A Visit to Strengthens Global Impact through Strategic Partnerships and Scholarly Engagement

Yale Law School Promotes Global Perspectives in Legal Education During Asia Tour

Dean visited the University of Tokyo’s Faculty of Law, where she met with Vice Dean Shusuke Kakiuchi and professors to discuss training future lawyers and the challenges of artificial intelligence. She also visited Waseda Law School, engaging with university officials on international affairs and higher education challenges, and later met with Waseda University President Aiji Tanaka to discuss interdisciplinary approaches and reaffirm their longstanding partnership.

Michael Wishnie ’93 joined Dean for a fireside chat with alumni at an evening reception hosted by Yale Law School and the Yale Club of Japan, discussing his clinical work with veterans and immigrants and the importance of hands-on training for future lawyers. On her Beijing stoppage, Tsinghua University law students toured her around the campus and law school library. She then met with Tsinghua Law School Dean Guangquan Zhou and faculty members to discuss the value of a global perspective for future lawyers, the challenges of artificial intelligence, and the role of cultural exchanges in legal education.

The highlight of the trip was the Peking University-Yale Law School Forum on Legal Scholarship and Education, where Dean Gerken delivered the keynote address. She emphasized the importance of training lawyers as global citizens and the shared responsibility in legal education to equip students with the tools to shape a bright future. Gerken highlighted Yale Law School’s commitment to global exchanges and its development of the New Haven School of International Law. She acknowledged former Dean Harold Hongju Koh's role in expanding the School's global influence and noted that the Law School’s international impact is driven by its faculty-led centres focused on global legal issues.

Moreover, the Paul Tsai China Center, established in 1999 by Paul Gewirtz ’70, focuses on China’s legal reforms, China-U.S. relations, and enhancing understanding of China in the U.S. It organizes workshops, seminars, and research visits, supporting scholarly work by both Chinese and U.S. scholars. Other centers, including the Owen Fiss Latin American Linkage Program, the Center for Global Legal Challenges, and the Global Health Justice Partnership, also contribute to advancing international legal scholarship, driven by the Law School’s exceptional faculty.

Yale Law School Professor Taisu Zhang ’08 led a discussion with Chinese law faculty, many of whom are Yale alumni, about Yale's impact on their careers and worldviews. The following evening, Zhang and Gerken joined alumni for a fireside chat at Beijing’s Puxuan Hotel, co-hosted by Yale Law School and the Yale Club of Beijing, where they discussed trends in U.S. and Chinese legal education and the importance of global connections in a complex world. Zhang noted that the warm reception Yale Law School received in Asia highlights the strong demand for global engagement, even amidst escalating geopolitical tensions. He emphasized the need for the Law School to respond with curiosity, open-mindedness, and critical reflection, as it has traditionally done.

The relationships formed during the trip underscored the critical importance of Yale Law School's mission. The impact on global scholars and students, as well as their contributions to the School’s intellectual community, reaffirmed its commitment to training global citizens and valuing international scholars. The emphasis was placed on the shared mission of faculty worldwide to train future lawyers to repair a fractured world. Overall, Yale Law School's visit to Japan and China highlighted its commitment to fostering global legal education, emphasizing the importance of international relationships and cultural exchanges in training future lawyers.

Editor's Note:

Yale Law School’s recent trip to Asia highlights its commitment to expanding global connections and education. The visit focused on building relationships, understanding different perspectives, and preparing future lawyers to face global challenges, including those posed by AI. The trip reinforced the importance of training global citizens through collaboration and exchange, with Yale playing a key role in shaping future leaders in the legal world. 

Skoobuzz sees this visit as a step forward in fostering international cooperation and addressing future legal challenges.