Yale Law School dean steps down
After eight years at the helm of the Law School, Dean Heather K. Gerken has been named the president of the Ford Foundation. Over the course of her deanship, Gerken has been a champion for bolstering need-based aid, supporting veterans and low-income students, and expanding access to legal education. As one of the country’s leading experts on constitutional law and election law, Gerken has also dedicated her life’s work and scholarship to democracy and the rule of law. “Heather has led the charge in redefining legal education by strengthening the school’s tradition of academic excellence, launching innovative new programming, and stewarding robust philanthropic support to enhance the institution’s educational experience and need-based financial aid programs,” said Yale University President Maurie McInnis ’96PhD. Shibley Family Fund Professor of Law Yair Listokin ’05JD is serving as interim dean.
Hurst Horizon scholars embrace the future
Three years after the launch of the Soledad ’92 and Robert Hurst Horizon Scholarship Program, the first Law School students graduated after receiving the tuition-free scholarship across their entire law school journey, including Tyler Walls ’25JD. “My family was always worried about debt, even if it’s ‘good debt,’ so to have the tuition entirely covered made me feel like I could pursue things I wouldn’t normally pursue,” he said. In 2024–25, 89 YLS students walked the hallways tuition-free, including 15 percent of the 1L class.
Environmental justice attorney joins faculty
Stephanie Safdi ’13JD joined the Yale Law School faculty on July 1 as a clinical associate professor of law. Safdi’sresearch and practice areas include environmental law and justice, water law, land use, and Indigenous rights. From 2021 to 2024, she was clinical supervising attorney and lecturer in law at Stanford Law School’s Environmental Law Clinic.
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