Women in Law at NYLS and Beyond

Ernst C. Stiefel Professor of Comparative Law Ruti G. Teitel authored the path-breaking book Transitional Justice and is the founding co-chair of the American Society of International Law, Interest Group on Transitional Justice and Rule of Law. Professor Teitel is also a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a member of the International Law Association Human Rights Law Committee. John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law, Emerita Nadine Strossen was the first woman to serve as President of the American Civil Liberties Union (1991–2008). She is a leading expert and frequent speaker/media commentator on constitutional law and civil liberties who has testified before Congress on multiple occasions. She serves on the advisory boards of the ACLU and several other human rights organizations. Professor Rebecca Roiphe, Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law and Co-Dean for Faculty Scholarship, is a frequent voice in national media, where she discusses her many areas of expertise and scholarship, including the role of prosecutors in American democracy and the President’s relationship to the Department of Justice. Professor Ann F. Thomas, Otto L. Walter Distinguished Professor of Tax Law and Director of the Graduate Tax Program, does critical work as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the African American Policy Forum. Professor Penelope Andrews, John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law and Director of the Racial Justice Project, received an honorary degree from Franklin University in Switzerland in recognition of her work and commitment to social justice and human rights and is currently writing a book on the #MeToo movement.

Professor Lenni B. Benson, Distinguished Chair in Immigration and Human Rights Law and Founder and Senior Advisor of the Safe Passage Project leads the project to recruit, train, and mentor attorneys to assist unaccompanied youth who are facing deportation. She works with Afghan and Ukrainian refugees to assist them with their legal processes. Professor Kris Franklin, Wallace Stevens Professor of Law; Director, Academic Initiatives; Co-Director of the Initiative for Excellence in Law Teaching; and Co-Advisor of the Dispute Resolution Team is an expert in legal pedagogy and experiential learning and a national leader in the field of academic preparedness. Her scholarship focuses on the rhetoric of legal decision-making and on legal pedagogy. Professor Molly Guptill Manning was recently appointed Associate Professor of Law and is a New York Times bestselling author of three books: The Myth of Ephraim Tutt: Arthur Train and His Great Literary Hoax, When Books Went to War, and The Best-Read Army in the World. Professor of Law, Associate Dean for Information Services, and Director of the Mendik Library Camille Broussard leads our robust research services, and as a dedicated member of the law librarian community, was honored by the American Association of Law Libraries. Lester Martin Professor of Law Tamara C. Belinfanti’s scholarship focuses on corporate governance system design and the relationship between corporations and communities. She co-founded the Ethical Shareholder Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to revolutionize share voting to create a more sustainable corporate system.

The list of distinction goes on.

Professor Kim Hawkins, Stephen Ellmann Director of Clinical and Experiential Learning and Co-Director of the nationally recognized Housing Justice Leadership Institute, leads our robust experiential learning programs, which include externships, clinics, simulations courses, and so much more. Professor Lynn Boepple Su, Professor of Law, is a tireless leader in our advocacy and writing programs and is pioneering work in mindfulness and mental health in the legal profession. Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Asylum Clinic Claire R. Thomas ’11 was awarded a Fulbright Garcia-Robles U.S. Scholar Grant in Law to conduct research in Mexico in the 2020–21 academic year. As a Visiting Professor at the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO) in Guadalajara, Mexico, she researched long-term solutions for asylum-seekers from Africa, Asia, and the Middle East who became stranded in Mexico due to changes in U.S. and Mexican migration policies. Professor of Law Gowri J. Krishna is an expert on immigrant-owned worker cooperatives and leads the Nonprofit and Small Business Clinic, which is currently advocating for the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, among other clients.

Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic Britney Wilson is a fierce advocate and lauded writer. Under her leadership, the Civil Rights and Disability Justice Clinic secured a $300,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. Associate Professor of Law Lisa F. Grumet directs the Diane Abbey Law Institute for Children and Families of the Wilf Impact Center for Public Interest Law and works with students and American Bar Association (ABA) officials as Faculty Editor in Chief of the Family Law Quarterly. Associate Professor of Law Anna G. Cominsky ’05 is the supervising attorney for the New York Law School Criminal Defense Clinic, where she works with students to protect the rights of indigent defendants. Among her other duties, she teaches Advocacy of Criminal Cases and is an advisor to the Jewish Law Students Association. She recently traveled to the Frei University of Berlin to present on American criminal law and procedure. Professor of Law Susan J. Abraham is pioneering restorative justice at NYLS—she created and teaches restorative justice courses, is a trained Circle Facilitator and Peacemaker, and is the faculty advisor of the NYLS Restorative Justice Law Student Association.

Professor Susan H. Joffe, Visiting Assistant Professor of Law, is an expert on employment law and serves as a judge for the American Society of Legal Writers’ Brief Writing Contest for Scribes. Visiting Professor of Law Victoria Eastus practiced employment and labor law for many years before joining NYLS, including representing the plaintiffs in Hartman v. Duffey, the largest Title VII class action lawsuit against the United States. Assistant Professor of Law Melynda Barnhart’s scholarship focuses on ground-level responses to human trafficking in the United States. A tireless advocate, she previously served as the Director of Anti-Trafficking Initiatives for the International Rescue Committee, where she oversaw a national service program that assisted more than 200 trafficking survivors in rebuilding their lives. Professor of Legal Writing and Faculty Publisher of the New York Law School Law Review Michelle Zierler was previously an entertainment attorney and journalist. Since 2010, Professor Zierler has served as the Director of the Program in Law and Journalism and edited Legal As She Is Spoke (LASIS), a lauded blog written by NYLS students.

Gaynor Cunningham, Acting Assistant Professor of Law and Co-Director of the Post-Conviction Innocence Clinic, represents a number of clients on post-conviction claims of innocence. Before joining NYLS, Professor Cunningham represented clients charged with all classes of felonies and misdemeanors as a public defender, and joined the Legal Aid Society to litigate Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendment issues. Prior to entering academia, Elizabeth Valentin, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Elder Law Clinic, centered her practice primarily on assisting clients preserve their right of self-determination in the face of disability and advanced age. She is a member of the Executive Committee of the New York State Bar Association Elder Law and Special Needs Planning Section. The teaching of Anne Goldstein, Professor of Law and Director of the First-Year Legal Skills Program, emphasizes pro bono legal service. She received the Connecticut Bar Association’s 2007 Pro Bono Award and the University of Connecticut Public Interest Law Group’s first annual Cornelius J. Scanlon Award for her work “encouraging the practice of public interest law.”

Assistant Professor of Law Salihah R. Denman focuses her practice on Appellate Advocacy in the areas of general family law, child welfare, juvenile delinquency/PINS, and civil litigation. Professor Denman is certified as an Attorney for the Child in the First, Second, and Third Judicial Departments and as Assigned Counsel in Family Court in the First and Second Judicial Departments. Assistant Professor of Law Larken Kade worked as an Assistant District Attorney at the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) for almost 15 years, where she handled a wide range of criminal cases, including street crimes, identity theft cases, sex crimes, and domestic violence cases.

Professor Samantha Pownall ’11, Assistant Professor of Law and Director of the Education Law and Policy Institute, focuses her scholarship and instruction on administrative hearings, advocacy campaigns, special education law, school liability, holistic client representation, juvenile justice, civil rights and constitutional issues in education law. Assistant Professor of Law Claudine Caracciolo served as an Assistant District Attorney at the New York County District Attorney’s Office (DANY) for over 10 years, where she handled a wide range of criminal cases including street crimes, domestic violence cases, sex crimes cases, and economic crimes cases.

This list—while by no means exhaustive—showcases a slice of the work women are doing at NYLS and beyond.