News Archive
Cynthia Adams, '83, Named Vice Dean, IU McKinney School of Law
07/01/2020
Karen E. Bravo, Dean of the IU Robert H. McKinney School of Law, has announced the appointment of Clinical Professor of Law Cynthia Adams, ’83, to the position of Vice Dean, IU McKinney Law, effective July 1, 2020.
Vice Dean Adams will manage curriculum and scheduling for the law school’s J.D., LL.M., M.J. and SJD academic programs, as well as faculty affairs. She will also oversee international programs.
“Vice Dean Adams has consistently demonstrated excellent leadership at IU McKinney and in service to the local and national legal profession and community,” Dean Bravo said. “We are very grateful for her willingness to serve the law school in this new capacity, particularly in a time of unprecedented challenges.”
Adams is co-author of two books: A Practical Guide to Drafting Contracts: From Concept to Closure (2d ed., Wolters Kluwer 2020), and The Guide to U.S. Legal Analysis and Communication (3d ed. forthcoming, Wolters Kluwer 2021). Over the years, she has made numerous presentations nationally and internationally on transactional issues, related ADR issues, and transactional pedagogy. She is a certified mediator focusing on transactional matters.
Vice Dean Adams serves on the Executive Board of the Indianapolis Bar Association’s Business Law Section. She is active in national organizations, including the Association of Legal Writing Directors and the Legal Writing Institute. Over the years, she has served on and chaired numerous committees, working on national conferences and workshops focused on leadership, diversity, and inclusion. Noted for her scholarship in legal skills-building, Professor Adams is a member of the Governing Board on LWI’s Sirico Scholars’ Workshop, which mentors law scholars.
She was one of the first faculty members to receive Indiana University’s Trustee’s Teaching Award in recognition of teaching excellence and is a four-time recipient of the school’s Teaching Excellence Recognition Award. She has taught Secured Transactions, Contract Drafting, Negotiations, Small Business Planning, Legal Communication and Analysis, Integrated Contracts, Civil Procedure, and Trusts and Estates.
Additionally, Vice Dean Adams has coached successful transactional negotiation teams in the National Transactional LawMeet Competition. She created an online course “Philosophy of Law: Logic and Legal Reasoning,” which is taught as part of the law school’s Pathway to the Law Program and offered in conjunction with IUPUI’s Department of Philosophy to undergraduates.
Before joining the law school faculty, Vice Dean Adams practiced law with an Indianapolis firm, specializing in general corporate law, acquisitions and mergers, commercial loans, and trusts and estates.
