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Alumni Weekend 2010

A Weekend Odyssey Exploring Science and Law

October 8-10

Almost 900 YLS alums and their guests returned to the Law School for Alumni Weekend 2010 on October 8-10, to see classmates and other Law School friends. The theme for the Weekend, “2010: A Weekend Odyssey Exploring Science and Law,” allowed for lively (and packed!) panel discussions about science and the three branches of government, the CSI effect, the next technological revolution, privacy and technology, and environmental law. On Friday afternoon, after alums had a chance to attend a Student Activity Fair with more than 20 student groups, everyone headed to an All Alumni Reception and Dinner in Commons, followed by a coffee and dessert medley which gave people a chance to catch up with each other well into the evening. 

Saturday morning kicked off with a matching breakfast, where almost 140 students and alumni were paired after completing surveys about their career and non-career interests. At the All Alumni Luncheon on Saturday, the Yale Law School Association's Award of Merit was given to four members of the Class of 1969 who have been environmental leaders throughout their careers and were instrumental in the founding of the Natural Resources Defense Council: Richard Ayres ’69, John Bryson ’69, James Gustave Speth ’69, and Edward Strohbehn Jr. ’69. Fittingly, alums had a chance to tour Kroon Hall after the tour, the new home of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies which has LEED platinum certification. 

Throughout the weekend individual classes had special activities ranging from memorials to remember class members, to panel discussions, to a volunteer project painting light posts on the New Haven Green. On Saturday night and Sunday morning, reunion classes were spread out around town for their festive class reunion dinners and brunches. The picture perfect weather provided a great backdrop for events throughout the weekend. 

For those of you who want to remember the Weekend, and for those who were unable to attend and want to get a sense of what occurred, please take a look at the terrific photo gallery and streaming videos.

Photo Gallery

Photos from the weekend (click here).

Schedule

Friday, October 8

1:00 – 6:00 PM 
Hospitality Areas 
Room 125, Student Lounge, and Alumni 
Reading Room

1:30 – 7:30 PM
Registration
Room 122

3:30 – 4:45 PM 
Panel Discussion
Levinson Auditorium

Science and the Three Branches of Government: How Congress, Courts, and Executive Branch Agencies Use (or Misuse!) Scientific Information

This panel will examine how scientific information is evaluated and used by the three branches of government. Questions such as stem cell research, exposure to chemicals, and the harms caused by greenhouse gases are debated in Congress, evaluated by agencies, and litigated in the courts. The panel will discuss whether these branches are able to evaluate scientific issues relating to important public policy and legal questions adequately in the face of intense ideological and religious debates, aggressive litigants, and well-funded interest groups.

Moderator: E. Donald Elliott ’74, Professor (Adjunct) of Law, Yale Law School, and Partner, Willkie Farr & Gallagher

Panelists: 
The Honorable Brett M. Kavanaugh ’90, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit 
William B. Schultz, Partner, Zuckerman Spaeder 
Wendy E. Wagner ’87, Joe A. Worsham Centennial Professor, The University of Texas School of Law

Moderator Don Elliott will pay tribute to the ideas of the late Steven Goldberg ’73, James and Catherine Denny Professor of Law, Georgetown University Law Center, who was to have been a panelist.

5:00 – 6:00 PM
Student Activity Fair 
Law School Dining Hall

Yale Law School has over 50 student organizations. Many of them will be at the Fair. Drop by and learn what activities students are involved in today.

6:30 – 8:00 PM 
All Alumni Reception and Dinner
University Commons 
(Enter either on the corner of College and Grove Streets or from Beinecke Plaza)

8:00 – 9:30 PM
Coffee and Dessert Medley
University Commons

Spend some more time socializing with friends!

Saturday, October 9

7:00 – 8:00 AM
Fun Run  
Meet in front of the Law School at 127 Wall Street

Join Yale Law School’s Ian Ayres ’86, William K. Townsend Professor of Law, and Dan M. Kahan, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law, for an early morning 5K run.

8:00 AM – 6:30 PM 
Registration
Room 122

8:00 – 9:30 AM 
Alumni-Student Breakfast Connections 
Room 120

8:00 – 11:00 AM 

Continental Breakfast 
Law School Dining Hall

Breakfast will be available in the Dining Hall for all alumni who are not participating in the student match in Room 120.

9:30 AM – 6:30 PM 
Hospitality Areas 
Room 125, Student Lounge, and Alumni Reading Room

9:30 – 10:45 AM 
Panel Discussions 
(two concurrent sessions)

I. The CSI Effect? How Do Popular Conceptions of Criminal Proof Affect the Criminal Process 
Levinson Auditorium

A scientist, forensic investigator, judge, and lawyer will discuss how television shows such as CSI influence judges, lawyers, and jurors. They also will talk about real- world scientific developments in crime scene investigations, ranging from DNA analysis to ballistics, from brain fingerprinting to surveillance technologies and the legal issues that come into play.

Moderator: Kate Stith, Lafayette S. Foster Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Panelists: 
The Honorable James E. Boasberg ’90, Superior Court of the District of Columbia
Jennifer L. Mnookin ’95, Professor of Law, University of California-Los Angeles School of Law 
Barry C. Scheck, Professor of Law, Co-Director of the Innocence Project, Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University
Tom R. Tyler, University Professor of Psychology, New York University

II. The Next Technological Revolution: The Legal Challenges Posed by Emerging Technologies From Nano to Neuro
Room 127

This panel will feature a discussion between a scientist, policy maker, journalist, and lawyer about technological changes that are quickly transforming our world. What is on the horizon for new communications technologies, new medical technologies, and new manufacturing technologies? What issues do these technologies raise for commercial lawyers, tort lawyers, patent lawyers, and lawyers focusing on privacy issues? How will individuals be affected by technologies that might expand our lifespan and capabilities?

Moderator: Dan M. Kahan, Elizabeth K. Dollard Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Panelists: 
Lori B. Andrews ’78, Distinguished Professor of Law, Chicago-Kent College of Law; Director, Institute for Science, Law and Technology; and Associate Vice President, IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law 
David Singh Grewal ’02, Junior Fellow, Harvard University Society of Fellows 
Susan M. Wolf ’80, McKnight Presidential Professor of Law, Medicine & Public Policy; Faegre & Benson Professor of Law; and Professor of Medicine, University of Minnesota Law School

11:00 AM – 12:15 PM 
Panel Discussions 
(two concurrent sessions)

III. My Not So Private Life – Minority Report, Facebook, Google
Levinson Auditorium 

This panel will examine evolving notions of and possibilities for privacy in a world where digital trails allow others to know your past and predict your future actions. What role can government usefully play in empowering people to author their own public presentation? What, if any, limitations should there be on attempts by entities to organize all of the world’s information?

Moderator: Ian Ayres ’86, William K. Townsend Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Panelists: 
Danielle Keats Citron, Professor of Law, University of Maryland School of Law
James Grimmelmann ’05, Associate Professor of Law, New York Law School
Christine Jolls, Gordon Bradford Tweedy Professor of Law and Organization, Yale Law School 
Frank A. Pasquale ’01, Schering-Plough Professor in Health Care Regulation and Enforcement; Associate Director, Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy, Seton Hall University School of Law

IV. Generations of Environmental Law – What Have We Done, What Remains To Be Done, and How and Who Should Tackle Those Challenges
Room 127

What will the latest round of environmental policies mean for lawyers, businesses, and communities? What will the likely impacts be on land use, agriculture, forestry, energy supply, residential, commercial and industrial buildings? Many other nations, as well as local governments across the US, are developing innovative programs to achieve sustainable development patterns in land use, water supply, green building and transportation. Speakers will address federal and international law and policy, state and local programs, and financial mechanisms to address climate change.

Moderator: Daniel C. Esty ’86, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; and Clinical Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Panelists: 
Richard E. Ayres ’69, Principal, Ayres Law Group 
John E. Bryson ’69, Retired Chairman & CEO, Edison International 
J. Gustave Speth ’69, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School; and former dean, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies 
Edward L. Strohbehn, Jr. ’69, Partner, Bingham McCutchen

12:30 PM 
All Alumni Luncheon 
University Commons
(Enter either on the corner of College and Grove Streets or from Beinecke Plaza)

Opening Remarks:
Cynthia Cwik ’87, President, Yale Law School Association Executive Committee 
Robert C. Post ’77, Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, Yale Law School

Presentation of the Yale Law School Association Award of Merit to: 
Richard E. Ayres ’69, Principal, Ayres Law Group; John E. Bryson ’69, Retired Chairman & CEO, Edison International; J. Gustave Speth ’69, Professor of Law, Vermont Law School; and former dean, Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies; and Edward L. Strohbehn, Jr. ’69, Partner, Bingham McCutchen

Presented by: Robert C. Post ’77, Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, Yale Law School

2:30 – 5:30 PM 
Informal Activities, Including Some Class Events

Spend Saturday afternoon with classmates and friends taking part in a variety of scheduled activities, or exploring the Law School, Yale University, and New Haven. Check the Informal Activity web page,  and your registration packet for information on scheduled activities.

3:30 PM 
Kroon Hall Tour 
195 Prospect Street 
(A short walk from the Law School. Meet inside by the Law School’s Grove Street entrance at 2:45 PM.)

Enjoy a 45-minute tour of the new home of Yale’s School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Kroon Hall boasts such sustainable features as daylight harvesting, energy recovering ventilation, a rainwater collection and cleansing pond, a green roof, and recycled, local and sustainable building materials.

6:30 PM Class Reunion Receptions
7:30 PM Class Reunion Dinners

All class reunion dinners are in New Haven. Shuttle service to and from the dinners will be available from the downtown hotels.

Sunday, October 10

9:30 AM – 1:30 PM 
Registration 
Room 122

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM 
Class Reunion Brunches                     

All brunches will be held in New Haven unless otherwise specified. Shuttle service to and from the brunches will be available from the downtown hotels.