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Professor Robert Brookins retired in December 2023, concluding his 33-year career as a member of the faculty at IU McKinney.

Before Professor Brookins joined the law school in fall 1990, he was a doctoral student at Cornell University, where he taught courses in labor relations law, labor arbitration, employment discrimination, collective bargaining, and employment. While completing his doctoral studies, he was a visiting professor at the Syracuse University School of Business and a full-time assistant professor at the Ithaca College School of Business. Professor Brookins also taught at the IU Kelley School of Business on both the Bloomington and Indianapolis campuses from summer 1989 through spring 1990. In addition to a doctoral dissertation on labor arbitration in the federal sector, Professor Brookins wrote several law review articles on employment discrimination. He received a Trustees Teaching Award in 2001.

“During his 34 years as an IU McKinney faculty member, Professor Brookins taught generations of students influencing the practice of law in the State of Indiana in countless ways,” said IU McKinney Dean Karen E. Bravo.

Vigo Superior Court Judge Lakshmi Reddy, J.D. ’97, took first-year torts with Professor Brookins and said her fondest memory of being in that class was his smile and laugh. “He had a good sense of humor and always appreciated the ‘off the wall’ and outlandish arguments,” Judge Reddy said. She also appreciated the practical training she received in his course. “Taking torts from Professor Brookins taught me how to stretch my imagination and be creative in coming up with arguments for or against a position,” she said. “This was a learned skill that was useful when I was practicing medical malpractice defense. It has also been useful as a judge as I am constantly trying to come up with solutions to solve problems in ways that are different than the traditional approach.”  

Professor Brookins was a frequent lecturer and provided training sessions in employment discrimination, labor/management relations, alternative dispute resolution, and employment law. He also served for many years as director of the annual labor management seminar sponsored by the Indiana University School Robert H. McKinney School of Law and Region 25 of the National Labor Relations Board.