Former Bloomberg official Linda Maria Wayner named head of Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights

NYU Law named Linda Maria Wayner the new executive director of the Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights.

An attorney with a background in international arbitration, Wayner most recently served as general counsel for the New York City Mayor's Office for International Affairs. In that position, she oversaw legal affairs involving the city’s role as host to the United Nations and 192 foreign government offices.

"It is an extraordinary honor to join the Institute and the Law School in their effort to promote fairness and justice for Latinos within the legal community, and throughout society at large,” says Wayner. “This work is critically necessary now more than ever, as we address seemingly intractable national issues such as immigration reform, voter protection, and diversity in higher education."

Before joining the Office of the Mayor, Wayner was a commercial litigation attorney at Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom, where she focused on international arbitration and the representation of foreign companies in domestic securities cases and investigations. Wayner also served as counsel to the organized Latino, African American, Native American, and Asian American students at the University of Michigan Law School during the Grutter v. Bollinger affirmative action lawsuit before the Supreme Court, helping them to file an amicus brief in the case. She was previously deputy president of the Hispanic National Bar Association for the New York region.

Wayner received her law degree from the University of Michigan, where she was an associate editor of the Michigan Law Review. She obtained both a bachelor's and master's degree in International Politics from Baylor University. 

"We are thrilled that Linda is joining the Law School,” says Deirdre von Dornum, assistant dean for public service. “We are certain that with Linda at the helm, the Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights will become an even more innovative and collaborative member of the civil rights community." 

Founded in 2005, the Bickel & Brewer Latino Institute for Human Rights aims to positively affect change in the nation’s Latino communities. The institute brings together law students, practitioners, academics, scholars and activists to promote discussion of legal issues important to Latinos, and its rigorous academic curriculum and challenging clinical work educates and supports NYU Law students as they enter into public service careers on behalf of Latino communities.

Posted on January 13, 2014