Alumni Weekend at Law School To Focus on Regulatory Debate

Former Yale Law School Dean Harold Hongju Koh, currently serving as legal adviser of the U.S. Department of State, will be back on campus the weekend of Oct. 16-18 to accept the Yale Law School Association’s Award of Merit during Alumni Weekend 2009.

Koh is the Martin R. Flug ‘55 Professor of International Law at Yale Law School. He is on leave from the Law School during his time in Washington, D.C., and will return to teach when his public service ends. The Award of Merit is presented each year to an esteemed graduate or faculty member who has made a substantial contribution to public service or to the legal profession. Previous recipients include former U.S. presidents Gerald Ford ‘41 J.D. and William J. Clinton ‘73 J.D. and District of Columbia Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton ‘63 M.A., ‘64 J.D.

The theme of Alumni Weekend 2009 is “The Regulatory Debate: Whether, What and How?” Panel discussions will examine various facets of the debate - courts and regulation; the regulatory process; and regulation in health care, the economy and the environment. On the lighter side, an interactive game Friday evening, hosted by Stanford Law Professor Pam Karlan ‘80 B.A., ‘84 M.A., ‘84 J.D., will allow participants to play the role of administrative judge.

Other highlights include an All Alumni Dinner on Friday night; a memorial tribute to Professor Thomas I. Emerson LAW ‘31, who taught law at Yale for three decades and whose career involved him in many of the great societal and political issues of the 20th century; and a student-alumni breakfast on Saturday morning. On Saturday afternoon, attendees may participate in a question-and-answer session with Yale Law School Dean Robert C. Post LAW ‘77, who took over the deanship in July.