Roberta A. Kaplan

Roberta A. Kaplan is a partner at Kaplan Martin in New York, where she handles high-stakes civil litigation involving civil rights, employment, higher education, government regulation, and complex commercial disputes. Her practice includes trial and appellate matters for individuals, companies, universities, and public entities. Kaplan is also known for public interest litigation involving constitutional rights, discrimination, sexual misconduct, and other disputes with significant legal and institutional consequences.

Kaplan earned an A.B. magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1988, where she studied Russian History and Literature and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She received her J.D. from Columbia Law School in 1991 and later returned there to teach Advanced Civil Procedure. She also clerked for Judge Mark L. Wolf of the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts and Chief Judge Judith S. Kaye of the New York Court of Appeals.

Kaplan has handled major matters across civil rights, commercial litigation, employment, and government regulation. She represented Edith Windsor in United States v. Windsor, the 2013 U.S. Supreme Court case that invalidated a key federal provision of the Defense of Marriage Act. Her other work includes litigation arising from the 2017 Charlottesville violence, Title IX and higher education disputes, financial services cases, government regulatory challenges, and significant employment and discrimination matters.

Roberta A. Kaplan has received recognition from Chambers USA, The American Lawyer, the New York Law Journal, and the Financial Times for her litigation work. Her official profile lists Band 1 Chambers rankings in commercial litigation, employment litigation, and higher education, along with numerous national honors. Kaplan combines extensive trial experience, appellate advocacy, and public interest work with a practice that addresses complex legal disputes involving individuals, institutions, businesses, and government entities.

Law Office Affiliations

• Partner, Kaplan Martin LLP
• Member, Massachusetts Bar Association
• Member, New York State Bar Association

Licensed State

• Massachusetts
• New York

Education

• Columbia University
  Juris Doctor (JD)
• Harvard University
  AB with Magna Cum Laude

Awards & Badges