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Biography

Rona Kaufman is an associate professor at Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, where she teaches contracts, employment discrimination, and family law courses. Her scholarship focuses on intersections of law and motherhood, and her articles on these topics have been published in the Wisconsin Journal of Law, Gender & Society, the Employee Rights and Employment Policy Journal, the Hofstra Labor and Employment Law Journal and other publications.

Kaufman practiced commercial litigation and family law in Houston with Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright), and employment law as an associate in the Houston office of Baker Hostetler Law in Houston, Texas, before embarking on an academic career. She is a member of the Texas State Bar. 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 taught legal research and writing as well as an upper-level family/employment law course.

In her research, Kaufman focuses on how various areas of law impact primary caretakers, specifically mothers, and how law can enable them to successfully combine caretaking responsibilities with paid employment. She argues for the adoption of laws and policies that will enable mothers and other primary caretakers to combine paid market work with mothering, successfully and simultaneously. 

The Wexner Foundation recently awarded Kaufman a two-year Wexner Heritage fellowship in recognition of her role as an emerging Jewish leader in Pittsburgh.  Her community roles include serving on the boards of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh and Community Day School (CDS). She is also a member of the Diller Advisory Board and president of the CDS Parent Association.  Chabad House on Campus honored Kaufman in 2016 during the organization's 28th anniversary at the University of Pittsburgh. 

In addition to teaching at Duquesne Kline School of Law, Kaufman serves as advisor to the law school’s Jewish Law Student Association, Women's Law Association, and Labor and Employment Law Society.

Her educational background includes an LL.M. in legal education from Temple University, a J.D. from the University of Arizona, and a B.A. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh.

Education

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

School

FALL
Contracts I
Family Law

SPRING
Contracts II
Employment Discrimination

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

#MeToo: Law, (Mis)Conceptions, Backlash, and Norms
Rona Kaufman, #MeToo: Law, (Mis)Conceptions, Backlash, and Norms, CLE at Duquesne University School of Law (April 28, 2018).

Partner Violence in the Workplace.
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Partner Violence in the Workplace, CLE at Allegheny County Bar Association (April 28, 2017).

Holistic Pregnancy: Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother.
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Holistic Pregnancy: Rejecting the Theory of the Adversarial Mother, presentation at the Delaware Valley, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia Feminist Law Teachers Conference (March 2015).

Mixed Messages and Missing Mothers: A Critique of State Responses to Violence Against Women
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Mixed Messages and Missing Mothers: A Critique of State Responses to Violence Against Women, Violence Against Women Act 20th Anniversary Celebration: Fulfilling the Promise of Safety & Justice (November 2014).

How Do We Define a Family Today in Civil and Jewish Law?
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, How Do We Define a Family Today in Civil and Jewish Law? Congregation Adat Shalom (May 2, 2014).

Mixed Messages & Missing Mothers: Critiquing the Judicial Response to Mandatory Arrest Laws Post-VAWA
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, 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 (March 2014).

Reengineering FMLA's Bonding Leave Provision to Achieve Congressional Goals and Fulfill Human Needs
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Reengineering FMLA's Bonding Leave Provision to Achieve Congressional Goals and Fulfill Human Needs, Forging a Path: Dissecting Controversial Health Legislation in the Workplace (November 2013).

An Exploration and Critique of Legal Motherhood: Law, Experience, and Science
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, An Exploration and Critique of Legal Motherhood: Law, Experience, and Science, presentation at Duquesne University School of Law, CLE Program (Sept. 28, 2013).

Reconstructing Motherhood: Legal Implications from Scientific Findings
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Reconstructing Motherhood: Legal Implications from Scientific Findings, Three School Colloquium. University of Pittsburgh School of Law (April 2013).

Off-Balance: An Assessment of Obama's Implementation of his Work-Family Agenda
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, Off-Balance: An Assessment of Obama's Implementation of his Work-Family Agenda, presentation at The University of Akron School of Law (Feb. 13, 2012).

A Critique of Obama's Agenda for Work and Family
Rona Kaufman Kitchen, A Critique of Obama's Agenda for Work and Family, Update for Feminist Law Professors, Earle Mack School of Law at Drexel University (Jan. 28, 2012).

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