About Stephen F.
Stephen F. Smith built a career that moves between courtroom benches and classroom podiums. He earned a B.A. in history and philosophy from Dartmouth College and went on to receive a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1992. Those credentials set the stage for a path that has repeatedly returned to appellate work and legal education.
Early in his career Smith clerked for Judge David B. Sentelle on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit and then for Justice Clarence Thomas at the Supreme Court of the United States. He spent the mid-1990s in private practice, working as an associate at Jones Day Reavis & Pogue and later at Sidley Austin. Those years in large firms gave him exposure to high-level appellate and complex civil matters, and they preceded his move into academia.
By 2000 Smith had joined the faculty of the University of Virginia School of Law as Professor of Law and held the John V. Ray Research Professorship. He later joined Notre Dame Law School, where he is listed as Professor of Law beginning in 2009. His academic appointments have centered on courses and research tied to appeals, federal courts, and legal theory, and his teaching has intersected with ongoing appellate practice.
Smith’s professional admissions reflect his appellate orientation. He is admitted in the District of Columbia and Virginia and holds admission to several federal circuit courts of appeals, including the 3rd, 4th, 6th, 9th, 11th, and the Federal Circuit. He is also a member of the Edward Coke Appellate Inn of Court in Washington, D.C., an organization that brings together judges, practitioners, and scholars interested in appellate advocacy and court practice.
His written work and classroom presence have emphasized how appellate procedure and doctrinal development interact. Colleagues note that his background—Supreme Court and appellate clerkships followed by work in major firms and long-term academic appointments—gives him a perspective that spans practice and scholarship. He has taught future litigators and written for audiences that include judges and fellow academics.
Smith divides his professional time between teaching, writing, and appellate litigation. He continues to handle appellate matters and maintain an active presence in legal education and appellate circles. He currently concentrates on appellate litigation and legal scholarship.
