Adam J. MacLeod

Adam J. MacLeod is a Professor at St. Mary's University School of Law, where he has maintained an active scholarly presence since at least 2008 with publications extending through 2025. His faculty position is evidenced by his consistent inclusion in the university's Faculty Articles repository across multiple disciplines of legal scholarship.

Professor MacLeod's research interests span jurisprudence, legal philosophy, natural law theory, property law, constitutional law, and First Amendment issues. His work is characterized by a strong philosophical foundation that examines the relationship between moral reasoning and legal reasoning. Recent publications demonstrate his focus on foundational questions about property rights (2023's "Opus as the Core of Property" and "Vested Patents and Equal Justice"), constitutional interpretation (2023's "The First Amendment, Discrimination, and Public Accommodations at Common Law"), and the philosophical limits of expertise in legal reasoning (2023's "Is, Ought, and the Limited Competence of Experts").

His scholarly output shows a progression from more specific doctrinal analyses toward increasingly foundational questions about legal theory, with his most recent work (2024-2025) focusing on equity jurisprudence and common law baselines for regulatory takings. This trajectory suggests a scholarly evolution toward more theoretical and philosophical legal scholarship while maintaining connections to practical legal applications.

Professor MacLeod's publications reveal a consistent engagement with natural law theory and common law methodology across diverse legal domains. His work frequently bridges theoretical jurisprudence with practical legal applications, as evidenced by his analyses of patent law through trespass doctrine and constitutional interpretation through common law frameworks.