Frank R. Jimenez ’91, Vice President and General Counsel, GE HealthCare

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(From left) Sarath Sanga ’14, Roberta Romano ’80, Frank R. Jimenez ’91, Dean Heather Gerken, and Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87

In remarking on the presentation of the award, Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87, Co-Chair of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Chairman of the Center’s Board of Advisors stated:

“Tonight, we present the Simeon E. Baldwin Award to Frank Jimenez, one of the most distinguished and respected graduates of our law school…Frank’s life is the embodiment of the American dream. His parents were refugees from Castro’s Cuba…[and] worked very hard to make a life in America. They raised very successful children…Frank has had a long and distinguished career in government, [culminating in being] appointed General Counsel of the Navy, one of seven Senate-confirmed Pentagon civilians of four-star equivalent rank…After leaving Washington, Frank became General Counsel of conglomerate ITT Corporation…Frank is now the GC of GE HealthCare. Among GCs, Frank is respected for his intellect, strategic judgment, and - thanks to his Yale Law School education - his ability to navigate different industries.  He is also known for his high ethics…Frank, congratulations! We are delighted to honor you with the 2024 Simeon E. Baldwin Award.”

Heather Gerken, YLS Dean and Sol & Lillian Goldman Professor of Law, added that:

“…Frank embodies the very best of Yale Law School: leadership, service, and integrity. Frank is more than deserving of this year’s award…Even as an outstanding attorney in private practice, Frank maintained an appetite for impact. Soon after he graduated, a change in the U.S. Cuban refugee policy ordered the Coast Guard to send refugees intercepted on the high seas to Guantánamo. Frank and a group of attorneys in the Cuban American Bar Association brought action against the Administration, seeking justice on behalf of refugees in need. The Florida Supreme Court recognized his group’s efforts with a pro bono service award, a testament to his diverse abilities…Frank’s restless spirit led him to public service, where his career in government spanned multiple presidents and many more titles… 

A pivot from Miami Big Law to the Pentagon may feel daunting to most, but Frank has always been one to embrace change. The comfort with the unexpected is what also led him to an entire new professional realm: the corporate world. Following his career in government, Frank went on to hold positions at the helm of some of our country’s highest grossing companies…But as all of us in this room know, there is much more to Frank’s story than his long list of extraordinary accomplishments. It’s Frank’s character that sets him apart. And in a short time, Frank rose to the highest levels of leadership in government and in the private sector. But along the way, Frank remained true to himself and modeled our community’s most celebrated values…Frank cares deeply about the humanity of others, and he believes in the power of incorporating ‘perspectives from all walks of life.’ He has been a mentor to many, and has also devoted countless hours to making the YLS community stronger…I think Frank said it best when he said that ‘the best [leaders] rise by building up others.’ Frank has spent his entire career doing just that - from his time as a student at Yale Law School to his time at the Pentagon, Frank is a testament to the power of leadership done well. He has always known that teams succeed together, and that culture of success is cultivated by Frank each and every day. Congratulations, Frank. It is an honor to present you with the Simeon E. Baldwin Award, in honor of your lifelong accomplishments. Thank you for your service to the business community, to YLS, and to our country.”

Stephen M. Cutler ’85, Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

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(From left) Michael S. Solender ’89, Roberta Romano ’80, Stephen M. Cutler ’85, Dean Heather Gerken, and Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87

At the presentation of the award, which took place in 2022 due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87, Co-Chair of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Chairman of the Center’s Board of Advisors, noted that Steve Cutler is “one of the most distinguished and respected graduates of Yale Law School during the 1980s,” having led, with great equanimity, in both the public and private sectors during times of extraordinary turbulence. As Director of Enforcement of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from 2001 to 2005, “Steve was at the center of some of the biggest corporate frauds in American history – Enron, WorldCom, Adelphia, Tyco, and HealthSouth. Steve was widely praised for how tough, but fair he was. Steady, methodical, and not a grandstander. He was respected by all.” After becoming General Counsel of J.P. Morgan Chase, “Steve had to navigate the 2008 financial crisis. Our financial system was at risk; some big banks did not survive. J.P. Morgan not only survived but thrived. Throughout the financial crisis, Steve was unflappable. We are delighted to honor you with the Simeon Baldwin award.” 

Michael S. Solender ’89, General Counsel, Ernst & Young, added:

“I first met Steve when I was a partner in private practice and he was Deputy Director of Enforcement at the SEC. It was quickly apparent to me that, unlike…many members of our profession, Steve was not full of himself. He was not arrogant. He was thoughtful, he listened. Don’t get me wrong. Steve was not lacking in confidence. And, he was clearly tremendously able. But, unusually, Steve didn’t feel the need to prove that to the whole room.” After Steve joined J.P. Morgan Chase as General Counsel, “[w]e were now 40-something GCs of large financial institutions and quickly developed a kinship as we worked through the issues confronting those firms in the early part of this century…Of course, unbeknownst to us, we were on a raft heading towards the abyss. When the financial crisis hit, Steve and I found ourselves navigating some of the most challenging moments of our professional careers…Steve was a steady presence in a swirling storm. While all around us were losing their heads, he never overreacted, at least that I saw. His reason and common sense never abandoned him. Steve was the same thoughtful, wise, and perceptive lawyer that I had always known…For those seeking to learn about crisis management, Steve is a master and should be their first stop… I can think of no one in our profession more deserving of the Simeon Baldwin Award than my friend Steve.”   

Alan Schwartz ’64, Sterling Professor of Law, Yale Law School

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(From left) Seth Schwartz, Stacey Finkelstein, Leah Medway, Alan Schwartz ’64, Stephen Fraidin ’64, Roberta Romano ’80, Daniel Markovits ’00, Dean Heather Gerken, and Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 said “Alan is a pillar of the law school and a leading scholar in the world. He is extraordinarily rare among scholars for making pioneering and continuing contributions in numerous fields: product liability, contracts, commercial law, secured transactions, bankruptcy, corporate takeovers (most scholars are fortunate to do so in one field).”

In honoring his classmate and co-teacher, Stephen Fraidin ’64, Partner, Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, stated: “Three major factors distinguish Alan’s contributions: First, the pursuit of truth. Alan is relentless in his objectivity. The whole world might be going one way, but he will hold firm in his belief that this does not mean the whole world is correct.  He has never been afraid of taking an unpopular position if it means upholding the truth. Second, a unique understanding of the law as a living, nimble thing that should flow easily from the classroom to the boardroom. I have been practicing law for more than five decades, and it was from Alan that I learned how to apply theory to my practice. To give you just one example, in 1991, in the Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization, Alan and Peter Cramton wrote a paper on ‘Using Auction Theory to Inform Takeover Regulation’, and any M&A lawyer who reads it knows that it has powerful applications. Third, an unwavering commitment to excellence that inspires others to work at the same level. Like a great point guard, Alan makes everyone around him better. It is a great personal joy, and also a tremendous privilege, to help honor Alan for the indelible contributions he has made to the law and to Yale Law School. I cannot think of a more worthy recipient of Simeon E. Baldwin Award.”

Daniel Markovits ’00, YLS Guido Calabresi Professor of Law, added: “Alan Schwartz’s scholarship is exceptional—literally—for its efficient use of technique.  He generates deep, powerful, and counterintuitive results from a spare and elegant use of formalisms, with never a gratuitous equation or other complexity.  At the same time, Alan constantly attends to the real problems and practical circumstances that legal scholarship addresses, and his models stand out not just for their spare elegance but for their vivid verisimilitude.”  He concluded on a personal note: “It has been one of the blessings of my life to count him as colleague, co-author and friend.”

Henry B. Hansmann ’74, Oscar M. Ruebhausen Professor of Law, Yale Law School

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(From left) Lisa Hansmann, John D. Morley ’06, Roberta Romano ’80, Henry B. Hansmann ’74, Dean Heather Gerken, Marina Santilli, Robert J. Guiffra, Jr. ’87, and Anthony Kronman ’75

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 noted that:

“There is a close connection between Simeon Baldwin’s and Henry’s careers. Baldwin, while a member of the faculty, was not only devoted to the school but was also responsible for putting into place YLS’s interdisciplinary tradition, which propelled YLS into the preeminent institution it is today. Henry, no less devoted in his service to the institution, brought further immensely the tradition that Baldwin started, as he was the first joint degree JD-PhD in Economics to join the faculty, so far as I can determine, and his scholarly preeminence is precisely in that vein, using economics to illuminate the most fundamental issues in business law. 

Henry is unusual among legal scholars: few academics are fortunate enough to stand for one proposition or are associated with one good idea; but Henry is associated with at least three such contributions [theory of non-profits, theory of the structure/ownership of enterprise in general; asset partitioning theory of corporate organization]; and most legal scholars who are among the most cited write mainly normative papers; while Henry has not only made well-cited normative contributions, but also is equally, if not better known for his research on the foundational question of why organizations are structured as they are, rather than writing on how organizations should be organized, and his work has reoriented the field in thinking about corporations (in a way that those solely engaged in normative work have and I think cannot).”

John D. Morley ’06, YLS Professor of Law, in remarks honoring his teacher, further noted:

“Henry has taught us the most basic truths we know about organizational law. He has explained why we have organizational law and why businesses are owned and controlled the way they are. His insights span from investor-owned corporations to law firms to sawmills, nonprofits, and local governments. Every time I have tried to answer a difficult question in organizational law, I have found Henry’s work a few feet in front of me, lighting the way. But Henry is more than a great scholar. He is also a dedicated teacher, a hardworking colleague, and a generous mentor. I am fortunate to count myself as one of a great host of Yale Law School graduates whose careers and thinking have grown on the foundation of Henry’s wisdom.”

Ben W. Heineman, Jr. ’71, former Senior Vice President for Law and Public Affairs, General Electric

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(From left) Anthony Kronman ’75, Dean Designate Heather Gerken, Ben W. Heineman, Jr. ’71, Roberta Romano ’80, Dean Robert Post ’77, Paul Gewirtz ’70, and Robert J. Guiffra, Jr. ’87

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 noted that:

“Simeon Baldwin was an innovator in the legal profession - founding the key professional societies for the bar and law schools, and introducing interdisciplinary study into law, at YLS. So it is more than fitting to present the award to Ben, as he has been an innovator in the profession as well, transforming the role of the General Counsel, revolutionizing the provision of legal services to firms, and as a corollary transforming the practice of law, a transformation that is still underway.”  

At the presentation of the award, YLS Sterling Professor of Law and former Dean of the Law School, Anthony Kronman ’75 stated:

“In his remarkable career, Ben Heineman has done many very different things and done each of them superbly well. His own life in the law is an inspiration to all who believe that even in this age of specialization, it is possible - indeed, necessary - to develop the habits and cultivate the talents of a generalist, which is what the greatest lawyers have always been. His success in each of his many roles shows that what is essential to any of them is not the particular knowledge required for it but the wisdom, judgment and passion for the common good that lawyers of the very best kind carry with them into every assignment. In this respect, his career resembles that of Simeon Baldwin himself and reminds us that the qualities we honor in Ben by conferring the Baldwin Award on him are timeless. For lawyers of his and Baldwin's kind, a very old-fashioned word seems appropriate. Ben Heineman has lived nobly in the law."

Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87, Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

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(From left) Dean Robert Post ’77, Roberta Romano ’80, Hon. Ralph K. Winter ’60, Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87, Robert Todd Lang ’47, Joyce Giuffra, and Elizabeth Giuffra

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 stated:

“I think we can all see the clear parallels between Baldwin and Bob’s stellar career: Bob too is a preeminent litigator, on all the short lists of the preeminent litigators of our time, who are the 'go to’s'  for 'bet the firm' type of business litigation; he has served in all three branches of government, which is an exceedingly rare accomplishment, and provides him with a unique perspective on the interaction between our public and private institutions.  He is also fully engaged with the profession, having, for instance, been President of the Federal Bar Council. And like Baldwin, he is a loyal and true friend of the law school, through thick and thin. Bob, YLS is proud to call you our graduate and delighted to be able to recognize your extraordinary accomplishments; and I am further delighted to have Judge Winter, a hero to both Bob and myself, speak on this occasion.”

Judge Ralph K. Winter ’60, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and formerly William K. Townsend Professor of Law, Yale Law School noted that “it is a singular pleasure and honor to appear when my former student and law clerk, Bob Giuffra, is the [Simeon E. Baldwin award] recipient” and went on in his remarks:

“I always expected Bob to be a great success, and those expectations have surely been fulfilled.  He was Chief Counsel to the Senate Banking Committee when the Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 was passed.  After returning to New York, at my suggestion he joined the Federal Bar Council and served as its President.  He is, of course, a partner at Sullivan & Cromwell and a member of the Executive Committee of that firm.  He has been involved in many great cases, usually successfully….  All of this could have been expected from someone who displayed such brilliance in his academic career, but it is fair to say that over time, Bob has added wisdom and good judgment to that brilliance, the very hallmarks of a great lawyer. It also has to be said that Bob is a man of generous spirit and of loyalty to his friends and family.  He talks often of Joyce and their children and how proud he is of them.  ….  I have also benefited from, and been honored by, that generosity and loyalty over the many years of our friendship.  Bob, I want to express my appreciation for that friendship and congratulate you on receiving this award.”

John A. Langbein, Sterling Professor of Law and Legal History, Yale Law School

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(From left) John Witt ’99, Roberta Romano ’80, John Langbein, Robert Todd Lang ’47, and Deputy Dean Al Klevorick

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 noted:

“John Langbein changed the conversation in investment law, by introducing modern finance theory - the portfolio theory of investments - into trust law, in his 1976 article, coauthored with Richard Posner, ‘Market Funds and Trust Investment Law.’ The article was a veritable intellectual earthquake. It caused a fundamental reorientation in the understanding of fiduciary obligations, in particular, the formulation of prudent person fiduciary standards, to be directed at the portfolio as a whole, and its diversification, rather than the risk of individual securities, a contribution that increased the wealth and thereby the welfare of countless Americans, whose portfolios would no longer consist of treasury bonds as trustees sought to be prudent. His scholarship bore fruit with his efforts through the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in the implementation of new standards in the Uniform Prudent Investor Act.”

John Witt ’99 and PhD ’00 (History), the Allen Duffy/Class of 1960 Professor at the Law School, in remarks honoring his teacher, further noted:

“It requires genius as a writer to be a great teacher of writing, at least at the highest levels. For more than forty years, John has been writing forcefully, brilliantly, and with the indefatigable energies that only the very best scholars manage to bring to their work. John’s second book, Torture and the Law of Proof, followed the insight of his first book that the key difference among legal systems was their methods of proof, to tell the stunning story of torture in the criminal procedure of the Continental legal systems of Spain and France. How did European legal systems come in the middle ages to use torture as a systematic device for criminal justice? In John’s telling, the turn to torture was the result of a system of criminal punishment that set prohibitively high standards for itself: two eyewitnesses or some circumstantial evidence and a confession. The imperative of punishing bad acts produced a theory of torture as permissible in cases of so-called ‘half-proof.’  John’s evaluation of the barbaric practice of torture, abolished only in the eighteenth century, was unsparing. It was the story of a legal system that had allowed its own high standards and ideals to produce a nightmarish system.” 

Witt concluded:

“Most recently John has published an astounding volume, a big textbook titled History of the Common Law, a book that represents the culmination of the History of the Common Law course he has taught so influentially for decades now. Co-authored with two of his most distinguished former students, the book has created a landmark for the legacy John has built in the world of legal education and legal scholarship. At law schools all around the country, his former students do their best to stand in his shoes and hold up the traditions of generosity, brilliance, and uncompromising moral vision that John has set for the entire profession.”

Eugene W. Landy ’58, Founder and Chairman, Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation and Founder and Chairman, UMH Properties, Inc.

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(From left) Robert Todd Lang ’47, Hon. Guido Calabresi ’58, Roberta Romano ’80, Eugene W. Landy ’58, Gloria Landy, Dean Robert Post ’77, Michael Landy, and Monica Landy

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 remarked:

“Gene Landy is one of the pioneers and founders of the real estate investment trust (REIT) industry, which has played a critical role in reducing the cost of residential and commercial real estate by providing investors with a practical means of diversifying their investment portfolios into real estate. Gene early on recognized how the REIT creates value by turning illiquid assets into liquid ones, facilitating homeowners’ and entrepreneurs’ property acquisitions. His involvement in the REIT industry, dating back almost to the industry’s beginning, spans both the day-to-day operations of two real estate investment trust companies and leadership positions in important professional organizations, such as the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts and the Northeast Regional Association of Small Business Investment Companies.” 

Judge Guido Calabresi ’58, former YLS Dean and Sterling Professor Emeritus, in remarks honoring his law school classmate on the occasion, further noted:

“I first met Gene some sixty years ago. He arrived as a kid just out of the Merchant Marines. His background was very different from that of many of his classmates. But the courage he had displayed by standing up for what he believed in, in the face of pressures to conform quietly at the Merchant Marine Academy, made him immediately respected and admired. Over the years his open mind, his capacity for original thinking, and his willingness even to be politically incorrect when he believed it right to take a non-conforming stand, have made him a towering figure in his field. Gene has been, and is now, a truly creative builder and in that he represents all that this school wishes for in its graduates. But beyond that, he has remained a loyal and affectionate friend to his school, to his classmates and – it is a special delight to say – to me.”

Judge Calabresi concluded the presentation by adding:

“Some years ago when his company was listed on the Stock Exchange I had the pleasure of being there with Gene and his wonderful family when he rang the Stock Exchange bell. It is an equal joy to be with him today as he receives the Simeon E. Baldwin award from the school we both love.”

Gandolfo V. DiBlasi ’78, Partner, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP

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(From left) Roberta Romano ’80, William DiBlasi, Gandolfo V. DiBlasi ’78, Dean Robert Post ’77, Richard DiBlasi, and Robi DiBlasi

At the presentation of the award, Judge Ralph K. Winter ’60, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, Professor (Adjunct) of Law and formerly William K. Townsend Professor of Law, Yale Law School, stated:

“Vince has certain precious qualities, and in great abundance. He is down-to-earth and lacks the pomposity so often found in our profession – often as the coin of the realm.  He is stunningly brilliant and among the greatest craftsman in the law. He also has wisdom and judgment, qualities not always associated with brilliance. Vince is the kind of person you look to for both professional and personal advice and do so knowing that it would be generously given. Finally, he exudes self-confidence but is utterly without egotism. When he was my student, I knew he was destined for a great career. After graduation, he was, in virtually the blink of an eye, a major litigator in the new field of corporate takeover law. Every encounter with Vince is a pleasant one. He is interesting, has a wonderful sense of humor, and is an all-around good guy. Someone who doesn’t know him might ask, ‘In what way is he a good guy?’ I would answer that generosity is his key quality. His generosity extends to material things but also to his spirit. He is generous in his kindness to people, his willingness to share his wisdom, and his ability to entertain. Vince strikes a spark with people that causes them to feel affectionately toward him in a way not ordinarily generated by big-time lawyers, of which he is certainly one. Roberta Romano has already told you who Simeon E. Baldwin was and described his importance to the Yale Law School. Vince richly deserves this award.”

Robert J. Giuffra, Jr. ’87, Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, added:

“Starting in the 1980s, Vince has been one of the handful of lawyers who have been the go-to litigators in the most high-profile white-collar and securities cases. Vince’s career reads like a history of corporate scandals over the past 35 years. He represented clients in the insider trading cases of the 1980s. The Solomon Brothers Treasury auction scandal. Pay-to-play in the muni securities markets. The Orange County muni bond scandal. Enron. Back-dated options. And more recently all of the financial crisis litigation. Most big-time Wall Street litigators don’t have much good to say about the competition. But if you took a poll among the litigation bar, I think Vince would be voted most popular – by acclimation. And, that’s why Vince was selected by his peers to serve as lead counsel for all the big Wall Street firms in the massive IPO allocation case, arising out of the dot com bust. Vince has been a great mentor to me, and many other partners at S&C. He helped to build our litigation practice. He’s been a great friend of Yale Law School, serving as chair of the Yale Law School Fund. But I think Vince’s greatest accomplishment is that he’s been a model for many lawyers, including myself. No matter how busy he was. He always was going to games at his son’s school. Congrats Vince. I can’t think of a more deserving recipient of the Baldwin Award.”

Stephen Fraidin ’64, Partner, Corporate, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

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(From left) Robert Todd Lang ’47, Roberta Romano ’80, Alan Schwartz ’64, Stephen Fraidin ’64, and Dean Robert Post ’77

In presenting the award, Alan Schwartz ’64, Sterling Professor of Law and former Center Director, said:

“Stephen’s career has three facets. First, he is among the best – perhaps the best –M&A lawyer in the country.  His career as an M&A lawyer is characterized by probity, courage and great success. He tells the truth to clients, and then he manages to keep them. The most distinguishing feature of Stephen’s career, however, is his creativity. He is among the inventors of modern M&A practice, and he is responsible for many leading innovations. The second facet of Stephen’s career is his teaching. Stephen has for more than two decades co-taught, mostly with me but also with Professor Romano, a course entitled 'The Law and Economics of Corporate Control.' Stephen is a great, and an inspirational, teacher. He combines theoretical insights with great practical knowledge to create lucid and illuminating presentations. Stephen also is a role model for students. He is the paradigm of a great lawyer: brilliant, knowledgeable, open to new ideas, excited about the practice of law, vivid in portraying its challenges and available to young people for advice and counsel. The third facet of Stephen’s career is his business interest. Stephen understands not only the legal but also the economic aspects of the transactions in which he is involved and those he teaches. His clients rely on him, not only for his legal insights, but also for his sense of whether their goals make sense and whether a client is pursuing those goals in the best way.”

Eugene A. Ludwig ’73, Chairman and Founder, Promontory Financial Group, and U.S. Comptroller of the Currency, 1993-98

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(From left) Dean Robert Post ’77, Eugene A. Ludwig ’73, Roberta Romano ’80, and Robert Todd Lang ’47

In presenting the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 stated that:

“Simeon Baldwin’s career embodies the distinguished achievement and service in law and business that the Center wishes to recognize and honor in award recipients.  And like Simeon Baldwin, Gene Ludwig has done it all. He has been a partner at Covington & Burling specializing in a banking practice; Vice Chairman and Senior Control Officer of Bankers’ Trust/Deutsche Bank; and is now the Chairman of Promontory, a leading financial services consulting firm, which he founded in 2001. He was U.S. Comptroller of the Currency from 1993-98, and while in that position, he also served on the Basel Committee on International Bank Supervision, the FDIC’s Board of Directors and was Chairman of the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation. As Comptroller of the Currency, among other key tasks, he put together the plan that was the Clinton Administration’s successful policy response to getting banks and the economy through the credit crunch of the early 1990’s. In addition to his government service, Gene is Secretary and Member of the Board of Directors of the National Academy Foundation, a non-profit organization through which businesses partner with the education community in hundreds of public high schools across the nation to prepare underserved students for college and successful careers in the financial sector. A focus of his work as Comptroller was on national bank investments in community development, a lifelong interest that he has continued not only in his association with the National Academy Foundation but also in his support of the Ludwig Community Development Program at YLS, which provides legal services and other professional consultation services (business, environmental, public health) to community groups, particularly nonprofit organizations involved in affordable housing, banking, and economic development efforts. I think it is accurate to say that Gene Ludwig not only has followed in the footprints of Simeon Baldwin but stands tall in them. YLS is honored to have you as an alumnus.”

The Hon. William B. Chandler III ’79 (LLM), Chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery

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(From left) Roberta Romano ’80, Hon. William B. Chandler III ’79 (LLM), Robert Todd Lang ’47, Dean Robert Post ’77, and Arthur Fleischer, Jr. ’58

At the presentation of the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 remarked:

“Following in Simeon Baldwin’s footsteps with a life of public service, Bill Chandler has served for over two decades on the Chancery Court, having been appointed a Vice Chancellor in 1989 and then appointed Chancellor in 1997. One can convincingly make the case that Chancellor Chandler has done more to improve the quality of corporate law than any other contemporary graduate of Yale Law School. One of his important opinions was the Walt Disney litigation over Michael Ovitz’s employment contract. Chancellor Chandler entered into uncharted territory, defining the standard of good faith, and the Delaware Supreme Court adopted his standard word for word. No small feat. Bill Chandler’s opinions are not only well-reasoned and well-crafted, but they are erudite and at times, downright entertaining (or as some put it, ‘typically colorful’). In fact, according to the Law Blog, Bill Chandler is an ‘undisputed LB star’ because of his ‘ability to entertain his audience with otherwise heavy corporate law opinions’ with his references to mythology (Cerberus in United Rental) and pop culture (how many court opinions cite a rapper or analogize M&A to video games?) In the pantheon of great Delaware judges, Chancellor Chandler’s place is secure. So we thank you Bill, for the tremendous public service you have provided to the development of corporate law jurisprudence; the Simeon Baldwin award is a small token of the esteem we have for your outstanding work on the bench.”

Arthur Fleischer, Jr. ’58, Senior Partner, Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson

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(From left) Roberta Romano ’80, Arthur Fleischer, Jr. ’58, Dean Robert Post ’77, and Robert Todd Lang ’47

At the presentation of the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 remarked:

“Art Fleischer’s career perfectly captures the qualities of the individual whom we recognize with the Baldwin award, distinguished service across the private, public and non-profit sectors.  Art is one of the three creators of modern takeover law - along with Marty Lipton of Wachtell Lipton, and Joe Flom of Skadden Arps. He has been a pioneer in the art of engaging in hostile takeovers and defending against them, from the days when such transactions were novel and not being undertaken by many law firms. Art has done more than advise clients, he has also advised academics, students and practitioners, having authored the leading treatise on takeover defenses, which is about to come out in its 7th edition. In addition to being one of the great deal lawyers of his generation, Art has been involved in public service - starting with working at the SEC when a young lawyer as an assistant to the chairman in the early 1960s, through serving on the boards of the American Stock Exchange, and the Whitney Museum of American Art, among other institutions. Art has also been a loyal supporter of the law school, and an active leader in his class reunions. The award recognizes your contributions to corporate law, the betterment of the operation of businesses in the U.S. and globally, and the Yale Law School. We are privileged that you are our graduate.”

Hon. Ralph K. Winter ’60, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit

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(From left) Dean Harold Hongju Koh, Hon. Ralph K. Winter ’60, Robert Todd Lang ’47, and Roberta Romano ’80

Judge Ralph K. Winter ’60, was a member of the Law School faculty from 1962-82, when he was appointed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He continues to teach on the faculty part-time.  At the presentation of the award, Center Director Roberta Romano ’80 stated that Judge Winter was awarded the Simeon E. Baldwin Award in recognition of his foundational contributions to corporate law as a scholar and jurist. She continued: “His pathbreaking 1977 article: 'State Law, Shareholder Protection, and the Theory of the Corporation,' challenged the prevailing understanding of state corporate law as a 'race for the bottom' and transformed the debate, by using economic analysis to identify fundamental flaws in the dominant reasoning that failed to recognize the impact of markets on behavior. It is difficult to appreciate how novel and controversial the article’s approach was from today’s vantage point, as the economic mode of analysis, which was against the grain of the then-existing literature, is now mainstream. The 1977 article continues to be read and cited, with 10 percent of its over 200 citations having been in 2007-08 publications; this is a rare achievement. Ralph Winter has also continued to influence corporate law from the bench: For example, to understand the Business Judgment Rule, the keystone of the liability regime for corporate directors, a lawyer has to read his opinion in Joy v. North.”

Robert Todd Lang ’47, Chairman of the YLS Center for the Study of Corporate Law’s Board of Advisors, and Senior Partner, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

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(From left) Roberta Romano ’80, Robert Todd Lang ’47, and Dean Harold Hongju Koh

Robert Todd Lang ’47, chairman of the Center’s Board of Advisors, was the recipient of the first Simeon E. Baldwin Award for Distinguished Service in Law and Business. A senior partner of Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Lang was the driving force behind the creation of the Center. Roberta Romano ’80, Center Director remarked on the occasion of his receiving the award:

“Baldwin’s career embodies what we wish to recognize and honor in the award recipient, and he would have recognized a kindred spirit in Robert Todd Lang. Robert Todd is not just one of the great corporate lawyers of his generation, but he has also worked tirelessly on every important bar committee and task force on corporate governance and securities regulation over the past several decades.  As a consequence, the benefit of his wisdom has gone far beyond his clients; our laws are infinitely better for Robert Todd's efforts. Robert Todd has also been a steadfast friend of YLS who had both the vision to recognize the need for a corporate law center at the law school when none existed in the country, and the generosity to get such a project off the ground. Students, faculty and alumni in the law and business area have all been the beneficiaries of Robert Todd’s foresight and generosity, which has enriched students’ educational experience and faculty research, and fostered interaction among students, faculty and graduates. It is befitting that Robert Todd is the first recipient of the Simeon Baldwin award that the Corporate Law Center has established to recognize an individual’s contribution to law and business.”