Dr. Ian Amelkin

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Ian H. Marcus Amelkin is a Lecturer at Columbia Law School, focusing on criminal law and procedure. With over a decade of experience as a public defender, he joined the Federal Defenders in 2017 after working as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society’s Criminal Defense Practice and as an associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP. His judicial clerkships include positions with the Honorable Myron H. Thompson in the Middle District of Alabama and the Honorable Chester J. Straub at the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Mr. Amelkin graduated with high distinction from the University of Virginia and cum laude from the New York University School of Law, where he was a Root-Tilden-Kern Scholar and participated in the Federal Defender Clinic. He teaches a federal defense seminar and an externship at Columbia Law School and also provides instruction in criminal procedure at Brooklyn Law School. In August 2025, he will join the faculty at Hofstra Law School as an Associate Professor of Law, where he will teach courses focused on criminal law, criminal procedure, and seminars on the criminal justice system.

Research Interests

Experience

Lecturer

— Present

Columbia Law School • New York, NY

Teaches federal defense seminar and externship.

Public Defender

— Present

Federal Defenders • New York, NY

Serves as a public defender.

Staff Attorney

— Present

Legal Aid Society • New York, NY

Worked in the Criminal Defense Practice.

Associate

— Present

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP •

Law Clerk

— Present

United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit •

Clerked for Honorable Chester J. Straub.

Law Clerk

— Present

Middle District of Alabama •

Clerked for Honorable Myron H. Thompson.

Requirements for Columbia University

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
TOEFL
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Overall
Required:7.5
Prerequisites
Bachelor's degree or international equivalent
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Transcripts
  • Statement of Academic Purpose
  • Personal Statement
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • CV or Resume
  • Application fee
Specialization Notes

Department of Anthropology (GSAS)