Ashley B. Armstrong teaches courses on research and writing; negotiation; and interviewing, counseling, and oral advocacy at the University of Connecticut School of Law. Professor Armstrong’s scholarship lies at the intersection of refugee and human rights law, and analyzes how countries use physical and legal barriers to block asylum-seekers from entering, return them after they have arrived, or dissuade them from coming in the first place. Her recent projects explore the non-refoulement obligation, safe third country concept, and responsibility-sharing principle in the European Union and the Americas through the lens of critical human rights scholarship. Professor Armstrong also researches and writes about legal skills pedagogy and lawyer well-being.

Before joining the UConn Law faculty, Professor Armstrong taught at New York University Law School and the Georgetown University Law Center. She also led the Human Rights Institute at Georgetown Law and directed its Human Rights Associates Program for first-year students.

Prior to entering law teaching, Professor Armstrong was chief operating officer at the National Whistleblower Center, where she facilitated the launch of the Global Wildlife Whistleblower Program and represented SEC, IRS, and qui tam whistleblowers. She also served as the inaugural Hillary Rodham Clinton Law Fellow at the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and has volunteered with UNHCR’s Global Learning Center in Budapest, Amnesty International, Human Rights First, and the Human Rights Foundation.

Professor Armstrong received her J.D. cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, with certificates in Transnational Legal Studies and Refugee and Humanitarian Emergencies. She also received her LL.M. in Advocacy with distinction from Georgetown Law. Professor Armstrong graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Cornell University with a B.A. in government and concentration in international relations. She is admitted to practice law in the state of New York.