Natalie Hirt Adams teaches the criminal section of Duke’s Trial Practice Seminar. She is a seasoned trial attorney and a United States Magistrate Judge in the Middle District of Florida.
After graduating from Duke Law School, Judge Adams clerked for judges on the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida and the Eleventh Circuit, before joining WilmerHale in Washington, DC. At WilmerHale, Judge Adams represented clients both in court and before Congress, and won the John H. Pickering Award for Outstanding Pro Bono Service for her representation of Peace Corps volunteers seeking sexual assault policy reform.
Judge Adams then joined the United States Attorney’s Office in Tampa, Florida, where she served for ten years, primarily prosecuting violent and organized crime. Her awards while working at the United States Attorney’s Office included the Attorney General’s Distinguished Service Award, the second highest award for employee performance bestowed by the Department of Justice.
After ten years as a federal prosecutor, Judge Adams returned to private practice, where she represented companies and individuals facing government investigation, civil and criminal prosecution, and whistleblower lawsuits. She was a partner at the Tampa offices of Bradley Arant Boult & Cummings, LLP and Foley & Lardner, LLP.
Judge Adams was appointed to serve as a United States Magistrate Judge in 2023.
