Our History

The Center was established in 1999 following conversations between Robert Todd Lang ’47 (1924-2018) and then-Yale Law School Dean Anthony T. Kronman ’75. Lang, who was a senior partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, also served as Chairman and Founder of the Center’s Board of Advisors from 1999-2018, as well as Chairman of the Board of the Yale Law School Fund.

The Center was the first of its kind in the country and, as Center Co-Director and YLS Prof. Roberta Romano ’80 said while reflecting on Lang, the Center “proved transformational for business law at Yale Law School; Students, faculty, and alumni in the law and business areas have been benefiting from Todd’s foresight and generosity for close to two decades.”

The Center holds frequent and varied events each year, aiming to acquaint YLS students, faculty, and alumni with contemporary questions in business law and business, to bring expert and interdisciplinary perspectives to bear on these questions, and to examine these questions from the viewpoints of academia, policy, and practice. The Center also provides practical guidance for students interested in exploring careers in business law or business, helping students navigate the vast offerings that they have at YLS. Finally, the Center pursues new initiatives to enrich the educational experience of students in business law and business, such as launching the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Clinic and establishing a streamlined J.D.-Ph.D. in Finance Program for those interested in teaching business law.