February 17, 2009

Robin G. Steinberg Named Touro Law Center’s Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence

Central Islip, NY – Touro Law Center has named Robin G. Steinberg, Executive Director of The Bronx Defenders, as the 2009 Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence. On Thursday, March 5, Ms. Steinberg will meet with student leaders, guest lecture in classes and interact with students and faculty. In addition, there will be a community lecture and reception to honor Robin Steinberg at the Law Center at 6:30 p.m., which is free and open to the public.

Through the Distinguished Public Interest Lawyer in Residence program, Touro Law Center recognizes attorneys who have made significant contributions to society by representation of individuals or groups historically denied access to justice. Honored by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association for her “exceptional vision, devotion and service in the quest for equal justice,” by the New York Bar Association for her “outstanding contribution to the delivery of defense services,” and awarded Harvard Law School’s Wasserstein Fellowship in recognition of her “outstanding contributions and dedication to public interest law,” Ms. Steinberg is a leader and pioneer in the field of indigent defense.

She has been a public defender her entire career, starting as a criminal trial lawyer with the Legal Aid Society, continuing her career as a founding member and deputy director of The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and ultimately creating The Bronx Defenders in 1997. From 1999 through 2001, she was a participant in the Executive Session on Public Defense, a series of conferences and meetings conducted by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and Harvard University to discuss how to organize and reposition the "industry" of indigent defense. Today, Ms. Steinberg advocates nationally and internationally for holistic representation and the community defender movement, delivering papers, conducting trainings and hosting visitors from around the world.

For more information about this program, or to RSVP to the community lecture and reception, please contact Aimee Pearlman at (631) 761-7064 or apearlman@tourolaw.edu.