Dr. Yael Rimer Cohen holds the Alfred Landecker-Nathan Feinberg Lectureship for the Study of Individual and Group Rights dedicated to the Study of Protection of Minorities and Vulnerable Groups. She is affiliated with the Haruv Institute for the Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, the Weatherhead Center for Equality and Social Inclusion, and the ‘Rethinking Parenthood’ research group in the Mandel Scholion Research Center. She is a legal scholar engaged in the study of Public Law (both administrative and constitutional), with specific expertise in marginalized groups, poverty law and the Regulation of Legislation. Her research spans interdisciplinary boundaries, drawing from the realms of law, social work, political studies, and gender studies. She combines normative-theoretical methods with empirical qualitative research. Her focus lies in examining the social exclusion among individuals living in poverty and its multifaceted ramifications. She pays particular attention to the intersectionality of poverty with ethnicity, age, and gender, seeking to amplify marginalized voices within the domain of welfare law. Yael’s scholarly contributions have been featured in prestigious publications such as the Modern Law Review, Oxford Journal of Legal Studies, Regulation & Government, and Columbia Journal for Gender and Law.

Yael’s academic journey commenced with the completion of her PhD thesis at the Hebrew University Law Faculty, under the mentorship of Prof. Barak Medina. Subsequently, she furthered her research pursuits through postdoctoral positions at the Safra Center for Ethics at Tel Aviv University, Harvard Law School under the mentorship of Prof. Lucie White, and the Minerva Center for Human Rights in the Child Rights Program. Prior to her academic pursuits, Yael gained valuable experience through an internship with the Honorable Dorit Beinish, Chief Justice of the Israeli Supreme Court, followed by a tenure as a community lawyer specializing in social benefits, housing, and individual insolvency. Her expertise has extended beyond academia, with governmental departments seeking her counsel on various public policy issues. Notable engagements include contributing to comparative research for the legislation of a new welfare law in Israel, training lawyers and judges in poverty-aware lawyering, and advising on the socio-economic impacts of renewable energy initiatives on impoverished communities.

 

Publications:

Yael Cohen-Rimer, We are exactly the Same, We are Totally Different – People in Poverty’s Dual Narrative in Striving for Epistemic Standing, Georgetown Journal on Poverty Law & Policy (forthcoming 2025)

Yael Cohen-Rimer, “Is this ‘minor time’ now? My time?” - Voice Verses Knowledge in Child Neglect Proceedings, Lessons from the Guardian ad Litem Role in Israeli Juvenile Courtrooms, Child Abuse & Neglect (2024)

Yael Cohen-Rimer, Criministrative Law: Data-Collection, Surveillance, and the Individualization Project in US Child Welfare Law, Columbia Journal of Gender and Law (2024)

Yael Cohen-Rimer, Netanel Dagan, Deservingness on Trial: Neutralization Techniques in Public Housing Jurisprudence, 32(4) Social & Legal Studies, 540-561 (2023)

Yael Cohen-Rimer, Poverty Aware Lawyering: An Empirical Study and Theoretical Suggestion for Practices and Professionalism in the Legal Aid Bureau, 14 Tel Aviv University Journal Of Law & Social Change (Ma'asey Mishpat), 111-134 (2023). [Hebrew]

Yael Cohen-Rimer, What’s Choice Got to Do with It? Addressing the Pitfalls of Choice Architecture discourse in Poverty Law, 86 Modern Law Review 951-983 (2023)

Yael Cohen-Rimer & Shai Stern, Unbundling Property in Welfare, 43 Oxford Journal of Legal Studies 574-597 (2023)

Yael Cohen-Rimer, Participation in welfare legislation—A poverty-aware paradigm, 17 Regulation & Governance, 83-102 (2022)

Yael Cohen-Rimer, 'On Paper' – a Spotlight on the Gap Between Income Supplement Law and the Reality of Bedouin Women, 14 The Hebrew University Journal Of Legislation (Hukim) (2020). [Hebrew]