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Interview with Dorothy Robinson

IntervieweeInterview with Dorothy K. Robinson American

InterviewerInterviewed by Cynthia Carr American

Date2016 December 14

DimensionsDuration: 9 Minutes, 6 Seconds

ClassificationsGraphics

Credit LineGift of the Connecticut Bar Foundation

DescriptionOral history interview with Dorothy Robinson who was interviewed by Cynthia Carr on December 14, 2016 for the Connecticut Bar Foundation's History of Connecticut Women in the Legal Profession Project.

Topics Discussed:

- Family Background: Dorothy's father was a neurosurgeon in New Haven. Her mother, after raising her children, earned a PhD in History of Science from Yale and became a research affiliate there.

- Early Interest in Law: Dorothy first considered law as a career in college, inspired by watching "Perry Mason" on TV.

- High School and Early Work Experience: Dorothy attended Day Prospect Hill School. During high school summers, she worked as a lab technician at Yale Medical School.

- College: Dorothy attended Swarthmore College. She enrolled in the Honors program for social sciences.

- Inspiration for Law School: Dorothy's interest in law developed from her social science studies and her engagement with politics and social activism. Her college years were shaped by events like the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, the civil rights movement, and protests against the Vietnam War.

- College Extracurricular Activities: Dorothy was involved in student government at Swarthmore, becoming president of the student council. She participated in a Privacy Commission formed in 1970 and 1971, which developed guidelines for student privacy that anticipated aspects of the Buckley Amendment (1974).

- Law School: Dorothy entered Boalt Hall (now Berkeley Law School) in 1972.

- Law School Research and Mentors: During law school, Dorothy held several research assistant positions. Her first summer job was with Professor Stephen Barnett, working on a National Science Foundation study to develop a comprehensive approach to privacy law. She also worked with Professor David Louisell, editing and narrating summaries of Supreme Court decisions.

- Gender Experience in Law School: Dorothy did not feel that being a woman negatively impacted her experience in law school.

- Post-Law School Career: Dorothy worked as a law clerk at Alameda County Legal Aid.

- Bar Admissions: Dorothy is admitted to the bar in California, New York, and Connecticut.

- First Job at Hughes, Hubbard & Reed: Following advice, Dorothy joined Hughes, Hubbard & Reed on Wall Street. While at the firm, she undertook pro bono cases for the indigent population in East Harlem and worked in the Tax Department.

- Yale: After Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, Dorothy joined Yale as a junior attorney in their newly established Office of General Counsel. Dorothy was hired as Assistant General Counsel in 1978 and promoted to Associate General Counsel six months later.

- Role as In-House Counsel at Yale: The Yale General Counsel's Office work differed significantly from a law firm, covering a wide range of subjects. She became General Counsel at Yale.

Object number2024.38.54a-b

NotesProject Overview: At the turn of the 20th century, other than Mary Hall, women lawyers were virtually unknown in Connecticut. By contrast, at the turn of the 21st century, law schools were enrolling roughly the same number of women as men. Since their earliest time at the bar, women have become leaders in all areas of the profession at a pace out of all proportion to their brief history and number.

In 1999, the Fellows of the Connecticut Bar Foundation initiated the Oral History of Connecticut Women in the Legal Profession Project. Within the framework of this dynamic project, the Fellows have been creating a permanent video, audio, and photographic historical record of milestone achievements of women as they have become more visible and achieved prominence in the field of law. In 2019, a leadership donation of $20,000 from the law firm of Carmody Torrance Sandak & Hennessey enabled the project to significantly broaden its scope and plan for the future.

Through its first two phases, the project worked with award-winning documentarian Karyl Evans and attorney/photographer Isabel Chenoweth to produce fifty-eight oral history interviews with outstanding female attorneys and 118 portraits of women in the Connecticut judiciary.

The oral history interviews have collected the stories of women whose ingenuity, perseverance, and intelligence dismantled barriers that historically prevented women from pursuing careers in the law. Connecticut has benefited from the efforts of these “pioneers” as they enriched the legal profession by joining the ranks of their male peers and paved the way for more women to join the profession. (Source: Connecticut Bar Foundation)