Law, Politics, and The Distinguished Career of Mr. Jeffrey Robinson `80

Jeffrey Robinson graduated from Lafayette in 1980 before earning a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1983. He has had a varied legal career often working at the intersection of law and politics in addition to working in more traditional legal positions. An example of his work at the intersection of law and politics was his work on behalf of Vice President Al Gore during the 2000 election Florida vote-count challenge. (Bush v, Gore)  In addition to serving as trial counsel, he also served as a media spokesman, making numerous appearances on behalf of the presidential candidate.

While Mr. Robinson has spent most of his career working in law firms in the District of Columbia, he has left private practice on multiple occasions, serving as Associate Director-Counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF), Deputy Assistant Attorney General, U.S. Department of Justice, Principal Deputy Corporation Counsel for the District of Columbia, and Minority Chief Counsel, Constitution Subcommittee, U.S. Senate. During his most recent time in public service at LDF, Mr. Robinson helped lead the successful effort to reform the Three Strikes Law in California. In addition he worked to include civil rights protections in the Affordable Care Act and was the lead counsel in a court case establishing that racially targeted predatory lending violates the Fair Housing Act.

His current practice involves complex civil litigation and criminal matters, and his pro bono work includes serving as a consultant for the Conviction Integrity Unit of the District of Columbia U.S. Attorney’s Office, and representing Reprieve US, whose mission is to help people suffering from human rights abuses.”