"It’s been a real privilege getting to work with the faculty here," says Kevin Schwartz '06. Schwartz has worked with many of Yale's leading legal scholars in a wide variety of fields. He divides his interactions with faculty into two categories: The first is taking a class from a professor, and the second is one-on-one work, either while writing a paper or pursuing a research project. Says Schwartz, "Across both categories, the professors really encourage you to meet with them. And, invariably, I’ve found that they are very willing to sit down and discuss whatever you find interesting in the law, whether it’s in a syllabus or not."

In the first category, Schwartz described his several classes with Judge Ralph Winter, Jonathan Macey, the Sam Harris Professor of Corporate Law, Corporate Finance, and Securities Law, and G. Eric Brunstad, the Macklin Fleming Visiting Lecturer in Law. “These professors are the leading scholars and practitioners. It was wonderful to have such comprehensive teaching across so many of the major subject areas at the intersection of law, finance, and regulation.” During the summer Schwartz worked on securities law issues at a corporate law firm in New York City. "What I learned in these classes was very helpful in guiding how I approached cases," he said.

From the second category, Schwartz described an array of original research experiences with the faculty. Schwartz worked on several scholarly projects with William Eskridge, the John A. Garver Professor of Jurisprudence. "He’s a perfect example of someone who is a wonderful mentor and adviser. From his cutting-edge scholarship to his work on cases before the Supreme Court, Professor Eskridge draws on numerous areas of expertise to challenge and encourage students in their scholarship to grapple with the most pressing legal issues from every perspective.”

In researching a paper on the congressional enforcement power in Section Five of the Fourteenth Amendment that was ultimately published in The Yale Law Journal, Schwartz worked closely with Robert Post, the David Boies Professor of Law. “The chance to engage the national expert on this subject, to discuss the newest issues before the Court each Term, has been fascinating.... He was very encouraging to me to take my paper and publish it."

Schwartz says he not only learned from each interaction, but he also had fun. "Each professor has his or her own style of guidance and you definitely find at Yale Law that you’re led to sharpen every tool of analysis you possess."

Read more about the Yale Law School faculty.