David Robert Koch

Curriculum Vitae
davekoch@gmail.com / (917) 628-7096 / Port Washington, NY
A detailed list of courses taught is available at davidrobertkoch.com/courses
Profile

Writing instructor and editor with extensive experience teaching composition, rhetoric, and creative writing at the college level. MFA-trained in fiction with additional expertise in legal writing developed through a decade of practice at premier law firms and federal courts. Taught more than fifty sections of writing courses across seven institutions, adapting curriculum for diverse student populations including art students, religious-studies students, and pre-law undergraduates. A combination of creative-writing pedagogy and analytical precision is well suited to teaching expository writing as both craft and critical thinking.

Teaching Experience — Full-Time
Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Writing, St. Vincent College, Latrobe, Pennsylvania2005–2006

Taught two sections of Language and Rhetoric, Major British and American Authors, two sections of Introduction to Creative Writing, Advanced Fiction Writing, and Creative Writing: Magazine Production. Directed the Emerging Writers Reading Series, bringing published authors to campus for readings and craft lectures. Served as faculty advisor to the college literary journal and conducted independent studies in advanced creative writing.

Teaching Experience — Adjunct
Adjunct Professor, Yeshiva University, Stern College for Women, New York, NYSpring 2007–Spring 2009

Taught twelve sections of English Composition.

Adjunct Professor, School of Visual Arts, New York, NYSpring 2007–Spring 2009

Taught ten sections of Writing and Literature.

Adjunct Professor, Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus, New York, NYFall 2007–Spring 2009

Taught ten sections of Composition and Rhetoric.

Faculty Writing Instructor, Gotham Writers’ Workshop, New York, NY2004–2005, 2007–2009

Taught nine sections of Fiction Writing I, four sections of Fiction Writing II, one section of Reading Fiction from the Writer’s Perspective, and one section of Fiction Writing I Online.

Instructor, University of Pennsylvania, University City College, Philadelphia, PASpring 2006

Taught one section of Reading Fiction from the Writer’s Perspective.

Teaching Fellow, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MOFall 2003–Spring 2004

Taught two sections of Introduction to Fiction Writing as part of an MFA teaching fellowship.

Teaching Experience — Conferences & Lectures
Conference Lecturer, Summer Writers’ Institute, Washington University in St. LouisSummer 2006

Taught a ten-day intensive for-credit Fiction Writing Workshop. Participated in a panel discussion on contemporary literary journals and read from published work.

Conference Lecturer, Penn Writers’ Conference, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA2003–2006

Presented lectures on craft, including “The Next Step: How to Submit Your Work to Literary Journals” and “The True Story in Literary Fiction: Writing from Personal Experience.”

Professional Writing Experience
Corporate Restructuring Litigation Associate, New York, NY2014–2021

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP (2018–2021) · Goodwin Procter LLP (2016–2018) · Dechert LLP (2014–2016)

Drafted complex legal memoranda, appellate briefs, motions, and settlement agreements in high-stakes corporate restructuring proceedings. Developed expertise in synthesizing complex information into clear, structured, persuasive prose, and mastered iterative revision through multiple rounds of editing.

Law Clerk to the Hon. Elizabeth S. Stong, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, E.D.N.Y., Brooklyn, NY2013–2014

Researched and drafted judicial opinions on complex bankruptcy matters.

Law Clerk to the Hon. Roslyn O. Silver, Chief Judge, U.S. District Court, District of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ2013

Researched and drafted judicial opinions.

Law Clerk & Judicial Extern to the Hon. Alice Schlesinger, New York State Supreme Court, New York, NY2010, 2012–2013

Researched and drafted decisions and opinions; conducted discovery conferences.

Law Clerk, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section, Washington, DC2011

Conducted research, drafted memoranda, and provided litigation support regarding enforcement of federal civil-rights statutes.

Research Assistant, University of California, Irvine School of Law, Irvine, CA2010–2011

For Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, researched the constitutional implications of defunded state-court systems. For Professor Catherine Fisk, collaborated on revising “The Anti-Subordination Principle of Labor and Employment Law Preemption” for the Harvard Law & Policy Review.

Editorial & Publishing Experience
Founding Editor, Land-Grant College Review, New York, NY2002–2009

Oversaw all aspects of an acclaimed, nationally distributed literary journal nominated by the editors of the Utne Reader for its Independent Press Award in the category of Best New Publication; fiscally sponsored by the New York Foundation for the Arts. Solicited, selected, and edited manuscripts; supervised grant applications and managed finances; arranged nationwide distribution; and supervised a staff of associate editors, editors-at-large, and interns. Published new stories by Aimee Bender, Ron Carlson, Stephen Dixon, Robert Olmstead, Arthur Bradford, Alan Cheuse, Padgett Powell, Mary Swan, and Frederick Barthelme.

President, Board of Directors, Land-Grant College Review, New York, NY2004–2009

Board members included co-founding editor Josh Melrod, internationally renowned authors Siri Hustvedt and Paul Auster, and experts in non-profit management, fundraising, and publishing.

Articles Editor & Senior Style Editor, UC Irvine Law Review, Irvine, CA2011–2012

Oversaw the editorial process and cite-checking for legal scholarship.

Fact Checker, The Paris Review, New York, NYFall 2004

Verified information in historical interviews—including interviews with Ernest Hemingway and Truman Capote—in preparation for republication.

Related Experience
Director, Academic Summer Program, Emma Willard School, Troy, NYSummer 2004

Managed twenty staff members and fifty students. Oversaw scheduling, program creation, budgeting, and purchasing, and served as primary contact for students’ parents.

Education
University of California, Irvine School of Law2012

Juris Doctor

Honors: Full Tuition Scholarship · Member of the Inaugural Class · GPA 3.5

Activities: UC Irvine Law Review (Articles Editor, Senior Style Editor) · Immigration Rights Clinic · Research Assistant to Dean Erwin Chemerinsky and Professor Catherine Fisk

Washington University in St. Louis2004

Master of Fine Arts in Fiction Writing

Honors: Full Tuition Scholarship · Teaching Fellowship · Stipend · Summer Stipend · GPA 3.8

Thesis: Life Should Be: Stories

Fellowships: Tennessee Williams Scholar, Sewanee Writers’ Conference (2003) · Bread Loaf Scholar, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference (2002)

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA1998

Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, magna cum laude, with Honors

Honors: Minor in English · GPA 3.7

Thesis: Unlatched Windows & Broken Locks: Finding Your Way Into Searle’s Chinese Room

Publications
Fiction

“The Size of My Thumb.” The Greensboro Review, no. 75, 2004.

“Emperor Hirohito Meets His Pep Steppers.” The Idaho Review, vol. VI, 2004.

“Maine Is Not My Uncle.” CrossConnect, 2003.

“Paul Is Dead.” Land-Grant College Review, no. 1, 2003.

“Life Should Be.” 6,500, Ow! The Pain Issue, Spring 2002.

Craft & Journalism

“Everyone Wants to Know More: How to Use Authenticating Details to Make Your Readers Feel Like They Know Enough.” The Writer, February 2006.

“Bread Loaf Diaries.” Slate, August 2003.

Legal

“International Bankruptcy: Do Principles of Comity Exist in Parallel to Chapter 15?” New York Law Journal, July 22, 2015.

Awards & Honors

Full Tuition Scholarship, University of California, Irvine School of Law — 2009–2012

Tennessee Williams Scholar, Sewanee Writers’ Conference — Summer 2003

Bread Loaf Scholar (“Waitership”), Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference — Summer 2002

Full Tuition Scholarship, Teaching Fellowship & Stipend, Washington University in St. Louis — 2001–2004

Bar Admission

New York State