Student Organizations
The Yale Law School Chapter of the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy (ACS) aims to revitalize and transform the legal debate by restoring to a central place in American law the fundamental principles of respect for human dignity, protection of individual rights and liberties, genuine equality, and access to justice.
The Asian Pacific American Law Students Association (APALSA) supports the interests of students of Asian Pacific American and Native American descent and raises awareness of challenges facing minorities in the law.
The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is concerned with issues affecting members of the African diaspora and advances the interests of its members and the broader Black community.
The Capital Assistance Project (CAP) matches YLS students with public defenders from around the country to provide research support for capital defense work. CAP also raises public awareness about death penalty and indigent defense related issues.
The Catholic Law Students Association (CLSA) promotes vigorous discussion of and growth in the Catholic faith at Yale Law School. The association meets regularly and sponsors social events, social justice projects, academic speakers, and devotional practices. The association also connects with other Catholic communities at Yale, including the St. Thomas More chaplaincy and Catholic student groups.
The Disabled Law Students Association (DLSA) aims to foster a sense of community and increase the legal profession’s accessibility and cultural competency surrounding disability, mental health conditions, and the like. DLSA provides individualized support to members in accessing accommodations and ensuring their needs are being met at the law school, in internships, and across other contexts.
The Dred Scott Society (DSS) is a group for all students of color (BIPOC and PGM) who identify as being descendants of oppressed, colonized, segregated, and enslaved peoples.
The Election Law Society (ELS) introduces speakers and events with election law scholars and practitioners to the YLS community. It brings events on topics in election law, including campaign finance and voting rights issues, to YLS students and offers a reading group on election law topics each semester.
First Generation Professionals (FGP) seeks to provide a safe and welcoming space for Yale Law School students who are the first in their families to pursue a professional degree—primarily serving those who come from low-income, working class, or non-white-collar backgrounds—to discuss and assist each other with their concerns as they navigate the environment of Yale Law School. Additionally, FGP advocates for policies that better meet the needs of its members and seeks to foster a broader conversation about class at Yale Law School.
The Green Haven Prison Project (GHPP) brings law students and inmates together for a seminar on legal and political issues concerning prisons.
The If/When/How: Yale Law School chapter is dedicated to further reproductive justice through education, events, and policy advocacy on and beyond campus.
The Immigrant Justice Project (IJP) supports community organizations working on immigrants’ rights issues in the Greater New Haven area. In addition, IJP works with local, regional, and national immigrants’ rights organizations, including the national Asylum Seeker Advocacy Project, on strategic litigation, direct services, and advocacy surrounding immigrant justice. IJP also conducts annual trips to detention centers and works with partner organizations in locations such as Texas; Washington, D.C.; and Hartford, Connecticut.
The International Community @ YLS (InCo) is a group for all international students across all academic programs at Yale Law School. The group provides programming centered on career planning, immigration advocacy, and community building.
The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) is a student-run organization with chapters at Yale Law School, New York University Law School, and Boalt School of Law at Berkeley working to improve the plight of international refugees. IRAP’s mission is to facilitate the resettlement of refugees from abroad, improve U.S. policy toward the refugee crisis, and ease the transition of newly resettled refugees to American life.
The J. Reuben Clark Law Society serves members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and others interested in participating in its discussions and activities.
Just Vitae is founded upon the principle that human life is sacred and has inherent dignity and believes the right to life is inherent and inalienable; individuals or governments should not abridge it. The organization’s mission is to defend life’s sanctity from conception until natural death. Just Vitae seeks to promote bioethical programming to address legal questions from the pro-life perspective.
Korean Law Students Network (KLSN) provides a cultural, political, and social platform tailored to address topics pertinent to the Korean community, a forum for the greater law school community to engage with Korean politics, law, and culture, and supports the professional development of members through alumni and employer networking. KLSN connects the YLS Korean community with other Korean communities within and outside Yale.
The Latinx Law Students Association (LLSA) promotes the academic, professional, and political interests of Latina/o students at Yale Law School.
The Law and Political Economy Group aims to foster an intellectual community for students, faculty, and members of the Yale community that are interested in articulating more democratic and egalitarian frameworks in legal thought.
Law Students for Justice in Palestine (LSJP) promotes justice for the Palestinian people and believes in Palestinian rights because of a belief in the rights of all people. Yale LSJP spreads awareness about the human rights violations occurring in Israel and Palestine through hosting speaker events and other actions.
The Legal Priorities Society’s mission is to encourage Yale Law School students to leverage their legal education to do the most social good.
The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project is a collaborative teaching program that sends law students into local public high schools to teach Constitutional Law. Participants in this student-run organization can coach their students in a national moot court competition, the first round of which is run by the Yale chapter in New Haven.
The Mental Health Advocacy, Resource, and Care Helpers (MARCH) aims to support the Yale Law School community’s wellness and mental health by raising awareness of mental health conditions, advocating for YLS and university policy changes, connecting students to mental health and wellness resources, and building an engaged, inclusive student community.
The Middle Eastern and North African Law Students Association (MENALSA) provides a forum for engaging the Yale Law School community on the legal, political, social, and cultural realities of the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East, with particular focus on issues of discrimination, equality, citizenship, and human rights. It also serves as an institutional home and social network for law students of Middle Eastern and North African background or with an interest in the region.
The Morris Tyler Moot Court of Appeals is a competition in which each participant writes an extensive appellate brief and presents an appellate oral argument on a case scheduled to be heard by the Supreme Court.
Motions invites students to engage their minds and bodies to engage and movement and dance.
The Muslim Law Students Association (MLSA) serves as a vehicle for gathering Muslims and others interested in learning about Islamic legal issues and issues of concern to Muslims and other minorities.
The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system.
The Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) supports the interests of students of Native American descent and works to advance and advocate for legal and cultural issues affecting Native Americans, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians, and American Indian Nations.
Older Wiser Law Students (OWLS) fosters a supportive community for students who have taken significant time off prior to law school, are transitioning into second careers, are married and/or parenting, or view their academic path as nontraditional.
OutLaws is an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) members of the Law School. Its main goals are to provide a community for LGBTQ-identified people within YLS and to advocate for LGBTQ issues both at YLS and beyond.
The Plaintiff’s Law Association aims to support law students interested in becoming plaintiff-side attorneys who will represent the interests of victims, advocate for consumers’ rights and equal access to justice, and ensure that any person who is injured by the misconduct or negligence of others can obtain justice in America’s courtrooms, even when taking on the most powerful interests.
Public School Graduates (PSG) creates a space for graduates of public institutions of higher education to network, share experiences, and combat the imposter syndrome that often comes with being a product of public education.
Qui Transtulit Sustinet (QTS) is a student organization that seeks to foster a safe space and to create a sense of community for transfer students at YLS.
The South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) is an organization dedicated to promoting awareness of and engagement with South Asian American and South Asian cultural, legal, political, and social justice issues.
Tax at YLS is an organization aimed at providing community for students interested in tax law or in pursuing a career in tax.
The Temporary Restraining Order Project (TRO Project) staffs an office at the courthouse to assist individuals seeking temporary restraining orders.
The Thomas Swan Barristers’ Union organizes an annual intramural mock trial competition and sponsors a national trial advocacy team.
The Title IX Student Advocates fight gender-based violence and harassment on campus and beyond as they work to create a safe, equitable space at the Law School, and to address the systemic biases that often disadvantage women, people of color, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, and members of other marginalized groups.
Trans at YLS (T@YLS) aims to support the trans community at YLS by creating safe spaces, connecting members, and advocating for their needs.
The Volleyball Club brings together people who are interested in playing volleyball and interested in competing in the intramural graduate league.
The Women of Color Collective (WoCC) is an affinity group for women of color that provides social support, mentorship, and community.
The Yale Animal Law Society (YALS) works to reduce animal suffering by fostering a community of concerned students, advocating for anti-cruelty legislation, providing resources on animal law, and reaching out to the wider Law School community.
The Yale Civil Rights Project (YCRP) draws attention to the legal practitioners who craft litigation strategies to overcome discrimination through the courts.
The Yale Creative Society (YCS) provide a space and a community for aspiring writers and creators of all kinds at Yale Law School.
The Yale Entertainment and Sports Law Association (YESLA) aims to bring together students, faculty, alumni, and practitioners who are interested in the intersection of sports, entertainment, arts, and the law.
The Yale Environmental Law Association (YELA) aims to build on Yale Law School’s legacy as an important center for groundbreaking environmental thinking by drawing attention to all aspects of environmental law and related fields. It supports YLS community events, speakers and reading groups, and opportunities to connect and collaborate with other campus groups, and it promotes sustainability in the use of Law School facilities.
The Yale Federalist Society (FedSoc) is a group of conservative and libertarian law students dedicated to fostering discussion of and debate on issues of law and public policy.
The Yale Health Law and Policy Society (YHeLPS) creates interdisciplinary opportunities for students to learn about health law and policy by hosting speaker events, providing career support to students for summer and postgraduation jobs, and developing experiential learning opportunities that will enable students to actively participate in the field.
The Yale Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) hosts Shabbat and holiday meals, arranges discussions on topics of Jewish and legal interest, and sponsors action in the public interest.
The Yale Law & Business Society (YLBS) is an organization dedicated to promoting the interaction among law, policy, and business.
The Yale Law & Philosophy Society (YLPS) aims to offer both formal and informal activities for students interested in philosophy and law. The organization is committed to fostering engagement with legal and philosophical ideas by sponsoring reading groups, hosting guest speakers, and creating a social community on campus.
The Yale Law & Technology Society (TechSoc) is a nonpartisan organization that fosters Yale’s growing community, debate, and scholarship at the intersection of law and technology.
The Yale Law Christian Fellowship (YLCF) is a student-led, nondenominational organization formed to encourage spiritual growth in the Law School community.
The Yale Law Civil Discourse Society speaks across divides with speaker series from a student perspective. Students from across the political spectrum at Yale Law School come together, exchange ideas, and engage in productive disagreement. Most of all, however, by bringing together different perspectives, the group fosters the bonds that can unite all Yale Students and our fragile political climate.
The Yale Law Democrats connects students with progressive campaigns, politicians, and policy projects. Its mission is to bring exceptional speakers to campus and connect students with government jobs and other Democrats across the country.
The Yale Law Intellectual Property Society hosts panel discussions, create professional networking opportunities, and institute more classroom and experiential learning opportunities on campus. This organization responds to the growing demand of students’ desire for more resources in this interdisciplinary field of law.
The Yale Law National Security Group (NSG) helps to foster a nonpartisan community of students focused on national security and international affairs by hosting experts and practitioners in the field and conducting events designed to deepen students’ knowledge of and exposure to national security issues.
The Yale Law Republicans promotes conservative values, explores and discusses Republican Party philosophies, and conducts political outreach.
The Yale Law Chess Club creates a welcoming, inclusive, and educational environment for the YLS community through chess and chess education. The club is open to all members of the Yale Law School community regardless of skill level, including people learning the game for the first time.
The Yale Law School Defenders (DefSoc) is a group of students interested in public defense and committed to building community support for public defense at YLS.
Yale Law Strength is a community that fosters an inclusive and encouraging environment surrounding weightlifting.
Yale Law Students for Climate Accountability (YLSCA) aims to hold the top 100 law firms accountable for their role in the climate crisis and to build a legal profession committed to ensuring a just and livable future.
Yale Law Texas Society provides social and professional networking opportunities within the Law School community for Texans, future Texans, and any student interested in Texas culture or its legal market.
The Yale Law Veterans Association is a nonpartisan group seeking to promote discussion on military and national security issues that affect the Yale community.
Yale Law Women (YLW+) aims to advance the status of women at Yale Law School and in the legal profession at large. Its programming gives women access to resources, professional development opportunities, mentorship, and a supportive community that will assist them in pursuing their professional and personal goals.
The Yale Society of International Law (YSIL) aims to provide a comprehensive platform for YLS students to pursue their academic and professional interests in international affairs and international law.
The Yale Urban Law & Policy Society (YULPS) is a nonpartisan group, interested in local and state government. The group sponsors programming to promote discussion on urban and local issues.
YLS Art & Justice Collaborative explores the intersections of art and justice by building a warm, curious, and bold intellectual community, applying art law to human rights and cultural heritage management issues, finding intersections between art spaces and rights discourse, understanding the uses of art and aesthetics in social and legal movements, supporting artists of many kinds in producing or protecting work, engaging academics and practitioners to fill a clear gap in art-law related institutional resources at YLS, and annually organizing INTERSECTIONS, a spring-term conference on art, justice, and the law.
The YLS European Law Association (ELA) is an association of students interested in European legal and political issues. ELA provides a platform to discuss contemporary issues through presentations, speaker series, informal events, and a networking venue for everyone interested in European law and governance. ELA is an inclusive organization and welcomes the participation and contribution of all students of any nationality, culture, and background.
YLS Hiking Club offers a safe, fun, and accessible opportunities for members of the YLS community to explore the natural world around New Haven. The club is open to experienced hikers as well as those completely new to hiking with adventures that will offer a meaningful change of scenery from urban life while also being as accessible as possible. The club will provide a welcoming social and recreational space to balance out the academic and professional intensity of law school.
YLS RunL relieves stress and provides a space for students to socialize safely and enjoy the physical and mental benefits of regular fitness.
YLS Social Climbers provides a collaborative and friendly environment where students can create and solve climbing problems side-by-side regardless of experience and skill level.
The Youth Justice Project (YJP) is a student group for YLS students interested in child and youth issues—including education, juvenile justice, child welfare, family law, social safety nets, and more.
Students may list student organization events in the online Calendar of Events (https://law.yale.edu/calendar).
Student Journals
The Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics (YJHPLE) is an interdisciplinary journal whose staff members come from all of Yale’s graduate and professional schools. The journal publishes pieces on topics ranging from civil rights enforcement in health care delivery to bioterrorism.
The Yale Journal of International Law (YJIL) contains articles and comments written by scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and students on a wide range of topics in public and private international law. Published twice a year, the journal is a primary forum for the discussion and analysis of contemporary international legal problems.
The Yale Journal of Law and Feminism (YJLF) publishes works concerning a broad range of legal issues as they pertain to gender, sexuality, or feminist theory.
The Yale Journal of Law & Liberation (YJLL) offers a space for progressive scholarship, activism, and connection between law students and communities most marginalized by the law.
The Yale Journal of Law & Technology (YJoLT) offers its readers a cutting-edge, dynamic environment in which to acquire and produce knowledge about the interface between law and technology. The journal publishes scholarly articles, incisive think pieces, lectures, and written pieces by guests of the Law & Technology Society as well as other scholars and professionals.
The Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities (YJLH) explores the intersections among law, the humanities, and the humanistic social sciences. It is edited by students from the Law School and several graduate departments in the University and is advised by a board of distinguished scholars.
The Yale Journal on Regulation (JREG) is a national forum for legal, political, and economic analysis of current issues in regulatory policy.
The Yale Law & Policy Review (YLPR) publishes pieces on a wide range of issues at the intersection of law and policy, including affirmative action, campaign finance reform, urban policing, education policy, and the war on terrorism.
The Yale Law Journal (YLJ) is one of the nation’s leading legal periodicals. The Journal publishes articles, essays, and book reviews by legal faculty and other professionals, as well as student notes and comments. An editorial board of second- and third-year students manages and produces eight issues of the Journal per year. The Journal’s online YLJ forum features original essays on timely and novel legal developments as well as responses to articles from the print Journal.
Other Notable Events
The annual Yale Law Revue is a collection of satirical songs, skits, and vignettes written, staged, and performed by law students.
The Rebellious Lawyering Conference (RebLaw) is an annual, student-run conference that brings together practitioners, law students, and community activists to discuss progressive approaches to law and social change.
Student Participation in Administration
Students participate in the administration of the Law School as follows:
- There are eleven elected representatives of the student body—three from each J.D. class, one representing the LL.M. and M.S.L. classes, and one representing the J.S.D. class—entitled to be present at faculty meetings and to participate fully in the deliberation of the faculty during these meetings, although the student representatives do not vote.* Meetings of the faculty typically are convened to address academic policy matters. Meetings of other governing bodies of the Law School—such as the Governing Board and the Expanded Governing Board, which consist of tenured, tenure-track, and clinical faculty and deans—are often devoted to faculty hiring matters, and student representatives do not participate in those meetings.
- Student representatives are elected for a term of one academic year, commencing with the beginning of the fall term. Representatives for the second- and third-year classes are elected during the spring of the academic year preceding their term of office. Representatives for the first-year and graduate classes are elected at the beginning of the fall term of the academic year for which they will serve. Elections for all classes are held under the auspices of the student representatives in office at the time of the election.
- The elected student representatives, and other students selected by appropriate procedures, participate in the work of standing committees of the faculty and, where appropriate, in the work of ad hoc committees. The form and nature of such participation depend upon the character of the work of each committee. All elected student representatives serve on committees.
- Yale Law School invites students to share any concerns they might have about the Law School’s curriculum, particularly any issues that directly implicate the School’s compliance with the ABA’s Accreditation Standards. Students having such a concern should submit the concern, in writing, to the associate dean for student affairs, who will work with the appropriate administrator to address the issue. The associate dean for student affairs, or another associate dean, as appropriate, will keep a record of all submissions and their resolutions.
*This entitlement is subject to the limitation that on occasion the faculty may feel it necessary to convene as Faculty in Executive Session. In such an event the dean will, to the extent deemed appropriate, advise the student representatives of the holding of the executive session in advance and invite the student representatives to present to the faculty their views on the subject under consideration; under any circumstances student representatives will be advised of the holding of such meeting promptly thereafter. It is, however, the purpose and expectation of the student body and of the faculty that the academic policy business of the School will normally be conducted in meetings in which student representatives participate.
Student Feedback Regarding ABA Standards
Yale Law School is an ABA-accredited law school and is subject to the ABA Standards for Approval of Law Schools. The ABA Standards are available at www.americanbar.org/groups/legal_education/resources/standards.html.
Any current Yale Law School student who wishes to bring a formal complaint against the Law School alleging a significant problem that directly implicates the School’s program of legal education and its compliance with the ABA Standards should submit the complaint, signed and in writing, to the associate dean of student affairs, the associate dean for academic affairs, or if appropriate another of the Law School’s associate or assistant deans.
The complaint should identify the ABA Standard(s) in question and describe the issue with enough specificity to enable the appropriate Law School associate dean, assistant dean, or other senior administrator to identify and, as appropriate, investigate and respond to the merits of the complaint. The complaint should include the student’s University-provided yale.edu email address, telephone number, and street/mailing address to allow further communication about the matter.
The associate dean or assistant dean who receives the complaint will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within fourteen (14) business days, via a message sent to the complaining student’s University-provided yale.edu email address.
Within thirty (30) days of acknowledgment of receipt of the complaint, the associate dean or assistant dean who received the complaint, or if appropriate another of the Law School’s senior administrators, will either meet with the complaining student or respond to the merits of the complaint in writing. The complaining student will either receive a substantive response to the complaint or information about what steps (if any) are being taken by the Law School to address or further investigate the merits of the complaint. If the matter requires further investigation, then within fourteen (14) business days of the investigation’s conclusion, the complaining student will receive either a substantive response to the complaint or information about what steps (if any) are being taken by the Law School to address the merits of the complaint.
Within ten (10) business days of receipt of either a substantive response or information about what steps (if any) are being taken by the Law School to address the merits of the complaint, a complaining student may appeal any decision or course of action regarding the initial complaint to the dean of the Law School. The dean’s decision(s) regarding any appeal will be final.
At the discretion of the dean, the procedures detailed above and associated time constraints may be postponed during times when the Law School is in recess until the following regular session of the Law School.
The Office of Student Affairs and the Dean’s Office will keep the original complaint and a summary of the response/investigation, appeal, and final disposition of the complaint for a period of eight years from the date of final resolution of the complaint.