Chris Gottlieb (she/her)

Advisory Board Member

Chris Gottlieb is Director of the New York University School of Law Family Defense Clinic, an interdisciplinary clinic which represents parents accused of child abuse and neglect and strives to keep families together. Chris litigates, teaches, and writes in the field of family regulation, and partners with other family defense advocates and activists to fight for systemic change through legislative efforts and impact litigation.  

Chris has represented hundreds of parents and children in New York City Family Courts. She serves on the New York City Bar Association Council on Children, the Steering Committee of the American Bar Association National Alliance for Parent Representation, and the Governing Board of United Family Advocates. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and of New York University School of Law. She clerked for Judge Fortunato P. Benavides of the Fifth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. 

Chris is a recipient of NYU’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Faculty Award and of the New York City Bar Association Kathryn A. McDonald Award for excellence in service to the Family Court. Her article “Reflections on Judging Mothering,” 39 U. Balt. L. Rev. 371 (2010), was selected as a Notable Essay of 2010 by The Best American Essays Series. She is the author of numerous articles on family regulation law and policy.