Legal Writing Professor Returns to Touro Law

Touro Law Center is pleased to welcome back Debbie Lanin to the legal writing faculty. Professor Lanin taught several courses at the Law Center from 2012-2014, including Legal Research and Writing and an innovative Federal Judicial Externship seminar, in which students worked full time in the chambers of a United States District Court judge.  

“In a short time, Debbie Lanin made a lasting impact at the Law Center. I am excited that she is back with us and look forward to her contributions to both her students and the larger Touro Law community,” said Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Myra Berman.

Professor Lanin has more than 20 years of experience in commercial litigation, including thirteen years clerking in federal court for four different judges.  During her time at the Law Center, she worked closely with the late Senior District Court Judge Leonard D. Wexler in developing the unique Federal Judicial Clerkship Seminar. Students worked full time in Judge Wexler’s chambers in the US Courthouse in Central Islip, participating in trials and judicial conferences, doing legal research, and drafting memos and judicial opinions. The students’ in-court experience was coupled with an intensive federal trial advocacy seminar taught by Professor Lanin. The curriculum, which was constantly adjusted to keep pace with the proceedings in the courtroom, covered everything from jury selection strategies to effective opening and closing statements, taking a case from pleading to trial, discovery disputes, motion practice, oral advocacy, and effective settlement negotiation. 

Professor Lanin has also been a litigation associate at the firms now known as Hogan Lovells and Windels Marx Lane & Mittendorf, LLP in New York City. In addition, she was a Senior Legal Consultant at Cyber Diligence, Inc., an eDiscovery firm in New York, where she worked on all aspects of litigation readiness planning, including collection, processing, review, and production protocols for electronically stored information.

She currently has her own litigation practice, specializing in legal research and writing in complex commercial cases. She has presented courses at numerous law firms and Bar Associations on Long Island on drafting motions in federal court and the basics of discovery. She earned a B.S., magna cum laude, from the State University of New York, University at Albany, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from St. John's University School of Law, where she was Executive Notes & Comments Editor of the St. John’s Law Review.

“Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs I have had and I am thrilled to be returning to Touro Law,” said Lanin. “I am looking forward to getting back in the classroom and developing law students into expert legal writers and thinkers.”