Adam Shlahet

As Director of the Brendan Moore Trial Advocacy Center, Adam Shlahet manages every facet of the nationally ranked trial advocacy program at Fordham University School of Law (#6 in the 2024 US News and World Report’s law school specialty rankings). Adam teaches Trial & Arbitration Advocacy, coordinates all trial practice class offerings, supervises the trial competition coaching staff, and oversees all trial competition teams. Adam has taught at Fordham Law School as an Adjunct Professor of Trial Advocacy since 2004. He has coached Fordham law students competing in dozens of inter-school trial competitions, winning numerous regional and national championships. A national leader in the field of trial advocacy education, he has presented multiple times at both Stetson University College of Law’s Educating Advocates: Teaching Advocacy Skills Conference (EATS) and the Teaching Advocacy Conference (TAC).

As a practicing attorney, Adam Shlahet tried cases from both sides of the criminal justice system. In 2002 he began his career as a public defender with the Legal Aid Society of New York where he represented over 2000 clients charged with all levels of felonies and misdemeanors in Bronx County. In 2008 Adam joined the Office of the New York State Attorney General in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. As a special assistant attorney general, he investigated and prosecuted multi-million dollar healthcare provider fraud. His final jury trial victory resulted in the defendant returning $25.2 million to the State of New York.

Outside of Fordham, Adam is a NextGen Faculty Member, Team Leader, and Program Director for the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA). He's also taught with the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NYSACDL), the New York City Bar Association, the New Jersey Office of the Public Defender Training Program, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), trained associates at a 280-lawyer national law firm, and has been the Director of the New York City Law Department’s Civil Trial Training Program since 2017.

In May of 2015 Adam was honored to be the first ever recipient of the Edward D. Ohlbaum Professionalism Award presented by the Stetson University College of Law Center for Excellence in Advocacy. The inaugural award, named after legendary professor Eddie Ohlbaum of Temple Law School, was created to honor a rising star in the field “whose life and practice display sterling character and unquestioned integrity, coupled with dedication to the highest standards of the legal profession.”

Education

B.A., University of Wisconsin–Madison
J.D., Fordham Law School