Lynn D. Lu

Lynn D. Lu serves as Associate Professor of Law at the City University of New York School of Law, where she teaches first-year Lawyering courses and co-directs the Economic Justice Project. Her academic career builds upon extensive practical experience in public interest law and policy advocacy.

Professor Lu earned her J.D. magna cum laude from NYU School of Law, where she was an Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow and Articles Selection Editor for the NYU Review of Law and Social Change. Her educational background also includes a B.A. summa cum laude in Women's Studies from Harvard/Radcliffe Colleges and an M.A. in English Literature/Critical Theory from Sussex University.

Her research focuses on economic justice, critical race theory, and social welfare policy, with particular attention to poverty reduction strategies, tax policy reforms, and public benefits systems. Professor Lu examines how legal frameworks intersect with racial equity and economic dignity, analyzing both historical precedents and contemporary policy proposals. Her work consistently bridges theoretical analysis with practical policy recommendations for creating more equitable social safety nets.

Professor Lu's scholarly contributions demonstrate a consistent trajectory examining the intersection of race, poverty, and legal frameworks. Her recent publications increasingly integrate critical race theory perspectives with concrete policy proposals for universal basic income, federal job guarantees, and tax credit expansions, reflecting her commitment to developing comprehensive solutions to systemic inequality.

Her notable honors include:

• Arthur Garfield Hays Civil Liberties Fellow at NYU School of Law
• Katz Fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice

Before her academic career, Professor Lu gained significant practical experience as Staff Attorney at the National Center for Law and Economic Justice, handling class-action litigation to expand public benefits access, and as Counsel at the Brennan Center focusing on criminal justice and child welfare reform. Her background as a book editor and publisher at South End Press prior to law school provides her with a unique interdisciplinary perspective that informs her scholarly approach to legal issues.