Celebrating the Past and the Future

When addressing bicentennial celebration guests in Naples and Miami, Dean Gerken spoke about our community’s abiding love of Sterling Law Building, the place “where the traces of your memories are etched into the walls themselves, ready to come rushing back the moment you walk our halls again.” She also reminded alumni of the qualities that have long defined Yale Law School: “our love of ideas, and our love for our students. Both have fueled the magic of the place, enabling a tiny school to play a mighty role in the world.”

Alumni at regional events in Naples (left) and Miami (right)

This people-first ethos characterized the gathering of alumni at subsequent regional bicentennial events in Houston, Texas, at the home of hosts Laura Arnold ’00 and John Arnold and in Dallas at the Adolphus Hotel.

Left: Laura Arnold ’00 with Dean Heather K. Gerken; right: Alumni at a regional event in Dallas. 

In early April the bicentennial tour returned to the east coast for an evening with more than 800 alumni and friends at Cipriani 42nd Street. Attendees enjoyed remarks by Travis Torrence ’05 and a conversation between Dean Gerken and Ronan Farrow ’09, who reflected on the impact the Law School has had on his career as a Pulitzer Prize– and Peabody Award–winning journalist.

Later that month, the community assembled for cocktails and dinner at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. Alumnus Leslie Gomez ’95 welcomed graduates to the evening’s program and introduced Dean Gerken for remarks about the school and an exchange with the Center’s President and CEO, Jeffrey Rosen ’91.

Alumni gather for a photo at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. 

In late April the Dean and staff traveled to a bicentennial dinner in Chicago at the Chicago Athletic Association and later set off for 2024’s only international celebration, hosted in London, England, at the home of Ian Rosen ’94 and Sagra Maceira de Rosen. The evening marked the first gathering of international graduates in roughly a decade.

Alumni at regional events in Chicago (left) and London (right). 

After returning to the U.S., the bicentennial tour continued in Washington, D.C., where more than 500 alumni gathered for a dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, honoring retiring Associate Dean Mike Thompson. Dean Gerken, and Amber Koonce ’17 provided remarks and helped unveil the portrait of Dean Thompson, which will be on display in Sterling Law Building. Also in June, more than 400 graduates and friends gathered in Los Angeles at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and at The Hibernia in San Francisco for remarks by Dean Gerken and a conversation with Scott Shapiro ’90, the Charles F. Southmayd Professor of Law and Professor of Philosophy, founding director of the Yale CyberSecurity Lab and Special Government Expert to the Office of the Technical Director, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency, where his work focuses on AI security.

Top left: Leondra Kruger ’01 at a regional event in San Francisco; bottom left: Alumni at a regional event in Los Angeles; right: Associate Dean Mike Thompson with his portrait, which was unveiled at a regional event in Washington, D.C.