-07-09. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  18. 1 2 3 Freeman Engstrom, Nora (October 2019). "The Lessons of Lone Pine". The Yale Law Journal. 129 (1).
  19. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora (2017-03-01). "Retaliatory RICO and the Puzzle of Fraudulent Claiming". Michigan Law Review. 115 (5): 639–706. doi:10.36644/mlr.115.5.retaliatory. ISSN   0026-2234. PMID   28379154.
  20. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora (2011). "Shining a Light on Shady Personal-Injury Claims" (PDF). Journal of Insurance Fraud in America. 2 (2).
  21. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora; Espeland, Amos (2020). "Lone Pine Orders: A Critical Examination and Empirical Analysis". University of Pennsylvania Law Review Online. 168.
  22. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora; Rabin, Robert L. (February 2021). "Pursuing Public Health Through Litigation". Stanford Law Review. 73 (2).
  23. ↑ Associated Press (February 24, 2016). "Jury Awards $72 Million in Johnson & Johnson Cancer Suit Over Baby Powder". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  24. ↑ Hamblin, James (May 14, 2019). "Why the Government Pays Billions to People Who Claim Injury by Vaccines". The Atlantic.
  25. ↑ Cohen, Patricia (June 24, 2020). "Roundup Maker to Pay $10 Billion to Settle Cancer Suits". The New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  26. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora; Freeman Engstrom, David (May 18, 2023). "Don't Scapegoat Robots to Protect the Lawyer Monopoly on Services". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  27. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, David; Freeman Engstrom, Nora (October 17, 2022). "Why Do Blue States Keep Prioritizing Lawyers Over Low-Income Americans?". Slate. Retrieved June 20, 2025.
  28. ↑ Review, Stanford Law; Abdelrahman, Salma (2024-04-27). "The Making of the A2J Crisis". Stanford Law Review. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  29. ↑ "Brief of Amici Curiae Law Professors in Support of Plaintiffs-Appellees and Affirmance in Upsolve v. James" (PDF). January 1, 2023.
  30. ↑ Engstrom, Nora; Cummings, Scott (August 4, 2022). "California Should Not Bar Access to Justice". Bloomberg Law.
  31. 1 2 Freeman Engstrom, Nora; Stone, James (October 2024). "Auto Clubs and the Lost Origins of the Access-to-Justice Crisis". The Yale Law Journal. 134 (1).
  32. ↑ Roiphe, Rebecca (2024-04-11). "Cars, Bars, and the Delivery of Legal Services". Legal Profession. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
  33. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora (2025). "Legal Insurance and Its Limits". Michigan Law Review. 124 (1).
  34. ↑ Rhode, Deborah L.; Luban, David; Cummings, Scott L.; Freeman Engstrom, Nora (2020). Legal Ethics (8th ed.). Foundation Press. ISBN   9781642426892.
  35. ↑ Franklin, Marc A.; Rabin, Robert L.; Green, Michael D.; Geistfeld, Mark A.; Freeman Engstrom, Nora (2021). Tort Law and Alternatives: Cases and Materials (11th ed.). Foundation Press. ISBN   9781647084899.
  36. ↑ Freeman Engstrom, Nora (2025). Legal Ethics: The Plaintiffs' Lawyer. Foundation Press. ISBN   9798892090551.
  37. ↑ "CJRI June '21 Newsletter". UC Berkeley School of Law. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  38. ↑ School, Stanford Law (2021-08-26). "Nora Freeman Engstrom Awarded Berkeley Law's Civil Justice Research Initiative's Best Article Prize". Stanford Law School. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  39. ↑ "Civil Justice Scholarship Award". National Civil Justice Institute. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  40. ↑ "ALI Designates Two Reporter's Chairs | The American Law Institute". www.ali.org. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  41. ↑ "Stanford Law School's Nora Freeman Engstrom Designated Chair for American Law Institute's Restatement of Torts | Practice Source - Legal News and Views - Asia Pacific and Beyond". practicesource.com. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  42. ↑ "Reporter's Chairs". The American Law Institute. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  43. ↑ "Awards - Complex Litigation Ethics Conference". 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  44. ↑ School, Stanford Law (2024-09-19). "SLS's Nora Freeman Engstrom Honored with Prosser Award for Outstanding Contributions to Tort Law". Stanford Law School. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  45. ↑ "AALS Announces 2025 Section Award Winners". Association of American Law Schools. Retrieved 2025-06-21.
  46. ↑ "Weddings/Celebrations; Nora Freeman, David Engstrom". The New York Times. October 12, 2003. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
  47. ↑ "A House Resolution to Express the Profound Sorrow of the Members of the South Carolina House of Representatives Upon the Passing of John Freeman". scstatehouse.gov. December 10, 2021. Retrieved June 21, 2025.
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