Deborah Archer is honored as an Outstanding Advocate for Clinical Teachers

Deborah Archer, associate dean and co-director of clinical and advocacy programs at NYU Law, has received the Outstanding Advocate for Clinical Teachers Award from the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA).

Deborah Archer portrait
Deborah Archer

“Each year, the CLEA Awards Committee solicits nominations from members of the legal academy for individuals who serve as a voice for clinical teachers, demonstrate a commitment to advancing clinical pedagogy, foster a spirit of community, and contribute to the advancement of experiential legal education,” says Professor Tameka Lester of Georgia State College of Law, a member of the CLEA awards committee. “For years, Deborah has been an advocate for the needs of clinical teachers and has offered her time and expertise to mentoring and inspiring others.”

In addition to her leadership role in NYU Law’s clinical advocacy programs, Archer is professor of clinical law and co-faculty director of NYU Law’s Center on Race, Inequality, and the Law. She is also the president of the American Civil Liberties Union and a leading expert in civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice.

Archer previously worked as an attorney with the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., where she litigated in the areas of voting rights, employment discrimination, and school desegregation. She has served as chair of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, the nation’s oldest and largest police oversight agency. Among her many previous honors are NYU Law’s 2021 Podell Distinguished Teaching Award, the 2020-2021 Jacob K. Javits Professorship from New York University, the 2021 Stephen Ellmann Memorial Clinical Scholarship Award from the American Association of Law Schools, and a 2022 Foot Soldier in the Sands Award from the NAACP.

Posted June 14, 2023