Kumar Rao

Kumar Rao is a lawyer and advocate with years of experience partnering with grassroots organizations and elected officials in the fight to strengthen our democracy, and for racial and economic justice at the local, state, and federal levels. He presently also serves as a Lecturer-in-Law at Columbia Law School.  A former litigator and public defender, he has represented thousands of clients in state and federal court in both criminal and civil matters, and has counseled offices on the delivery of legal services and effective client representation practices.  As a Scholar with the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, he led a major study on the disparate legal and media treatment that suspects of ideological violence receive based on their perceived racial and religious identities.