Profile

Kirk D. Burkhalter ’04 joined the full-time faculty in fall 2010. He teaches in areas of legal practice and criminal law, and has taught New York Law School’s extended version of the Summer Advantage Institute. He has also conducted workshops and seminars that focus on the substantive, analytical, and organizational skills specific to preparation for the New York State Bar Examination. Additionally, Professor Burkhalter is the director of the 21st Century Policing Project (P21) at NYLS. P21 is aimed at creating meaningful change in the relationship between police departments and the diverse communities they serve. Its activities include legal and policy advocacy, thought leadership, comparative analyses of different policing and Civilian Complaint Review Board models, on-site assistance to local jurisdictions, and robust engagement in the American Bar Association’s Legal Education Police Practices Consortium.

Professor Burkhalter has also worked on the development of, and taught in, the School’s Undergraduate Summer Pre-Law Program—a program designed to provide students from underrepresented populations with a dedicated set of opportunities to explore the law and create a pathway to earn their J.D. degrees at NYLS.

Prior to joining the NYLS faculty, Professor Burkhalter was the Visiting Assistant Professor of Academic Support at Hofstra School of Law, where he taught Legal Methods. He has also taught as an adjunct professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Before working in academia, he was an associate in the Corporate Securities and Finance practice group at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

Earlier in his career, Professor Burkhalter served 20 years in the New York City Police Department (NYPD), retiring as Detective, First Grade. He spent the majority of his career with the NYPD conducting long-term investigations into organized criminal enterprises and domestic, ecological, and industrial terrorism.

Professor Burkhalter regularly appears on the Law and Crime Network, MSNBC, ABC, and various broadcast networks and other media outlets, providing commentary as a legal analyst.