Robin Turner (she/her) joined the American Bar Association Commission on Domestic & Sexual Violence in June 2023. Robin supports the work of attorneys representing victims of gender-based violence nationwide through the development of legal publications and training curricula; provision of substantive technical assistance; delivery of interactive national training institutes; and analysis of policy solutions to the fundamental challenges in civil court systems.
Robin is an attorney, policy advocate, and facilitator who has focused most of her career on the representation of survivors of gender-based violence in civil litigation (family law, orders of protection, victim rights, educational advocacy, employment law, name and gender marker change). As the Public Policy and Legal Director for the Montana Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence (MCADSV), Robin built and supervised the Coalition’s LAV-funded sexual assault legal services project (in addition to representing survivors of sexual violence in civil legal matters). As the MCADSV policy director, Robin represented the organization’s progressive statewide policy work in the interest of ending gender-based violence and fighting oppressive state action against underrepresented communities. She has also previously served survivors as a tribal court staff attorney on an LAV-funded project with the Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes and at a private law firm focused on gender-based violence. Robin has significant leadership experience in building and administering LAV-funded legal services projects on a local and statewide level.
Prior to joining CDSV, Robin owned a consulting business where she provided state-level lobbying, government affairs analysis, training facilitation, and consulting for domestic/sexual violence organizations and other progressive organizations.
Robin has lectured at the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana on topics related to serving survivors of gender-based violence. She has developed curriculum and facilitated trainings to hundreds of advocates, attorneys, judges, and court personnel on survivor-centered topics, including ethical obligations of attorneys, trauma-informed lawyering, confidentiality/privilege/privacy, safety planning, expert witness development, lethality, and victims’ rights.
She is an undergraduate of Gonzaga University and received her law degree from the Alexander Blewett III School of Law at the University of Montana.