William l. robinson

William L. Robinson is a distinguished American civil rights attorney, educator, and founding dean of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) School of Law.

Born in 1941, he earned his A.B. from Oberlin College in 1963 and his LL.B. from Columbia University School of Law in 1966. ​During his time at Columbia, Robinson actively participated in the civil rights movement, conducting legal research on voting rights and sit-in demonstration cases in the South. As Executive Director of the Law Student Civil Rights Research Council, he collaborated with southern civil rights lawyers and facilitated northern law students' involvement in civil rights work. ​

In 1967, Robinson joined the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund (LDF), litigating cases involving public accommodations, school desegregation, public housing, and employment discrimination. As Director of the LDF's employment discrimination practice, he and his team won over twenty-five federal appellate cases, significantly influencing the enforcement of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. ​

Robinson played a pivotal role in landmark Supreme Court cases that defined employment discrimination law. In Griggs v. Duke Power Co., the Court established the disparate impact theory of discrimination, while McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green set guidelines for proving individual discrimination claims. Additionally, in Phillips v. Martin Marietta Corp., Robinson successfully argued that employers could not refuse to hire women solely because they had preschool-aged children. ​

After his tenure at the LDF, Robinson served as Associate General Counsel at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), overseeing trial court litigation and representing the agency in significant cases, including a nationwide settlement with the steel industry. He later became Executive Director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, contributing to the passage of numerous civil rights statutes during the Reagan administration. ​

Transitioning to academia, Robinson was the founding dean of the District of Columbia School of Law, which later became the UDC David A. Clarke School of Law. He also served as Professor of Civil Rights Law at the City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law. After stepping down as dean in 1998, he continued teaching courses in employment law, appellate advocacy, labor law, civil rights in the 21st century, and race in the law until attaining Professor Emeritus status in 2017.

Robinson has served on the boards of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights Education Fund, the District of Columbia School of Law Foundation, and Oberlin College.