Professor Lawrence M. Grosberg (1943-2023)
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Faculty Scholarship Publications
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Professor Grosberg’s Faculty Profile Page, 2014
Lawrence M. Grosberg
Professor of Law
Director, Lawyering Skills Center
Co-Director, Elder Law Clinic
As a clinical professor, Lawrence M. Grosberg spends most of his time working with aspiring lawyers to develop the skills they will need to be effective and humane practitioners in a changing the world.
Professor Grosberg, director of New York Law School’s Lawyering Skills Center, believes law schools need to continue to experiment with new methods of teaching and examining students to “better reflect what they do in practice.” His scholarship has focused on how law schools might improve their clinical instruction and, in turn, how the bar admission process might better evaluate an applicant’s competence to practice law. To that end, he recently completed a three-year term as chair of the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar of The New York City Bar Association. “New York Law School is supportive of innovative clinical methods, where students learn how to interact with clients and lawyers and how to conduct themselves in the courtroom,” he says giving as a prime example, the first-year use of actors to portray clients who then provide written feedback to students on their client interviews. “The Law School’s extensive use of this standardized client teaching method is unique in legal education,” Professor Grosberg explains.
Professor Grosberg has taught Civil Procedure and Complex Litigation and most of the Law School’s clinical and skills classes, including the Civil and Human Rights Clinic; Negotiating, Counseling and Interviewing; Trial Advocacy; Alternative Dispute Resolution; the Externship Course; the first-year course, Lawyering; the Mediation Clinic; and the Elder Law Clinic. Before joining New York Law School in 1983, Professor Grosberg taught a Housing Discrimination Clinic at Columbia Law School. Prior to that, he ran a legal services office in Manhattan and was an associate at Spear & Hill. He has litigated individual and class actions in the areas of employment and housing discrimination law in federal and state courts. He received a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where he was an editor on the Journal of Transnational Law, and a B.A. cum laude with the Order of the Palm from the University of Southern California.
Recommended Citation
New York Law School, "Professor Lawrence M. Grosberg (1943-2023)" (2023). Faculty...In Memoria. 12.
https://digitalcommons.nyls.edu/faculty_memorials/12
Obituary
Lawrence Grosberg, 79 of New York, NY and Damascus, PA, originally from Detroit, MI, died on March 7, 2023. He was a brilliant man, more passionate about his family and his work than anything else, and has been described as a leader, a mentor, a teacher, and a fierce and gentle soul. He graduated first in his class at USC in 1965 and after graduating from Columbia Law School in 1969, took and passed the Bar Exam on July 20, 1969, the day that humans first walked on the moon.
A funeral service is scheduled for Sunday, March 12, 2023 at 12:30pm at Garden of Remembrance in Clarksburg, MD. Click here for details and to access a livestream of the service. A celebration of Larry's life is being planned in NYC for June.
Family members include: Devoted husband of nearly 43 years to Susan Rosenthal, beloved father of Gina (Kenny) Walters and loving Grandpa of Benjamin Philip Walters and Cara Brooke Walters. Brother of Barbara (Edward) Gauthier of Palos Verdes, CA, brother-in-law of Judith Grosberg of Chevy Chase, MD, brother-in-law of Richard (Kate) Rosenthal of Carmel Valley, CA. He was the brother of the late Sheldon Grosberg, the son of the late David and Cora Grosberg, and the son-in-law of the late Eugene and Lucille Rosenthal. Survived by 6 adoring nephews and nieces and their families, and will be greatly missed by many friends and family.
Shiva will be at the home of Joel Grosberg and Orly Isaacson located at 5129 Massachusetts Ave, Bethesda, MD following the funeral service, with a religious service at 6:00pm that evening.
Shiva will also take place at the home of Gina and Kenny Walters located at 6030 Eldridge Drive, Waterford, MI on Wednesday evening, March 15, 2023 at 7:00pm.
It is suggested that anyone who wishes to further honor the memory of Larry Grosberg consider making a contribution to one of the following:
Riverside Park Conservancy
475 Riverside Drive, Suite 455
New York, NY 10115
https://riversideparknyc.org/bench/
(Select the Honor/Memory checkbox and enter Lawrence Grosberg)
New York Law School
185 W. Broadway
New York, NY 10013
www.nyls.edu/give (Note the gift is in tribute to Lawrence Grosberg and the donations will be assigned to the clinical program)
NYLS Tributes:
From Anthony W. Crowell, Dean and President; Professor of Law
Dear Colleagues,
It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the passing of our dear colleague Larry Grosberg. Larry had an outsized presence in our clinical program for three decades. He was a greatly valued colleague who I hope always will be remembered as a courageous pioneer in NYLS’s clinical programs, and in the expansion and acceptance of clinical education in the American legal academy. He was a great leader and one of a kind. Larry started at NYLS in 1983 and transitioned to Emeritus status in 2014. He was 79, and is survived by his spouse Susan Rosenthal, his daughter Gina Grosberg Walters, a son-in-law, and two grandchildren. I will remain in contact with his daughter as arrangements to remember Larry are made, and advise you accordingly. May he rest in peace.
From Richard D. Marsico, Professor of Law and Co-Director, Impact Center for Public Interest Law
When Larry became the inaugural Lawyering Skills Director in 1990, he shared his vision of an experiential learning program at NYLS that included extensive clinics, externships, and simulation courses, as well as a full-year lawyering course. He also envisioned a strong clinical faculty that contributed to all aspects of the life of the law school, including teaching, service, and scholarship, and enjoyed a status that reflected this. Larry marshalled resources, developed persuasive arguments, and persisted, and his vision has become a reality. On a personal note, he taught me how to be a clinical professor and he became a friend. I will miss him, but I feel his presence at NYLS every day.
From Carol A. Buckler, Professor of Law, Emeritus
This is such sad news. In designing the first Lawyering Skills program at NYLS, Larry put in place the building blocks for what has become a diverse and robust experiential curriculum. He was one of the first, if not the first, to adapt the "standardized patient" model from medical school to law school simulations. He was a true believer in and fierce advocate for clinical and experiential learning in legal education. And he was an ardent guide for those who joined him in pursuit of that vision, at NYLS and beyond.
From William P. LaPiana, Dean of Faculty, Rita and Joseph Solomon Professor of Wills, Trusts, and Estates
Larry was a key member of this community for many years. His importance to clinical education at NYLS is reflected in the comments of our colleagues. But his role in shaping clinical education throughout legal education was just as great. In every way, Larry was a key figure in helping us all educate the lawyers our society so greatly needs.
From Mariana Hogan, Professor of Law, Emeritus
I echo all the tributes to Larry. He was passionate and uncompromising in his commitment to making legal education more effective through the use of well-designed clinics, externships and simulation courses. But, he didn't stop there. He also worked to find ways to introduce roleplays and simulations in the larger traditional courses as well. I feel lucky to have been mentored by Larry. He taught me course design, roleplay creation and execution, simulation development, and the art of feedback. He made me a better teacher in so many ways. And, he also fought hard to make sure we clinical and experiential faculty were recognized for our contributions and integrated into the law school in every way. I so appreciate everything he did for New York Law School and for me. He is deeply missed.
From Michael Perlin, Professor of Law, Emeritus
This is such a loss for all of us and for legal education. Larry’s office was next to mine from 1984 until the B/C buildings were remodeled (mid 2000s, I’d guess), and we saw each other every day for decades. I owe so much to him. When I came, I taught the Federal Litigation Clinic for six years. Before I started (this echoes Richard S’s email), I asked him (and Gene Cerruti’) for tips as I had never taught (or even been in a clinic) before. Larry’s first word was, “Videotape!”. And I did. For six years. Hundreds of simulated interviews. And so many students over those years (and even since) have told me that was the most valuable aspect of the clinic for them. I had never heard the phrase “active listening” until Larry told me about it. I always tried to incorporate that into my teaching, both clinical and otherwise. He also urged me to assign The Buffalo Creek Disaster when I started teaching Civ Pro six years later, and I assigned that book for the 23 years that I taught that course. And I know, from what students have told me since, that that was the part of the course that will always stick with them.
In short, Larry was one of my most valued faculty mentors. His memory will be a blessing to his family and to all of us and our students.
From Richard K. Sherwin, Wallace Stevens Professor of Law, Emeritus
Larry was a passionate and innovative advocate of clinical skills training. He initiated individualized videotaping of student lawyering teams that provided the basis for invaluable student feedback.
He was probably the first in the nation to use professional actors in realistic role playing. And he anticipated the use of video-based skills teaching well before the Bar adopted it. He helped to put NYLS at the forefront of skills training. Larry’s clinical vision looked toward the lawyer as an integrated whole - fully present for the client, armed with a battery of honed active listening and counseling skills, but above all a problem solver, the lawyer as trusted friend, as was once said. It was a privilege working with him. He was fierce and gentle, and always fully committed to the highest aspirations of the profession and of what legal education could be at its best.
From Peter J. Strauss, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Law
This is a sad day for me. When I developed a plan to offer a guardianship clinic at NYLS I asked Larry for his input and participation and he became an enthusiastic partner. We became co-directors. Larry brought the clinical skills to my substantive experience and that enabled me to carry on when he retired. It was a wonderful partnership from which I learned so much, including skills that also made me a better practitioner. I have missed working with Larry since he retired but appreciate the quality of his teaching and skills from my own experience as “his student.”
From Melynda H. Barnhart, Assistant Professor of Law
As many have said, Larry was a mentor and visionary who helped so many of us in our careers and in experiential teaching. In particular, I wanted to highlight his creation of the standardized client model of teaching clinical skills to first-year students. Every time I watch a video recording of students practicing skills with these trained actors, and every time I review the students' deep reflections on their videotaped skills practice, I gratefully thank Larry for manifesting his vision here. NYLS' Legal Practice program offers a unique and top-of-class instruction for our students. It gives them a huge help in their first internships.
He will be missed, but his legacy is deep.
From Anne Goldstein, Professor of Law; Director, First-Year Legal Skills Program
I echo Carol. I was so sorry to hear this news. Larry was a mentor for me and encouraged me in so many ways. He was pivotal in supporting the work of the Legal Practice faculty and the transformation of the Lawyering program into the LP curriculum. He was a patient, kind, and generous colleague. And his belief in the feasibility and importance of widespread and varied clinical education for law students has had a lasting impact.
From Frank A. Bress, Professor of Law, Emeritus
I also join all in their memories and sentiments about Larry and sadness in his passing. Larry was one of a relatively small group of early pioneers in clinical legal education and contributed significantly to the development of the clinical teaching methodology. His unique contribution was in the use of professional actors, first as “standardized clients” and then in a wide range of simulation roles. I knew Larry through clinical theory workshops during my years at NYU and Pace, and was thrilled to join him in the in the NYLS clinical program. Larry gave me the space, encouragement and support to develop together with Mariana the Advocacy of Criminal Cases, the Criminal Defense Clinic and two Prosecution Clinics. Larry was a great teacher – of both students and clinicians. His deft, gentle and patient critique of students was a model for us all. And not said enough is that his students loved him. His passing is a loss. We will miss him.
From Edward A. Purcell Jr., Joseph Solomon Distinguished Professor of Law, Emeritus
Colleagues: I join all of you in memorializing our affection and respect for Larry and our sadness in his passing. I sent the following message to his daughter last night.
Gina: I am terribly sorry to hear about your father. We were colleagues at NYLS for almost a quarter of a century, and he was one of my most favorite people there. Many times he helped me out on various litigation and clinical matters, and he was always available and ready to help on any number of things. He was a lovely, friendly, and supportive colleague, and I missed him from the day he left NYLS. You, your mother, and your whole family have my deepest and sincerest condolences.
From James F. Simon, ’92, Martin Professor of Law, Emeritus & Dean Emeritus
Larry, as so many have recalled, provided the drive, savvy, & vision for our clinical program. He was also a warm & supportive colleague. My condolences to Susan & family.
Larry, as so many have recalled, provided the drive, savvy, & vision for our clinical program. He was also a warm & supportive colleague. My condolences to Susan & family.
From Eugene Cerruti, Professor of Law, Emeritus I’d like to add my own remembrance of our friend Larry to the many wonderful tributes that have already been paid here. This has brought back a lot. Larry was my longest and deepest friend through our shared, and sometimes troubled, experiences as first-phase law school clinicians. By the late 70s Harvard and NYU had already raced ahead and established the ambitious gold standard for this new and highly controversial thing called clinical legal education: live-client, go-to-court student practice opportunities. We were a small group housed off-campus and were delighted when Larry brought us his civil clinic down from Columbia. We were close-knit and quickly learned who this new uptown guy was. Larry was meticulous and demanding, but also exceptionally relaxed, considerate, sharing and just plain nice. And he never raised his voice, never got angry, despite the many rich opportunities back then. This has made me recall the one and only occasion that I can remember when something did manage to get Larry a bit loud and angry. One morning I heard Larry walking back and forth on our hallway, being loud and upset about something that was preventing him from getting ready for class. When I looked out, he was anxiously telling various people to get things for him from his office. I was a bit taken aback but laughed when I was told that Larry had run out of his office first thing that morning and was refusing to return because he had heard the bleating of a single mouse that had gotten stuck on one of the many glue pads that were installed around our offices. So a mouse could do it to this veritable softy but other people or some hard times could not. One of those harder times came some years later when the school decided to push-back the live-client clinics and recommit to a broader form of clinical education. Those of us who were sharply disappointed became quickly unsettled. But not Larry. When the school formed a committee to search at large for a new leader to invent a broadly revised clinical program, it found Larry. Suffering no remorse, Larry designed a new platform and peopled it successfully with some wonderful people who are among those paying tribute today. Larry retired quite easily to his wife and extended family. There was always a wide-open door policy at either their apartment or their home in the country for anyone visiting or just passing through. As Larry became increasingly isolated, both he and Susan were put to task on their individual health issues. Family became everything. Susan was the California girl, but Larry was the inveterate New Yorker. He began inviting me for meets at one or another museum around the city – even though neither of us had any artsy pretensions. It was actually quite comfortable to just walk around until Larry got tired and we would plop down for a bit, then move on. I last met Larry for a long non-walking lunch several months ago. He knew where he stood but was quite cheerful. He filled me in as usual on Gina and her family and all those other folks whom I never met and did not remember. Along the way, he would say something a little silly or absurd, catch it, and then laugh at himself. He gave me a big hug on the sidewalk as we planned another easy lunch in better weather which, hopefully, both of our wives would attend.