News in Brief
Justice Honored with Boies Prize
Former Supreme Court Associate Justice Stephen Breyer received NYU Law’s inaugural David Boies Prize for his commitment to the pursuit of justice and the betterment of society. The new prize is named for David Boies LLM ’67, co-founder and chairman emeritus of Boies Schiller Flexner.
In a public conversation with Boies, Breyer commented on the judge’s role: “An open mind is not a mind that is blank. It is a mind that is prepared to change, modify, work things out, and maybe change completely when faced with contrary arguments and facts and figures…. And if you’re not willing to do that, you’d better not be a judge. There are other jobs, you know.”
Read more about the Boies Prize.
Highly Cited
Four NYU professors ranked among the top 100 most-cited legal scholars in the country, in an annual list compiled by George Mason University: Deborah Archer, Margaret B. Hoppin Professor of Law; Maggie Blackhawk, Moses H. Grossman Professor of Law; Daniel Hemel, John S. R. Shad Professor of Law; and Melissa Murray, Frederick I. and Grace Stokes Professor of Law. The study counts the number of times that articles published by each scholar between 2019 and 2021 have been cited in law journals. “The ranking reveals who is writing the most impactful legal scholarship right now,” the study’s co-authors wrote.
A Scholar Across Disciplines
Professor Joseph H. H. Weiler was awarded a 2025 Barry Prize for Distinguished Intellectual Achievement by the American Academy of Sciences and Letters (AASL), which cited his intersectional work in law, religion, philosophy, and political theory. The AASL praised Weiler’s “distinguished contributions to humanity’s pursuit of social orders that are humane, just, and free.”
Civil Rights Mentor
Peggy Cooper Davis, John S. R. Shad Professor of Lawyering and Ethics Emerita, was honored with the 2026 Ruth Bader Ginsburg Lifetime Achievement Award for her mentorship of students and championing of civil rights. The award is given by the Women in Legal Education Section of the American Association of Law Schools.
Saving Lives
Maria Weston Kuhn ’28, as president of Drive Action Fund, has led a nationwide campaign to address female underrepresentation in car safety testing. In November 2025, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) approved the development of a new female crash model for use in vehicular car crash tests. Kuhn—who founded Drive Action Fund after surviving a head-on crash—continues to lobby Congress on a bipartisan bill to require DOT to crash test new vehicles with accurate female test dummies. Read a Q&A with Kuhn.
Top 40 Hits
The American Bar Association recognized four NYU Law alumni with its On the Rise—Top 40 Young Lawyers Award.
Caleb Adebayo LLM ’22
Associate, Linklaters
Adebayo represents financial institutions, institutional investors, and large companies in structured finance and securitization transactions. He also maintains an active pro bono practice.
Christopher McKinnon ’15
Partner, Morrison Foerster
McKinnon’s practice focuses on a wide range of corporate finance matters, including complex deals for fast-growing, venture-based companies in the technology sector.
Nicholas Saady LLM ’20
Counsel, Pryor Cashman
A litigator and dealmaker, Saady has represented leading figures and organizations in the music, entertainment, and sports industries.
Amin Yacoub LLM ’18
Associate, Bogin, Munns & Munns
Specializing in business immigration law, Yacoub represents professionals, including entrepreneurs, doctors, scientists, lawyers, and engineers, in complex employment-based immigration matters.
An Eye on History
Maggie Blackhawk, Moses H. Grossman Professor of Law, appeared in filmmaker Ken Burns’s documentary The American Revolution to explore the role of Indigenous and marginalized peoples in the Revolution.
Public Works
Four NYU Law alumni received 2025 Skadden Fellowships, allowing each of them to pursue a two-year public interest project at a nonprofit organization. Vedan Anthony-North ’21 will work at the ACLU Foundation, Joelle Besch ’26 will spend her fellowship at the ACLU Women's Rights Project, Danielle Miles-Langaigne ’26 will carry out a project at Brooklyn Defender Services, and Eve Zelickson ’26 will work at Community Service Society of New York.
2026 Tony Winners
Best Play
Liberation, produced by Craig Balsam ’86
Best Revival of a Musical
Ragtime, produced by Tom Kirdahy ’88 and Manny Klausner ’62, LLM ’63
Best Revival of a Play
Death of a Salesman, produced by NYU Law Trustee Alex Levy ’14
Clinic Scores Legislative Victory
In December 2025, New York’s Anti-Harassment in Reporting Act became law, the culmination of a four-year advocacy effort by the Family Defense Clinic. The law requires callers to New York State’s child maltreatment hotline to identify themselves when reporting alleged abuse or neglect, though the caller’s identity will remain confidential.
Prior to the new law, anonymous reports triggered investigations of more than 10,000 New York families annually, with 86 percent determined to be unfounded at the close of the investigation, and with more parents cleared of wrongdoing after review. “These investigations are very, very invasive and disturbing to the kids,” says Professor Chris Gottlieb ’97, the director of the Family Defense Clinic. Students in the clinic brought together stakeholders, compiled research for legislators, and helped develop testimony to lawmakers in support of the bill. Read more about the new law and the Family Defense Clinic.
Leader in Torts
The recipient of the 2026 Prosser Award, Catherine Sharkey, Segal Family Professor of Regulatory Law and Policy, was recognized for lifetime scholarship, teaching, and service in the field of tort law by the Association of American Law Schools Section on Torts and Compensation Systems. Her cutting-edge scholarship explores tort law’s intersection with areas that include liability insurance and artificial intelligence.
Trailblazer
University Professor Carol Gilligan was awarded the 2025 Kyoto Prize for her pioneering work at the intersection of psychology, philosophy, feminist thought, and the law. The prize is awarded each year by Japan’s Inamori Foundation to three individuals who have made significant contributions to the fields of science, technology, and the arts and philosophy. Gilligan is a noted figure of feminist philosophy, particularly for her work on the ethics of care and the reinterpretation of psychological theories with an emphasis on the perspectives and lives of women and girls.
New Heights
Mount Inez Trail, which ascends the Adirondacks peak named for the suffragist and NYU Law alumna Inez Milholland (1912), officially opened to the public in October 2025.
NYU law graduates had clerkships during the 2025 term.
Love at NYU Law
For these couples, NYU Law was the setting for discovering the love of a lifetime.
Jason Carter ’92 and Dorothy Patton ’94
instantly bonded at an Orientation gathering.
Layton Niu ’13 and Sophia Tian LLM ’11
married on the same day Layton graduated.
Matthew Fishbein ’79 and Gail Stone ’80
lived in the same apartment building on West 11th Street.
Jed Davis ’90 and Susanna Zwerling ’90
found each other at their 10th Reunion.
Judy Mogul ’85 and Dan Kramer ’84
were college friends who paired up after Dan persuaded Judy to attend NYU Law.
Posted September 8, 2026