 Rubenfeld clerked for Judge Joseph T. Sneed on the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1986–1987.After his clerkship, he worked as an associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and as an assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of New York.In 2018, Rubenfeld was investigated by Yale Law School for allegations of harassment and inappropriate conduct, particularly towards female students, with the investigation being conducted by Title IX investigator Jenn Davis.