Amy Kapczynski
Amy Kapczynski, a leading scholar whose work examines the intersections of law, inequality, and democratic governance, was recently appointed the John Thomas Smith Professor of Law at Yale Law School, effective July 1, 2025.
Kapczynski is a professor of law, faculty co-director of the Yale Global Health Justice Partnership, and faculty director of the Law and Political Economy Project. She is also co-founder and serves on the editorial board of the widely read Law and Political Economy blog, a platform that amplifies critical perspectives on the role of law in structuring markets and political power.
Kapczynski joined the Yale Law School faculty in 2012 from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Earlier in her career, she clerked for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor and Justice Stephen G. Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court and for Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.
Her scholarship develops theoretical and practical critiques of how law contributes to contemporary inequality, precarity, and democratic erosion. She is widely recognized for her work on intellectual property, pharmaceutical regulation, and the political economy of health and technology. A central focus of her research has been the global and domestic struggle for access to life-saving medicines. Her work has influenced legal and policy debates around open licensing, drug pricing, and government patent use. More recently, she has examined the political economy of information capitalism, including the implications of surveillance and monopoly power for democracy.
Kapczynski’s publications span top law reviews, policy journals, and interdisciplinary outlets. She was also the editor of Rethinking Law (MIT Press, 2022), a collection of essays reimagining the role of law in confronting injustice.
A sought-after public commentator, Kapczynski’s writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Health Affairs, The American Prospect, and Boston Review. She is frequently cited in national media and has provided expert commentary on regulatory reform, COVID-19 health equity, and pharmaceutical competition.
She teaches a wide array of courses including “Intellectual Property Law,” “Law and Political Economy,” and the “Health and Justice Practicum.” Through the practicum and the broader Global Health Justice Partnership, she has mentored students on advocacy, litigation, and community-engaged research, with projects ranging from access to Hepatitis C medications to public interest litigation related to quarantine practices and health data transparency. She co-led the Collaboration for Research Integrity and Transparency, a cross-disciplinary initiative to increase transparency in clinical research and regulatory systems.
Her work has received support from major foundations and advocacy coalitions. Through the Global Health Justice Partnership and affiliated initiatives, she has secured multi-year funding for program development, community partnerships, and clinical projects at the intersection of law, health, and equity.
Kapczynski earned her A.B. from Princeton University, her M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, an M.A. from Queen Mary and Westfield College, University of London, and a J.D. from Yale Law School.
