Robert Volk (’78), who taught legal writing and led Lawyering and Advocacy Programs for more than 40 years, has passed away following a short but difficult treatment for cancer. A steadfast teacher and mentor, his guidance helped countless numbers of BU Law students develop the research, writing, and advocacy skills that are foundational to the practice of law. Perhaps more importantly, as a first-generation high school graduate and a gay man, he showed law students that there is a place for everyone in the law.
“Robert loved teaching and loved being an integral part of every first-year student’s experience,” says Jennifer Taylor McCloskey (’05), director of advocacy programs, who began working with Professor Volk in 2008. “It was important to him that his role could provide some measure of assurance to first-year students that it is okay to be who you are and be a lawyer.”
For more than 40 years, Volk served the Boston University community with dedication and his signature sense of humor. As director of Lawyering and Advocacy Programs, formerly the First Year Writing Program, Volk oversaw its development from a team of 25 to 30 adjunct faculty who taught legal writing once a week to a robust Lawyering Program, launched in fall 2017, with seven full-time faculty members with more course time to teach legal research and writing, client interviewing, oral advocacy, and more.
McCloskey emphasized Volk’s gift for finding outstanding teachers for the Lawyering and Advocacy Programs through the years. “He would get a lot of applicants, and Robert would interview every single person himself. He understood that it’s not enough to have experience being a lawyer. These are first-year law students, and they are going to struggle and need support. Finding people who could guide these law students was more important than what their resume said. It was about who was going to be a good teacher, and he was able to see that in people.”
He taught me that you can use your sense of humor to connect with students and ease their anxiety. The way he carried himself in the classroom and commanded respect while still being accessible is something I have tried to live up to in my own classroom.
In addition to teaching courses on legal writing and LGBTQ+ rights, he was the longtime chair of the Faculty Admissions Committee and faculty advisor to OutLaw, the school’s LGBTQIA+ student group. He served as the School of Law’s representative to the University-wide Faculty Council for more than 20 years; more recently, he served on the University’s LGBTQIA+ Task Force, and played a central role in the creation and development of the new LGBTQIA+ Center for Faculty and Staff.
Beyond his work at BU, Professor Volk was a Brookline Town Meeting Member and served on the Town’s Advisory Committee. He tutored in Boston Public Schools, served as a Big Brother, and volunteered for the AIDS Action Committee.
“The entire BU community mourns the passing of our dear friend and colleague, Robert Volk,” Boston University Provost and Chief Academic Officer Jean Morrison says. “Robert was the definition of collegiality—a scholar’s scholar whose professionalism, deep institutional knowledge, and genial nature made him an absolute delight to work with. There never seemed to be enough hours in the day for all the classroom time, committee work, and important causes to which Robert devoted himself. All with the same intense thoughtfulness and generosity of spirit. And an incomparable dry wit. Robert’s dedication to the law school and his faculty colleagues and his incredible talent as both a teacher and practitioner of legal writing live on across our institution and in the scores of students who benefited throughout the decades from his mentorship and example.”
“Robert was funny, quick witted, frank, and never minced words,” says Maureen O’Rourke, associate provost for faculty affairs and dean emerita of BU Law. “He’s one of the best administrators I’ve ever met, and was so generous with his time, both to the law school and the University. He was part of the heart and soul of BU Law. It’s hard to imagine the school without him.”
Beth McCormack (’01), professor of law and interim dean at Vermont Law School, remembers Professor Volk speaking at her orientation. Over her law school career, she took his advanced legal writing course and his seminar on sexual orientation and the law. “He taught me that you can use your sense of humor to connect with students and ease their anxiety,” she says. “The way he carried himself in the classroom and commanded respect while still being accessible is something I have tried to live up to in my own classroom.”
Volk graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1978 and began his career in the corporate department of Widett, Slater & Goldman in Boston. He was editor-in-chief of the Annual Review of Banking Law from 1980 to 1983 and served as associate director of the Morin Center for Banking Law. In that role, he helped develop the LLM in Banking & Financial Law, one of the first of such programs in the country.
While he didn’t participate in the voluntary, upper-class moot court programs while in law school, he recognized their value and potential. When former dean William Schwartz (’55) asked him to lead the writing program in 1982, he accepted on the condition that the school would hire a full-time administrator to support the moot court programs. Dean Schwartz agreed, and Volk shepherded the program until fall 2022.
“Robert’s love for BU Law and BU was extraordinary, as was his commitment to the University and its excellence and thriving,” says Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig. “With his passing, we mourn the loss of not only a beloved professor and colleague, but also a cherished friend to many. As a community, we miss him dearly.”
Last year, Paul Robinson (’92) established the Robert Volk (’78) Lawyering Program Fund to honor Professor Volk’s many years of service to the school. The fund provides support for Lawyering Program, including a lecture series. The inaugural Professor Robert Volk Lecture was held on Tuesday, February 7, featuring Jeena Cho, author of The Anxious Lawyer.