Old Friends, New Memories at Reunion 2026
From April 24 through April 26, memories were shared and new memories made, as Reunion 2026 brought together members of the classes of 1976, 1981, 1986, 1991, 1996, 2001, 2006, 2011, 2016, and 2021, as well as Golden Circle alumni.
The weekend kicked off with a plethora of celebrations on Friday night: receptions for tax alumni, Law Review alumni, international alumni, public service alumni, and Law Alumni of Color Association members, followed by an all-alumni reception. During the day on Saturday, attendees could join a food tour or a walking tour of Greenwich Village, and that evening, classmates reconnected at Class Dinners at the Lotte New York Palace, followed by dancing and more conversation. The Law Alumni Association (LAA) Reunion Brunch on Sunday, featuring remarks by Dean Troy McKenzie ’00, introduced by LAA President Ayana Free Hardy ’07, brought the weekend to a close.
During the weekend, several alumni were honored for extraordinary professional accomplishments:
Alumni Achievement Award
Rachel Robbins ’76, independent strategic advisor; former Vice President and General Counsel of the International Finance Corporation within the World Bank Group
Legal Teaching Award
John C.P. Goldberg ’91, Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Odette Lienau ’06, Marianne D. Short, Esq., Dean and Professor of Law, Boston College Law School
Benjamin Zipursky ’91, Professor of Law, James H. Quinn ’49 Chair in Legal Ethics, Fordham School of Law
Public Service Award
Vanita Gupta ’01, Distinguished Scholar in Residence and Director of the Center for Law and Public Trust at NYU Law; former US Associate Attorney General
Jenny Yang ’96, Partner, Outten & Golden; Former Deputy Assistant to the President for Racial Justice and Equity in the White House Domestic Policy Council; and former Chair of the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Recent Graduate Award
Samantha Greer ’16, Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Director, Robert W. Entenmann Veterans Law Clinic, Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University
Stephanie Spies ’16, Partner, Susman Godfrey LLP
Reunion attendees had the opportunity to earn CLE credit, starting on Friday evening with the Jerome Manning ’52 Tax Salon, where ABA Tax Section Committee Chair Megan Brackney LLM ’09, a partner at Kostelanetz LLP, discussed tax and ethics with Brant Hellwig LLM ’00, faculty director of the Graduate Tax Program. On Saturday, Devon Carbado, Elihu Root Professor of Law, discussed immigration enforcement and the Fourth Amendment, and Stephen Gillers ’68, Elihu Root Professor of Law Emeritus, spoke about protecting federal judges from executive branch interference. Jennifer Weiss-Wolf, executive director of the Birnbaum Women’s Leadership Center, moderated a book talk with Kenji Yoshino, Chief Justice Earl Warren Professor of Constitutional Law and faculty director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, and David Glasgow LLM ’14, the Meltzer Center's founding executive director, about their latest collaboration, How Equality Wins: A New Vision for an Inclusive America.
View photos from Reunion 2026 (more available online):
