Press Release
K&L Gates Welcomes Longtime Yale Vice President and General Counsel Dorothy Robinson as Of Counsel in New York Office
12 January 2016
New York - The New York office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added Dorothy K. Robinson as an Of Counsel in the firm’s higher education and tax-exempt organizations/nonprofit institutions practices and the firm’s Global Boardroom Risk Solutions initiative. Robinson joins K&L Gates from Yale University, where she served as vice president and general counsel and senior counselor to the university’s president.
During her 36 years at Yale — where she served with five presidents and was the second woman to be appointed an officer — Robinson built and led the institution’s legal team, including advising on compliance, antitrust, intellectual property, and cultural property issues, leading investigations, overseeing the enterprise risk program, and serving as chief counsel to the university’s governing board. She was involved in the implementation of a broad range of university initiatives, including community partnerships, research and educational collaborations with other institutions both domestic and abroad, technology transfer, and online education. Robinson also was responsible for federal relations on agency and legislative affairs, including research and student aid funding, science policy, civil rights, and regulatory matters. She is a longstanding leader in the higher education legal community, having served on a variety of boards, special commissions, and advisory panels of higher education organizations and other groups focused on university research.
As a member of the firm’s higher education and tax-exempt organizations/nonprofit institutions practices, Robinson will advise institutions on legal, management, and operations matters. Additionally, Robinson will support K&L Gates’ Global Boardroom Risk Solutions, a cross-disciplinary, cross-office program that assists in-house lawyers, directors, and management in identifying, evaluating, mitigating, and responding to risk in various forms, including legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance issues.
“Following upon her signature career as Yale’s general counsel, we are delighted to welcome Dorothy Robinson to K&L Gates as a key member of our team advising colleges and universities as they contend with the extraordinary legal complexity surrounding their missions,” said Peter Kalis, K&L Gates’ Chairman and Global Managing Partner.
Lawyers in K&L Gates’ global higher education and tax-exempt organizations/nonprofit institutions practices advise education and other tax-exempt organizations, including private and community foundations, public charities, donor-advised funds, health care providers, colleges, universities, museums, cultural institutions, private schools, religious organizations, and trade associations, in a wide range of matters relating to the operation, organization, governance, and legal and regulatory compliance of the institution.
During her 36 years at Yale — where she served with five presidents and was the second woman to be appointed an officer — Robinson built and led the institution’s legal team, including advising on compliance, antitrust, intellectual property, and cultural property issues, leading investigations, overseeing the enterprise risk program, and serving as chief counsel to the university’s governing board. She was involved in the implementation of a broad range of university initiatives, including community partnerships, research and educational collaborations with other institutions both domestic and abroad, technology transfer, and online education. Robinson also was responsible for federal relations on agency and legislative affairs, including research and student aid funding, science policy, civil rights, and regulatory matters. She is a longstanding leader in the higher education legal community, having served on a variety of boards, special commissions, and advisory panels of higher education organizations and other groups focused on university research.
As a member of the firm’s higher education and tax-exempt organizations/nonprofit institutions practices, Robinson will advise institutions on legal, management, and operations matters. Additionally, Robinson will support K&L Gates’ Global Boardroom Risk Solutions, a cross-disciplinary, cross-office program that assists in-house lawyers, directors, and management in identifying, evaluating, mitigating, and responding to risk in various forms, including legal, regulatory, compliance, and governance issues.
“Following upon her signature career as Yale’s general counsel, we are delighted to welcome Dorothy Robinson to K&L Gates as a key member of our team advising colleges and universities as they contend with the extraordinary legal complexity surrounding their missions,” said Peter Kalis, K&L Gates’ Chairman and Global Managing Partner.
Lawyers in K&L Gates’ global higher education and tax-exempt organizations/nonprofit institutions practices advise education and other tax-exempt organizations, including private and community foundations, public charities, donor-advised funds, health care providers, colleges, universities, museums, cultural institutions, private schools, religious organizations, and trade associations, in a wide range of matters relating to the operation, organization, governance, and legal and regulatory compliance of the institution.
K&L Gates comprises approximately 2,000 lawyers globally who practice in fully integrated offices located on five continents. The firm represents leading multinational corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants and entrepreneurs in every major industry group as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and individuals.
