Rob Edwards

Rob joined FIRE in 2026, bringing experience in litigation, arts advocacy, and public-school teaching to his work defending freedom of expression.

Originally from Conway, Arkansas, Rob earned a Bachelor of Music from the University of Arkansas in 2017 before returning home to work as a band director. He later moved to northern Virginia to join the National Association for Music Education, where he managed the nonprofit's federal lobbying efforts and a portfolio of research and professional-development programs. In 2019, he read Greg Lukianoff’s The Coddling of the American Mind and came to admire FIRE's work defending freedom of expression. Not long after, he decided to go to law school.

Rob earned his J.D. from the University of Michigan Law School in 2024, where he studied the First Amendment and higher education law. He served as an Executive Editor of the University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, worked as a student attorney in the Veterans Legal Clinic, and interned for Judge Lee P. Rudofsky of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas.

Before joining FIRE, Rob was a litigation associate at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP in Washington, D.C., where his practice included serving higher education clients. He also maintained an active pro bono practice representing veterans and local artists.

Rob is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia. Outside of work, he enjoys reading, live music, and trying new restaurants in D.C. He remains an avid fan of both the Razorbacks and the Wolverines.