Rita C. Tobin holds a J.D. from the Columbia University School of Law, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, Charles Evans Hughes Fellow in Humanities and member of the Human Rights Law Review.  She is admitted to practice in New York State, the United State District Courts for the Southern and Eastern District of New York, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

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Ms. Tobin's legal experience includes four years as a litigation associate at the firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where she assisted in the two-year represention of a major U.S. bank regarding a multi-million dollar loan dispute and worked on numerous other litigation matters, and 15 years as an attorney in the New York City office of a highly regarded Washington D.C. full-service law firm, where she assisted in the representation of creditors' committees  in hi-profile, mass tort bankruptcy actions and represented individuals and small businesses in a variety of commercial matters.

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Ms. Tobin's assignments have included participating in an internal investigation that was conducted on behalf of a major securities firm; representing individuals and businesses in contract negotiation and commerical litigation; representing employees in wage disputes, enforcement of civil rights laws, and negotiation of separation agreements; and representing debtors or creditors in corporate reorganizations.

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Her many pro bono activites include the representation of a death row inmate that resulted in the reversal of his conviction; litigation on behalf of a New York City neighborhood organization regarding the quality of care afforded to the homeless mentally ill; and the incorporation of a New York not-for-profit that advocates for cancer research.

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In addition to her pro bono work, Ms. Tobin contributes to her community as an educator.  She holds a Ph.D. in English from the Columbia University Graduate School in Arts and Sciences and is an adjunct assistant professor of English at Hunter College of the City University of New York, where she teaches courses in Literary Theory, Women's Studies and Law & Literature.