Awards

Titled Professor - 2022

Karen Lake Buttrey & Donald W. Buttrey Chair

Titled Professor - 2000 - 2001

Val Nolan Faculty Fellow

About Aviva Orenstein

Aviva Orenstein earned her A.B. from Cornell University in 1981. She went on to earn her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1986. Orenstein began her teaching career at Indiana University (IU) Maurer School of Law in 1992 as an associate professor. She was promoted to full professor in 1999 and served as the associate dean for academic affairs from 2017 to 2019. She then served as the associate dean for students from 2018 to 2021. In 2021, she earned the additional title of Karen Lake Buttrey and Donald W. Buttrey Chair.

Prior to joining the Maurer School of Law faculty, Orenstein held teaching positions at several universities, including Rutgers Law School, Cornell Law School, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, and China University of Politics and Law. Her scholarly interests concern the intersection of evidence law and culture. In 2000-2001, Orenstein directed the Child Advocacy Clinic, supervising law students who serve as guardians ad litem for children in contested-custody cases. She has served as a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children and currently performs pro bono work in the local juvenile court. In 2004-2005, Orenstein was a fellow at the Poynter Center for the Study of Ethics and American Institutions, where she participated in a seminar on "The Ethics and Politics of Childhood."

Orenstein has authored three books and several articles published in notable publications. She has received several awards and honors throughout her robust career, including the BLSA Outstanding Interactive Professor Award in 2015 and 2021, the Gavel Award in 2015 and 2018, the Leonard D. Fromm Public Interest Faculty Award in 2011, and more.