Education
BA, Clark University
MBA, University of Connecticut
JD, Chicago-Kent College of Law
LLM, Boston University School of Law
Background
Since 2006, Clinical Professor Bob Statchen has directed the WNE School of Law Small Business Clinic, which has served hundreds of entrepreneurs and small business owners while providing real-world, experiential learning opportunities for students. In the clinic, he supervises law students who deliver transactional legal services, including entity formation, trademark and copyright registration, employment law compliance, contract drafting, tax planning, and regulatory compliance. Additionally, he teaches courses in Business Planning, Nonprofit Law, and International Military Law. He also designed a course, Business Law and Racism, to explore the relationship between historical economic development and structural racism. From 2002 to 2012, Professor Statchen taught regularly in the Law Department at the United States Coast Guard Academy.
In 2026, Professor Statchen accepted an appointment as Associate Dean for Experiential Learning. In this role, he oversees all clinical and externship opportunities for upper-level students.
Prior to teaching, Professor Statchen served as a Judge Advocate in the U.S. Air Force. He served in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia in support of Operation Southern Watch and in Bosnia-Herzegovina as a military legal advisor to the Office of the High Representative in support of Operation Joint Forge. Colonel Statchen also served as the Staff Judge Advocate for the 103rd Airlift Wing in the Connecticut Air National Guard from 1997 until his retirement in 2023. In these roles, he advised commanders on state and federal statutes and Air Force regulations regarding the administration of military justice, misconduct investigations, environmental compliance, government contracting, congressional inquiries, operational/international law, and governmental claims.
Professor Statchen also has private practice experience at a civil litigation law firm in Stamford, Connecticut, and at a transactional law firm in New London, Connecticut. While practicing in Connecticut, Professor Statchen was a member of the House of Delegates for the Connecticut Bar Association from 2002 to 2005.
Professor Statchen regularly makes presentations at both public events and legal conferences. As part of his pro bono commitment, Prof Statchen has worked with the ACLU Immigrant Protection Project of Western Massachusetts and has represented clients for bond hearings in federal immigration court. He has also served on the boards of non-profits, including Higher Edge, in New London, Connecticut, and the Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services (IRIS), in New Haven, Connecticut. In his local community, he is a member of the Democratic Town Committee, has served on his town Charter Revision Committee, and was elected to the town Board of Finance for a four-year term.
Download Vitae
Robert Statchen's Google Scholar Profile
Courses Taught
- Business Planning
- Real Estate Practicum
- Real Property Practice Seminar
- Small Business Clinic
- Small Business Seminar
Scholarly Works
Journal Articles
Lisa Reel Schmidt, Steve Garland & Robert Statchen, Preparing "Main Street" Lawyers: Practicing without Big Firm Experience, 14 Transactions 473 (2013). SSRN Digital Commons
Robert R. Statchen, Clinicians, Practitioners, and Scribes: Drafting Client Work Product in a Small Business Clinic, 56 N.Y.L. Sch. L. Rev. 233 (2011/2012). SSRN Digital Commons
Robert Statchen, Interdisciplinary Transactional Courses, 12 Transactions 101 (2011) (with Eric J. Gouvin, Anthony J. Luppino, and William A. Kell). SSRN Digital Commons
Robert Statchen, Teaching Transactional Skills in a Clinic, 9 Transactions 203 (2009) (with Serge Martinez). SSRN Digital Commons
Shorter Writings
Bob Statchen, LLC's Are Not for Every Small Business Owner in Massachusetts, Af-Am Point of View, Aug. 1, 2024, at 23.
Bob Statchen, Forming a New Nonprofit, Tax-Exempt Corporation in Massachusetts, Af-Am Point of View, Aug. 1, 2023, at 23.
Robert Statchen, A Second Look at Long-Term Care Insurance, Af-Am Point of View, Aug. 1, 2021, at 23.
Bob Statchen, Why Veteran Benefits Still Matter: Changes Coming for the GI Bill, Af-Am Point of View, Sept. 1, 2017, at 23.
