Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor of Law

Robert Steinbuch, Arkansas Bar Foundation Professor of Law at the UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

(501) 916-5463 | Room 528
Email: [email protected]
Faculty Assistant: Sam Smith | Room 524 | (501) 916-5440 | [email protected]

Curriculum Vitae

Robert Steinbuch joined the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law faculty after several years in government and private practice, including having clerked on the United States Court of Appeals, worked for the United States Department of Justice, and served as counsel to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. Professor Steinbuch is a columnist for Arkansas’s state newspaper, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His columns appear on the editorial page every Friday. He is also well published in law reviews, legal periodicals, medical journals, and other venues.

Professor Steinbuch has been interviewed by various state and national news sources for his legal expertise. His coauthored article on “mismatch theory” was cited by Justice Clarence Thomas regarding university admissions, and his article “Mere Thieves” was republished in the Securities Law Review as one of the year’s 10 best securities-law articles. He is the author of the treatise on the Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, and he has served as an expert witness on complex economic matters. Professor Steinbuch is singular at Bowen to have testified before the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. He also has testified many times before the Arkansas Legislature and worked with various legislators to draft legislation.

Professor Steinbuch holds the Arkansas Bar Professorship at Bowen. He is a Fulbright Scholar. He was the chair of the Arkansas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, held the position of medical-legal editor for the Journal of the National Medical Association, was a commissioner on the Arkansas Commission for Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank Initiative, and served on the boards of the Society of Chest Pain Centers and the Healthcare Accreditation Colloquium. Professor Steinbuch is a repeat recipient of the law school’s Faculty Excellence Awards in both Scholarship and Service.

Education

  • J.D., Columbia University School of Law, 1992
  • M.A. in Political Theory, University of Pennsylvania, 1989
  • B.A. in Political Science, University of Pennsylvania, 1989

Courses

  • Business Associations
  • Criminal Law
  • Evidence
  • Law & Medicine
  • Law & Economics
  • Professional Responsibility

Areas of Expertise

  • Arkansas Freedom of Information Act and open government
  • Evidence
  • Business associations and securities law
  • Law and economics
  • Law and medicine
  • Criminal law

Featured Scholarship

The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act, 10th ed. (Matthew Bender/Lexis Publishing 2026).

Protecting State Sunshine Laws from Anti-Madisonian Executive-Legislative Alliances, 31 Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law 345 (2024).

Mismatch and Bar Passage: A School Specific Analysis, 71 Journal of Legal Education 716 (2022, published 2024) (with Richard Sander).

Honors & Awards

  • Fulbright Scholar, U.S. Department of State, 2014-15
  • Faculty Excellence Award in Scholarship, multiple years
  • Faculty Excellence Award in Public Service, multiple years
  • Faculty Graduation Marshal, selected by students, multiple years
  • Ten-Best Securities Law Articles, Securities Law Review, 2009, for Mere Thieves

Selected Service & Leadership

  • Chair, Arkansas Advisory Committee to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 2020-24
  • Member, Arkansas Freedom of Information Act Task Force, 2017-25
  • Associate Editor for Legal-Medical Issues, Journal of the National Medical Association, 2009-14
  • Commissioner, Arkansas Commission for Newborn Umbilical Cord Blood Bank Initiative, 2007-14
  • Board of Trustees Member, Society of Chest Pain Centers, 2005-09


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