Contact Information

External Website-Kaufman

Biography

Rona Kaufman is an associate professor at Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, where she teaches constitutional law, employment discrimination, family law, gender and the law, and children and the law. Her scholarship focuses on how the law affects women and children, and her articles have been published in the Buffalo Law Review, Florida International University Law Review, Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society, and other publications. She has researched and written extensively on intersections of law and motherhood, pregnancy, and patriarchal violence. Her current research projects include deeper exploration of patriarchal violence, consent, and anti-Semitism.

Before becoming an academic, Kaufman practiced commercial litigation and family law with Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright), and employment law at Baker Hostetler in Houston, Texas. Prior to joining Duquesne Kline School of Law's faculty, Kaufman completed the Abraham L. Freedman Fellowship at Temple University Beasley School of Law and earned her Master’s in Legal Education.

As the granddaughter of Holocaust Survivors and the daughter of Israelis, Professor Kaufman is deeply committed to the welfare of her Jewish community and the State of Israel. She was a recipient of the Wexner Foundation’s two-year Wexner Heritage fellowship in recognition of her role as an emerging Jewish leader in Pittsburgh. Her community roles have included serving on the boards of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Community Day School (CDS), and Congregation Beth Shalom. She is also a member of the Diller Advisory Board and served as president of the CDS Parent Association. Chabad House on Campus honored Kaufman in 2016 when she was the recipient of the organization’s Distinguished Alumni Award.

Kaufman cares deeply about her law students and serves as an advisor to the law school’s Jewish Law Student Association, Women's Law Association, Family Law Society, and Labor and Employment Law Society. She also serves as a formal and informal advisor and mentor to many students each year.

Professor Kaufman is also the very proud mother of three extraordinary children: Naomi, a combat soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces; Joseph, a freshman at the University of Colorado; and Benjamin, a freshman at Shadyside Academy Senior High School.

Education

  • L.L.M., Legal Education, Temple University, 2010
  • J.D., University of Arizona, 2000

School

Children & the Law

Constitutional Law I

Constitutional Law II

Employment Discrimination

Family Law

Gender & the Law

Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award Remarks
Rona Kaufman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award Remarks, 21 Geo. J. of Gender and Law 541 (2020).

A Century Since Suffrage: How Did We Get Here? Where Will We Go? How Will We Get There?
Rona Kaufman, A Century Since Suffrage: How Did We Get Here? Where Will We Go? How Will We Get There?, 59 Duq. L. Rev. 1 (2021). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4554231

Privacy Pre- and Post-Dobbs
Rona Kaufman, Privacy Pre- and Post-Dobbs, 61 Duq. L. Rev. 62 (2023). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4554307

Patriarchal Violence
Rona Kaufman, Patriarchal Violence, 71 Buff. L. Rev. 509 (2023). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4554385

Constrained Choice: Mothers, The State, and Domestic Violence
Rona Kaufman, Constrained Choice: Mothers, The State, and Domestic Violence, 24 Temp. Pol. C.R.L. Rev. 4 (2015). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2626028

Holistic Pregnancy: Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother
Rona Kaufman, Holistic Pregnancy: Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother, 26 Hastings Women's L.J. 2 (2015). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2601355

Missing the Mark: How FMLA's Bonding Leave Fails Mothers
Rona Kaufman, Missing the Mark: How FMLA's Bonding Leave Fails Mothers, Hofstra Lab. Emp. L.J. (2014). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2516394

Off-Balance: Obama and the Work-Family Agenda
Rona Kitchen, Off-Balance: Obama and the Work-Family Agenda, 16 Emp. Rts. & Emp. Pol'y J. 211 (2012). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2412566

Happy Mother's Day
Rona Kitchen, Happy Mother's Day, May 8, 2011. http://arizonastatelawjournal.org/the-value-of-mothering/

Eradicating the Mothering Effect: Women as Workers and Mothers, Successfully and Simultaneously
Rona Kitchen, Eradicating the Mothering Effect: Women as Workers and Mothers, Successfully and Simultaneously, 26 Wisc. J. L Gender & Soc. 167 (2011). https://ssrn.com/abstract=2120614

Panes of the Glass Ceiling and Feminist Legal Theory

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Panes of the Glass Ceiling, presentation at the FIU Symposium on Professor Kerri Stone’s Book “Panes of the Glass Ceiling,” Florida International University School of Law, Miami, Florida, February 17, 2023.

Privacy Pre- and Post-Dobbs

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Duquesne Law Speaks, presentation at Duquesne Law Conference on recent Supreme Court decisions, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 30, 2022.

The 19th Amendment and Women’s Rights

Rona Kaufman, Panelist, 19th Amendment Panel Discussion, Allegheny County Bar Association panel discussion on the 19th Amendment, Koppers Building, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 27, 2022.

A Century Since Suffrage

Rona Kaufman, Moderator, A Century Since Suffrage, American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C., January 4, 2020.

Judaism and Race

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Racial Equity and Religions, Consortium for Christian-Muslim Dialogue Conference on the how various religious doctrines understand race and racism, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 18, 2021.

 Misinformation, Education, and the First Amendment

Rona Kaufman, Interviewee, Misinformation and the Attack on the Capital, KDKA Radio Morning Show, Radio Interview with Larry Richart, January 13, 2021

The Role of Social Media in Spreading Misinformation

Rona Kaufman, Interviewee, The Role of Social Media in Spreading Misinformation, CBS Television Interview with Ken Rice, January 7, 2021.

Misinformation, Education, and the First Amendment

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Misinformation, Education, and the First Amendment, Presentation at Baldwin High School, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 15, 2021.

Hate and the Law

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Reconceiving Crimes Against Women as Hate Crimes, When Hate Hits Home: Investigating, Prosecuting and Preventing Domestic Terrorism, The 19th Annual Forensic Science and Law Symposium, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 12-13, 2020.

Hate and the Law

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Hate and the Law, Continuing Legal Education, Duquesne University School of Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 6, 2020.

Gender Equity at Work

Rona Kaufman, Moderator, Gender Equity at Work, American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., January 3, 2020.

Work-Family Balance and the Law

Rona Kaufman, Guest Lecturer, Work-Family Balance and the Law, John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio, April. 9, 2015.

#MeToo

Rona Kaufman, Moderator, Teaching in a #MeToo World, American Association of Law Schools Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., January 3, 2020.

Defining Sexual Assault and Consent in the #MeToo Era

Rona Kaufman, Presenter, Defining Sexual Assault and Consent in the #MeToo Era, The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensics and Law, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, September 14, 2018.

 What Do I Want to Accomplish in the Interview

Rona Kaufman, Panelist, Registrants’ Workshop Program, American Association of Law Schools Faculty Recruitment Conference, Washington D.C., October 13, 2016.

 Your “Go To” Place

Rona Kaufman, Panelist, Registrants’ Workshop Program, American Association of Law Schools Faculty Recruitment Conference, Washington, D.C., October 14, 2014.

Holistic Pregnancy

“Holistic Pregnancy Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother,” Update for Feminist Law Professors, University of Pennsylvania School of Law, March 8, 2015.

Mixed Messages & Missing Mothers
“Mixed Messages & Missing Mothers,” Temple Political and Civil Rights Law Review, Violence Against Women Act Symposium, Temple University School of Law, Nov. 8, 2014.

Faculty Registrants Workshop
American Association of Law Schools Faculty Recruitment Conference, Registrants’ Workshop Program, Washington D.C., October 16, 2014.

Family in Civil and Jewish Law
“How Do We Define a Family Today in Civil and Jewish Law?” Agency for Jewish Learning, Congregation Adat Shalom, May 2, 2014.

Mixed Messages & Missing Mothers
“Mixed Messages & Missing Mothers: Critiquing the Judicial Response to Mandatory Arrest Laws Post-VAWA,” The Violence Against Women Act and its Impact on the U.S. Supreme Court and International Law: A Story of Vindication, Loss, and a New Human Rights Paradigm, Duquesne University School of Law, Mar. 29, 2014.

The Family and Medical Leave Act
“The FMLA 20 Years Later: What Have We Learned and Where Do We Go From Here?” Hofstra Labor & Employment Law Journal Symposium, Reengineering FMLA’s Bonding Leave Provision to Achieve Congressional Goals and Fulfill Human Needs,” Forging a Path: Dissecting Controversial Health Legislation in the Workplace, Hofstra School of Law, Nov. 1, 2013.

Job-Protected Leave in the United States and Abroad

“Job-Protected Leave in the United States and Abroad,” Temple University Faculty Senate Committee on the Status of Women’s Second Annual Campus-Wide Conference, Achieving Equity: Women, The Workplace, And The Law, Temple University, Oct. 20, 2010.

The Family and Medical Leave Act

“The Family and Medical Leave Act,” Temple University School of Law, Oct. 19, 2010.

International Parental Leave Laws

“International Parental Leave Laws,” The Philadelphia Coalition of Labor Union Women Membership Meeting and Annual Benefit, Workers and Caregivers: How a Changing Workforce is Negotiating Maternity/Paternity Benefits, Workers United, Jan. 25, 2010.

Legal Motherhood

“An Exploration and Critique of Legal Motherhood: Law, Experience, and Science,” Duquesne University School of Law, CLE Program, September 28, 2013.

Reconstructing Motherhood

“Reconstructing Motherhood: Legal Implications from Scientific Findings,” Three School Colloquium, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Apr. 12, 2013.

 Employment Discrimination
“Employment Discrimination: Theory and Policy,” Duquesne University School of Law, CLE Program, September 8, 2012.

Ledbetter and the Gender Wage Gap

“Ledbetter and the Gender Wage Gap,” Duquesne University School of Law, CLE Program, April 21, 2012.

Women in the Workforce

“Women in the Workforce,” Global Pittsburgh, Jul. 22, 2011.

Obama’s Work-Family Agenda
“Off-Balance: An Assessment of Obama’s Implementation of his Work-Family Agenda,” The University of Akron School of Law, Feb. 13, 2012.

 A Critique of Obama’s Agenda for Work and Family

“A Critique of Obama’s Agenda for Work and Family,” Update for Feminist Law Professors, Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University, January 28, 2012.

Obama’s Agenda for Work and Family

“Obama’s Agenda for Work and Family,” Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, Nov. 14, 2011.

The Value of Mothering
“The Value of Mothering,” Duquesne University School of Law, CLE Program, November 15, 2011.

Labor Law

“Public Sector Labor Law,” Coro Pittsburgh, Apr. 1, 2011.

Mother Lawyer Panel

Moderator, Temple University Women’s Law Caucus, Mother Lawyer Panel, Temple University School of Law, Mar. 3, 2010.

The Mommy Trap: FMLA and the Dependent Mother

Presenter, “The Mommy Trap: FMLA and the Dependent Mother,” Update for Feminist Law Professors, University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Feb. 2, 2008.

  • Wexner Foundation Fellowship, 2018
  • Chabad House on Campus, Alumni Awardee, 2016