Biography
Michaela Strout teaches first-year Legal Research and Writing to J.D. students. Prior to joining Vanderbilt’s legal writing faculty, Professor Strout had the privilege of serving as a public defender in Nashville for four years. As a Nashville Defender, she assisted many hundreds of Davidson County residents charged with criminal offenses ranging from criminal trespass to first degree murder. In addition to staffing criminal court dockets, she served as the research and writing attorney for multiple jury trials and led litigation on various other complex issues, including an appeal of a client’s illegal General Sessions sentences and a constitutional challenge to the State’s criminal prosecution of unhoused neighbors during the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Strout was also responsible for training the office’s new attorneys on creative litigation and advocacy and was formerly a member of the office’s immigration and strategic change teams. She is deeply committed to justice and equity, and currently serves on the board of directors for OpenTable Nashville, one of the lowest barrier non-profit service providers in Nashville that fights for radical inclusivity and housing stability for all. She believes firmly in the power of advocacy and in using the law as a tool for positive social change.
Professor Strout holds a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. in Biology and Spanish from Bowdoin College.
Education
J.D. Harvard Law School
B.A. Bowdoin College