Adam Bain

BA 1983, Political Science
JD 1986, Indiana University Maurer School of Law

Senior Trial Counsel, United States Department of Justice
Washington, DC.

Adam Bain has been an attorney in the Department of Justice for 23 years.  During that time, his primary responsibility has been defending the United States in toxic tort litigation.  Bain’s cases typically involve many claimants who are seeking millions of dollars from the United States for personal injuries and property damages.  The litigation usually involves complex legal, factual, and scientific issues. 

During his career, Bain has represented the United States in trials and hearings in federal district courts throughout the United States.  His job has given him the opportunity to work with many interesting current and former public servants, including:  soldiers and civilians, who provided for the national defense from World War II to the present; Forest Service fire fighters, who responded to some of the nation’s largest wildfires; and government officials, who provided relief for national disasters, including Hurricane Katrina.  Bain has also worked with some of the nation’s top experts in toxicology, epidemiology, psychology, hydrogeology, and environmental engineering.  

Additionally, Bain has represented the United States and presented oral arguments in seven of the federal circuit courts of appeals.  He has also written several articles in law reviews and journals, which have been cited by courts, litigants, and academics.  He is a frequent faculty member at the Department of Justice’s National Advocacy Center where he typically lectures on the discovery of electronic information and the use of expert witnesses.

Bain credits the Purdue University College of Liberal Arts (formerly the School of Humanities Social Science and Education) with piquing his interest in the law, and, particularly, in the intersection of law and science. 

Bain’s family is stocked with Purdue grads, including his mother (a sorority sister married Neil Armstrong), his brother, and two sisters.  His 5 year old son will be looking to enter the College of Liberal Arts in approximately twelve years and hopes to quarterback the Boilermakers to a Rose Bowl victory.