Yale Law School alumni serve as distinguished practitioners, public servants, academics, judges, and business entrepreneurs all over the world. Renowned in their professional lives, these more than 13,000 alumni play a vital role in the global Yale Law School community. They renew social ties, network with one another, and offer their knowledge of legal scholarship and practice at Law School gatherings in a variety of places in the United States throughout the year. Graduates also serve as practitioners-in-residence and mentors in the School’s centers and programs, and attend and participate in the many lectures and conferences occurring at their alma mater.
The Yale Law School Association, founded to strengthen the ties both among graduates and between graduates and the Law School, consists of all alumni. In cities across the United States and abroad, Yale Law School local associations provide social, intellectual, and professional opportunities for graduates and the larger Law School community. Whether it is a group of alumni and students in Chicago hearing about the fascinating clinical work of a faculty member, an alumni panel discussion in Washington, D.C., on the Supreme Court’s preceding term, or a diversity reception in San Francisco, Yale Law School alumni maintain important connections with their alma mater. For a listing of upcoming alumni events and further information about Law School alumni, visit https://law.yale.edu/info/alumni; email alumni.law@yale.edu; or telephone 203.432.1690.
Overseeing and supporting the YLS Association is its approximately 175-member Executive Committee, which meets twice a year in New Haven. During these meetings, committee members engage in a variety of activities, including ad hoc working groups on the dean’s initiatives, presentations from Law School faculty members, and networking opportunities with students. Recent gatherings included a dinner matching alumni with shared career interests, a business luncheon followed by breakout sessions on several of the dean’s initiatives, and a festive dinner with the dean. The Executive Committee strengthens the Yale Law School community worldwide by connecting alumni with each other, current and incoming students, and the School. For more information, visit https://law.yale.edu/info/alumni/executive-committee.
All graduates of the Law School are invited to annual Alumni Weekends, which traditionally take place at the Law School in the fall. Alumni and their guests participate in three days of events, including discussions, tours, panels, receptions, and meals. Graduates celebrating their quinquennial reunions (fifth, tenth, fifteenth, etc.) reconnect with classmates at special Saturday reunion dinners in venues throughout New Haven and at Sunday brunches at the homes of faculty or fellow alumni. Current student organizations and affinity groups have the opportunity to connect with returning alumni, and many students attend events, serve as aides, and are matched through networking events with returning alumni on the basis of their legal areas of interest.
The Courtyard online engagement platform, named for a favorite gathering place, aims to replicate virtually the personal connections made in the heart of the Law School. Since the launch of this resource in 2019, more than 3,200 members have “raised their hands” to provide support and guidance to students and alumni. Through the Courtyard, alumni can engage with students, find classmates and friends geographically, and contribute to discussions in regional and class year groups. To join, or for more information, please go to https://thecourtyard.law.yale.edu or email thecourtyard.law@yale.edu.