Profile

Michael Roffer joined New York Law School’s Mendik Library in 2003, 20 years after graduating from NYLS, where he was a John Ben Snow Scholar and an Articles Editor for the New York Law School Law Review. He teaches a variety of legal research classes and engages in scholarly research with faculty and students. He has particular expertise in research matters involving statutory law and legislative history as well as the regulations of federal administrative agencies.

Prior to obtaining his M.L.I.S. degree, Professor Roffer was a Senior Counsel at Proskauer Rose LLP in New York, where he practiced in both the Labor and Employment Law and Litigation departments for 13 years. His practice took in a wide range of complex litigation matters cutting across a broad spectrum of legal issues. Professor Roffer had previously been associated with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. He also served as a Law Clerk to Judge Roger J. Miner in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

Professor Roffer is the author of The Law Book: From Hammurabi to the International Criminal Court, 250 Milestones in the History of Law. It has been awarded the 2016 Joseph L. Andrews Legal Literature Award by the American Association of Law Libraries (AALL). The book also received the 2016 Otto L. Walter Distinguished Writing Award from NYLS. Adapted excerpts from the book have appeared on Law.com and in the New York State Bar Journal. He has also published articles in the areas of legal history, antitrust law, criminal procedure law, and employment law as well as reviews of various legal research databases. He co-authored the chapter on Judicial Externships in Learning from Practice: A Professional Development Text for Legal Externs. Additionally, he lectures at bar associations and continuing legal education programs for attorneys and continuing professional education programs for law librarians.

Professor Roffer has been a member of the New York Bar since 1984 and is admitted to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States as well as numerous other federal courts. He is an active member of AALL and its Academic Law Libraries Special Interest Section as well as AALL’s local affiliate, the Law Library Association of Greater New York.