Rona Kaufman

Rona Kaufman is an associate professor at Thomas R. Kline School of Law of Duquesne University, where she teaches constitutional law, employment discrimination, family law, gender and the law, and children and the law. Her scholarship focuses on how the law affects women and children, with extensive research on intersections of law and motherhood, pregnancy, and patriarchal violence.

Professor Kaufman earned her J.D. from the University of Arizona and an LL.M. in Legal Education from Temple University. Prior to academia, she practiced commercial litigation and family law with Fulbright & Jaworski (now Norton Rose Fulbright), and employment law at Baker Hostetler in Houston, Texas. She completed the Abraham L. Freedman Fellowship at Temple University Beasley School of Law.

Her research interests center on gender and law, with particular focus on women's rights, family law, constitutional law, and the impact of law on motherhood and children. She critically examines patriarchal structures within legal frameworks and advocates for gender equity. Her current projects explore deeper dimensions of patriarchal violence, consent, and anti-Semitism.

Professor Kaufman's scholarly contributions demonstrate consistent focus on gender equity, women's rights, and legal frameworks affecting families. Her recent publications address contemporary issues such as privacy rights in the post-Dobbs era, feminist legal theory, patriarchal violence, and the ongoing struggle for gender equality following the centennial of women's suffrage.

• Wexner Foundation's Wexner Heritage fellowship
• Chabad House on Campus Distinguished Alumni Award (2016)

Professor Kaufman actively mentors students, serving as an advisor to the Jewish Law Student Association, Women's Law Association, Family Law Society, and Labor and Employment Law Society. She is deeply involved in her community, having served on boards of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Pittsburgh, Community Day School, and Congregation Beth Shalom.

As the granddaughter of Holocaust Survivors and daughter of Israelis, Professor Kaufman maintains strong connections to her Jewish heritage and the State of Israel. She is also a mother of three children: Naomi, a combat soldier in the Israeli Defense Forces; Joseph, a freshman at the University of Colorado; and Benjamin, a freshman at Shadyside Academy Senior High School.