Robin Charlow Is A La Professor At Hofstra University School Of Law. He Has Taught Over The Past 20 Years For Subjects Like Advanced Appellate Advocacy, Mass Media And The First Amendment, Sex-Based Discrimination, Religion And The Constitution.

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Robin Charlow: Professor of Law at Hofstra University School of
Law
[By Robin Salisian]
Between graduating from Vassar College in 1971 and starting at Cornell Law School in 1978, Robin Charlow traveled the East
Coast, abroad, and the West Coast, acquiring a resume including job titles from substitute elementary teacher to house cleaner to
nanny to laundry worker to agricultural worker (to name a few).
But Charlow’s aspirations extended beyond regularly. This job taught me both to think on
Q. What do you do for fun?
these short-term jobs. And after spending A. Travel, read, cook, play with my kids, my feet and to be supremely prepared before
many of her post-graduation years in New collect pottery from around the world. I speaking, in addition to a lot about criminal
York City and the San Francisco area, she used to love to hike but have had to cut law and appellate advocacy that I use in my
settled in at Cornell Law and graduated with back for a while. teaching position today.”
her degree in 1981.
Q. What CD is in your CD player right now, Next, she took a position as a senior
“After law school I clerked for Judge Richard or what kind of music is on your iPod? legislative analyst with the New York City
J. Cardamone, just as he began his tenure A. Right now I have a Books on Tape Office of Management and Budget. There,
biography of Andrew Jackson in my CD
on the United States Court of Appeals for the she analyzed bills pending before the federal,
player. When it comes to music, I most
Second Circuit,” says Charlow. “Every month state, and local legislatures, she says, to see
enjoy three kinds: baroque classical music,
we ‘commuted’ from rural Upstate New how they would impact New York City.
rock from the 50s through the 80s (I lost
York, where I rented a house on a working track after that), and bluegrass — we’re
farm, to New York City, where we would read big bluegrass fans in my house. There’s “My areas included municipal tort liability,
about the cases we were working on on the very little music I don’t like. sanitation, the environment, the city’s
front page of The New York Times. It was infrastructure and capital budget (water,
wonderfully exciting and lots of fun. Judge Q. What is the last magazine you read? power, sewer, construction), and elections…
Cardamone taught me, among other things, A. A science journal (can’t recall the name) What I took from this experience was a keen
that law should never be viewed as divorced that someone gave me with an article sense of how law and politics interact, in
from life, from consideration of the human about receding glaciers. We’d just been both directions.”
to Alaska, the land of glaciers, so I was
interactions that it governs.”
intrigued.
What followed would be her last non-
And it was there that her journey really teaching stint: working as a full-time
Q. What is your favorite TV show?
began. A. I’m a big fan of Masterpiece Theatre and consultant to the Legislative Subcommittee
Law & Order (in all its incarnations). But I of the National Advisory Committee of the
Today, Charlow teaches law at Hofstra have a tendency to fall asleep watching TV, Federal Public and Community Defenders,
University School of Law; however, before so I miss the endings. researching and consulting “on formulating
her “serendipitous” arrival there (“a friend of the defense position on various proposed
my husband was on the faculty [at Hofstra] Q. Who is your role model? guidelines schemes and to keep the federal
and just happened to mention that they had a A. My professional role model is probably defense organizations around the country
number of openings, so I applied”), Charlow my first husband, a lifelong criminal briefed on guidelines developments.”
defense attorney who ran the federal
worked several “practice experience” jobs.
defender offices in the greater New York
Now, discussing her current position at
area. He loved what he did, and he did it so
“I joined the Federal Defender Appeals Hofstra, Charlow says, “I usually teach
well. He kept his cool no matter what, gave
Unit. This was then a division of the New every case his all, mentored those who Criminal Law to first-year students,
York Legal Aid Society that handled indigent worked around him with excellent advice Constitutional Law to second-year students
criminals’ appeals in the federal courts. We and guidance, and treated every client as (this is a year-long course), and an upper-
had to prepare a new case about once every though he really cared, because he really class seminar.”
couple of weeks, which meant I was filing did.
briefs in an arguing before the Second Circuit
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Other courses Charlow has taught over so thoroughly that they didn’t have to study was guided to success by perseverance and
the past 20 years have included Advanced them for the bar or immediately noticed the passion.
Appellate Advocacy, Mass Media and the first constitutional issue that came their way
First Amendment, Sex-Based Discrimination, in the course of some other area of practice. “Follow your heart,” she says. “I know
Religion and the Constitution, and Special That’s what makes it worthwhile for me.” how hard that is to do these days, with the
Problems in Constitutional Law: Equal mounting burden of college and law school
Protection. She has also co-taught a course And as students continue to give accolades to debt. But if you can, and to the extent you
called American Constitutional Law in their professor, Charlow offers her own: can, do what you enjoy, even if it pays less
Comparative Perspective with a Supreme or seems less prestigious. In the end, you’ll
Court justice for Hofstra’s summer-abroad “I had a fabulous mentor who has remained have a happier life to look back on and enjoy
program in Italy. a close friend. She was one of the early getting up in the morning and facing the
women in law teaching, very thoughtful, very day.”
Known for her “tough but fair” attitude in knowledgeable, and thoroughly engaging.
the classroom, Charlow admits, “Students She taught me not only how to teach but On the Net
do not often find me warm and cozy in the how to think about constitutional law. She
classroom, and sometimes comment that I’m used to provide me with weekly briefings Hofstra University School of Law
a lot nicer out of class than in it.” and debriefings before and after my classes. www.law.hofstra.edu/Home/index.html
I’m so indebted to her that I have a difficult
However, she continues, “what I care time imagining how I would be as a teacher United States Court of Appeals for the
about most is that my students learn two without that early guidance.” Second Circuit
things: the law and how to think. I’m always www.ca2.uscourts.gov
surprised at the number who come back long As someone who grew up in a small town,
after the bar exam or years of practice and knew no lawyers, and lived with parents Legal Aid Society of New York
tell me they knew the subjects I taught them who “were not college graduates,” Charlow www.legal-aid.org/en/home.aspx
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