Dean Julius Isaacson Professor of Law
asloan@ubalt.edu
410.837.6529
John and Frances Angelos Law Center, Room 1111
Administrative Assistant: Tiffany Ralph
410.837.4561
John and Frances Angelos Law Center, Room 1112
Education
J.D., with highest honors, George Washington University
B.J., University of Texas
Curriculum Vitae
Expertise
Appellate Process
First Amendment
Legal Research
Legal Writing and Rhetoric
Torts
Sloan joined the faculty in 2001. From 2001 until 2010, she led the Legal Skills Program jointly with Eric B. Easton. Prior to joining the faculty, she taught at The George Washington University Law School, where she directed the Legal Research and Writing Program, and at the Catholic University of America's Columbus School of Law. She served as an associate of the George Washington Law Review and as a law clerk to the Hon. William M. Nickerson and the Hon. Edward S. Northrop at the United States District Court for the District of Maryland.
From 2013 to 2017, Sloan served as Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. In that role, she managed academic matters within the school, including scheduling courses, advising students, working with adjunct faculty, and advising the dean and the faculty on curricular matters.
Sloan's scholarly interests include legal research and writing, classical and contemporary rhetoric, and appellate practice. She is active in the Association of Legal Writing Directors and is a member of the Pennsylvania and District of Columbia bars.
Selected Publications
Books and Book Chapters
Richard C. Wydick and Amy E. Sloan,
Plain English for Lawyers
(Carolina Academic Press), 6th ed. 2019.
Amy E. Sloan,
Researching the Law: Finding What You Need When You Need It
(Aspen Publishers), 1st ed. 2014; 2nd ed. 2017; 3rd ed. 2020.
Amy E. Sloan, Basic Legal Research: Tools & Strategies (Aspen Publishers), 1st ed. 2000; 2d ed. 2003; 3d ed. 2006, 4th ed. 2009; 5th ed. 2012; 6th ed. 2015; 7th ed. 2018, 8th ed. 2021.
Amy E. Sloan, Steven D. Schwinn and John D. Edwards, Basic Legal Research Workbook (Aspen Publishers), 1st ed. 2002; 2nd ed. 2005; 2006 Update; 3rd ed. 2007; 2008 Update; 2009 Update; Rev. 3rd ed. 2010; 4th ed. 2011; 2012 Update; Rev. 4th ed. 2015; 5th ed. 2016; 2017 Update; 2018 Update; 2019 Update; Rev. 5th ed. 2020.
Analysis, Research, and Communication in Skills-Focused Courses (with Ruth Anne Robbins and Kristen K. Tiscione), in Building on Best Practices: Transforming Legal Education in a Changing World (Maranville, Bliss, Kaas, & Sedillo Lopez, eds.) (Lexis 2015).
Articles and Essays
New Wine in Old Wineskins: Metaphor and Legal Research, 92 Notre Dame L. Rev. Online 1 (2016) (with Colin Starger).
95 Theses: Legal Research and the Internet, 20 Legal Writing: The Journal of the Legal Writing Institute 45 (2015) (invited submission; available in the inaugural online edition at http://www.legalwritingjournal.org/2015/07/05/the-95-theses-legal-research-in-the-internet-age).
Setting a Precedent about Precedent: William Richman on Federal Appellate Justice , 45 Toledo L. Rev. 247 (2014).
The Dog that Didn't Bark: Stealth Procedures and the Erosion of Stare Decisis in the Federal Courts of Appeals , 78 Fordham L. Rev. 713 (2009)
Step Right Up: Using Consumer Decision Making Theory to Teach Research Process in the Electronic Age , 60 S.C.L. Rev. 123 (2008).
If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em: A Pragmatic Approach to Non-Precedential Opinions in the Federal Appellate Courts , 86 Neb. L. Rev. 895 (2008).
Appellate Fruit Salad and Other Concepts: A Short Course in Appellate Practice , 35 U.Balt. L. Rev. 43 (2005).
Two Rules for Better Writing , 38 Md. B.J. 57 (September/October2005).
A Government of Laws and Not Men: Prohibiting Non-Precedential Opinions by Statute or Procedural Rule , 79 Ind. L.J. 711 (2004).
Introduction to Erasing Lines: Integrating the Law School Curriculum , 1 J. ALWD 3 (2002).
Creating Effective Legal Research Exercises , in 7 Perspectives: Teaching Legal Res. & Writing 8 (1998), reprinted in Best of Perspectives: Teaching Legal Research & Writing 30 (2001).
No Magic Formula: A New Approach for Calculating the Ten Year Time Period for Admission of Prior Conviction Evidence , 3 Geo. Mason Indep. L. Rev. 351 (1995).