Why did you come to Yale Law School?
I came to Yale Law School to pursue my LL.M. and, after that, my J.S.D. because it offered a singular opportunity for my graduate legal education. Nowhere else did I see the same richness of academic life combined with a commitment to keeping the graduate class small enough to create a strong sense of community and the opportunity for truly personal academic mentoring. In addition to this, of course, the individual faculty members at YLS are unparalleled. For me, the opportunity to work with my supervisor, Paul Kahn – as well as others such as Reva Siegel, Owen Fiss, Robert Post, John Langbein, Bo Burt, and Dan Kahan – was immeasurably important. I know that each graduate student comes to the school with tremendous excitement at the prospect of studying with true leaders in their respective fields. YLS is a beacon of humanistic, imaginative, and progressive legal scholarship around the world.

What is the one thing you would want every potential applicant to know?
The J.S.D. at Yale Law School is a tremendously demanding and enriching experience. The program gives you extraordinary access to the rich academic life of one of the finest institutions of legal scholarship in the world. You have the invaluable opportunity to work closely with academic leaders in your field and to make connections and build friendships with exciting young scholars from around the globe. 

Do you have any general comments about your experiences here?
Coming to Yale Law School was one of the most important decisions that I have taken in my life. Being at this place has opened up academic possibilities far beyond what I previously could have imagined, has been critical to my development as a scholar, and has led to close connections with both faculty members and fellow students that will remain deeply influential in my future. 

Can you describe an academic experience that has meant a lot to you?
In the summers of 2005 and 2006, I had the opportunity to participate in a small workshop organized by SIAS here and in Berlin. The workshop brought together 18 junior scholars from North America and Europe to engage in a sustained conversation on the topic of “The Political: Law, Culture and Theology.” The workshop leaders were the Law School’s Paul Kahn and Professor Ulrich Haltern from the University of Hanover. This was one of the most enriching academic experiences of my life, connecting me with fascinating scholars and friends from around Europe and North America, and pushing me to think in new and exciting ways about issues that have been – and remain – at the core of my academic concern.

Has a particular YLS faculty member had an impact on you?
I have been fortunate to have contact with so many outstanding and inspiring faculty members here at Yale. My supervisor, Paul Kahn, has had particular impact on me and on my academic work. He has taught me more than anyone about the importance to legal scholarship of thinking closely and deeply about the experience and meaning of living within the law. In his generosity of time and intellect he has helped me to refine and explore the questions that inspire my research. Throughout, he has been a model of humanistic legal scholarship motivated by genuine curiosity and boldness in asking hard questions of the way we find ourselves in our political and legal worlds. 

As an international student, how would you describe your experiences here?
Being from Canada, I am aware, of course, of the many cultural similarities between the United States and my home country. But living and studying here has also shown me more clearly where the meaningful differences lie. Immersing in the legal and political culture of the United States has given me a better sense of my own country's legal traditions. Living here has also, of course, exposed me to the wonderful cultural, political, and academic richness that the United States has to offer.

What are you currently focusing your work on?
My work is currently focused on constitutional law and theory applied to the interaction of the Canadian constitutional rule of law and religious cultures.