William S. Bailey

  • Assistant Teaching Professor

Contact

Phone: (206) 543-4917
Email: bailew2@uw.edu

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Education

B.A. University of Oregon J.D. Northwestern University School of Law

Curriculum Vitae

Areas of Expertise

DNA Evidence — Trial Advocacy and Practice

Recent Courses

Course Number Course Name
LAW B 519 Pre-Trial Practice
LAW B 548 Forensics

Selected Publications

See the full list under the Publications tab below.

BILL BAILEY has combined a career as a criminal and civil trial practitioner with legal scholarship and teaching. Long interested in research on behavioral psychology, communication strategy and brain function, his research and writing have focused on the use of images, words and stories to influence thought and decisions.

His innovative communication book, Show the Story: The Power of Visual Advocacy, co-authored with Robert W. Bailey (Trial Guides, 2011) has been widely praised as "the Bible for using visuals in trial" and "a breakthrough into the 21st Century, with exceptional depth on the psychology of learning and remembering."

He also is co-author of Cross-Examination Handbook with Prof. Ron Clark and Prof. Bob Dekle (Aspen, 2010), top-rated by both law school clinical faculty and practitioners around the United States since its release: "The best instructional text on cross-examination that I have seen in thirty years of teaching trial skills, clear, concise and unerringly 'dead on...The best book on cross-examination-Ever!".

Prof Bailey completed a book in 2014 co-authored with national crime laboratory figure  Terence J. McAdam entitled Law, Science and Experts: Civil and Criminal Forensics,  published by the Carolina Academic Press. It has been widely praised by law professors, practitioners and students as:

“Unlike any other” …, “explaining creative and strategic concepts for presenting forensic experts to convey complicated scientific principles” and “explores so much deeper into the expert’s world with pop culture understanding … perceptions of jurors, judges and testifying experts on top of the role of the expert … and sources of possible bias or even corruption.”

In August, 2018, Prof Bailey completed the second volume of his forensic evidence set as sole author, entitled Law, Science and Experts: Case Problems and Strategies, also published by the Carolina Academic Press.

Professor George Fisher of Stanford Law School has called it “a pathbreaking and hugely useful teaching tool.”

Professor Philip T. Hoffman of California Institute of Technology has praised it as “a model of effective teaching … that shows how … [to use] scientific and statistical evidence … from DNA samples at crime scenes to estimates of economic losses.

Professor Steven Lubet of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law calls it “the best preparation I have seen for a twenty-first century law practice focusing on forensic and scientific evidence.”

In addition to his books, Prof Bailey has three case files in print with the National Institute for Trial Advocacy, two of which are co-authored with Prof Emeritus Frederick C. Moss of Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law.

Prior to joining the UW faculty fulltime, Prof Bailey has been an active trial practitioner for many years. He is in The Best Lawyers in America and was named "Litigator of the Month" in October, 2002 by the National Law Journal. He was honored as "Trial Lawyer of the Year" in 1991 by the Washington Association for Justice and was elected to membership in the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) in 1993.

Bailey has been named one of "Seattle's Top Lawyers" by both Seattle Magazine and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine, as well as a "Superlawyer" by Washington Law and Politics. Professor Bailey was the recipient of the Philip A. Trautman Small Sections Professor of the Year Award for 2017-2018 and was chosen by students for the award again in 2023.

Peer Reviewed Journals & Law Reviews

  • William S. Bailey, Lessons from Pop Culture: What School of Rock Can Teach the School of Law, 68 J. Legal Educ. 92-102 (2018).
  • William S. Bailey, Flawed Justice: Limitation of Parental Remedies for the Loss of Consortium of Adult Children, 27 Seattle U. L. Rev. 941-79 (2004).
  • William S. Bailey, The Attorney/Client Relationship--The Hidden Dimension of Advocacy, Trial Dipl. J., Fall 1985, at 17-19, 34.
  • William S. Bailey, The Realities of Prisoners' Cases Under 42 U.S.C. § 1983: A Statistical Survey in the Northern District of Illinois, 6 Loy. Chi. L.J. 527-59 (1975).

Books or Treatises

Professional Publications

  • Speaker, "Teaching Visualized Legal Writing—A Necessary 21st Century Skill," Summer Webinar Series, AALS Section on Technology, Law and Legal Education (June 7, 2023)
  • Speaker, "Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research: Experiential Learning in Legal Writing Programs," with Helen Anderson, Ben Halaz, and Kathleen McGinnis, 111th Annual Meeting, Association of American Law Schools (January 5, 2017)

Recent UW Law News