Rutgers Law School welcomes two new associate professors who will begin teaching in Newark this fall and congratulates Norrinda Hayat on becoming an Associate Professor of Law.

The two professors joining Rutgers Law are Jacob Victor and Anibal Rosario Lebrón. Victor, who will be an Assistant Professor of Law, was previously at Albany Law School. He will be teaching Property Law and Intellectual Property-related courses. Lebrón, who will be an Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, previously worked at Howard Law School. He will be teaching in the Legal, Analysis, Writing, and Skills (LAWRS) program.  

Hayat, who was named an Associate Professor of Law, joined Rutgers Law in 2018 and directs the Civil Justice Clinic. She has also taught Landlord/Tenant Law and Critical Race Theory and recently was recognized by the Society of American Law Teachers with a Junior Faculty Award, given to young faculty for excellence in teaching.

Hayat also was one of the three main drafters of the law school’s Anti-Racism and Black Lives Matter Statement last year, which was recognized nationally. During the pandemic last year, she led a group of her clinic students to lobby for a New Jersey housing eviction freeze through a Twitterstorm, and worked with New Jersey housing advocacy groups to procure a study on the pandemic's impacts on housing. Last year, Hayat was appointed to the AALS Clinical Section’s Executive Committee.

“I am really thrilled to be moving into an expanded role at the Law School, especially at this time when we are refining our curriculum to be responsive to a community-wide desire to be an anti-racist institution," she said. "I see the first year Property Law course as a perfect opportunity for students to gain exposure early in their law school careers to critical legal theory and praxis, which intersects nicely with the work I will continue to do in Clinic on access to housing and in other courses I teach such as Landlord Tenant Law and Critical Race Theory.” 

Victor said he is excited to join Rutgers for many reasons, "I've heard wonderful things about Rutgers students, especially their curiosity, creativity, and commitment to service. And I'm very excited to work with such an intellectually vibrant faculty, whose expertise spans so many interesting areas. I also hope that I can collaborate with other departments and schools at the university, especially on law and technology issues.”

He added, “My research focuses on Intellectual Property, Law and Technology, Regulation, and Innovation Policy. My current work explores how new technologies, like streaming, are disrupting the regulatory regimes that govern creative industries such as music and television.”

Victor also was an Acting Assistant Professor at New York University Law School and a Fellow at the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy. Before entering academia, he was an associate in the intellectual property group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

"I really enjoy helping students discover the areas of law and career paths that they're passionate about," he said. "I had wonderful mentors in law school who encouraged me to pursue my interest in intellectual property and property, and I love playing a similar role for my own students.”

Rosario Lebrón specializes in Legal Writing, Family Law, Legal Theory, Legal Spanish, and Evidence. His research examines the interconnection between evidence, family, criminal and constitutional law from a cross-disciplinary lens. He said, “Specifically, I study how to reform the law to empower groups such as women, LGTBQ+ people, people of color, and minors in their pursuit of equality.”

Rosario Lebrón speaks four languages. In addition to teaching LAWRS, he will teach Lawyering to Spanish Speaking Clients (Legal Spanish) and said he hopes in the future to teach Family Law and Gender, and Sex & Sexuality in the Law. “I’m excited to be joining the diverse faculty and student body of Rutgers Law School at Newark.  I’m elated to become part of an institution that is attuned to the evolving demands of the legal profession and is committed to social justice and the diversification of the bar,” he said. 

Rosario Lebrón has taught at Universidad de Puerto Rico, Hofstra University, University of Louisville, and Universidad Interamericana. He is a member of LatCrit and was part of its board of directors.  “What I love the most about teaching law students is seeing them grow in their confidence as advocates and helping them discover how to use their creativity to face legal issues,” he said. “I also enjoy our debates in class and the time in the hallways and office hours sharing experiences and learning about each other.”