Yale Law School and its graduates have played a significant role in Sullivan & Cromwell’s history and continue to be an essential part of its success. In 1930, YLS graduate Elizabeth Beam Osborne was the first woman to join the Firm as a lawyer. Today, more than 45 YLS alumni—including 10 partners—practice at Sullivan & Cromwell in its domestic and international offices and in virtually all of the practice areas offered by the Firm.
Many YLS alumni hold significant leadership roles at the Firm, including as members of its Managing Committee, Associate Experience Committee, Diversity Committee, Pro Bono Committee, and Women's Initiative Committee and as managing partners of practice areas. In addition, YLS alumni at the Firm are active members of each of its affinity groups.
In keeping with YLS graduates’ excellent record of securing clerkships, over one-third of YLS alumni at S&C have clerked, including at the federal appellate level and for the U.S. Supreme Court.
In addition to practicing in our Appellate Litigation, Capital Markets, Criminal Defense and Investigations, Estates and Personal, Executive Compensation, Financial Services, Intellectual Property, Investment Management, Private Equity, Project Finance, Restructuring, Securities Litigation, Real Estate and Tax groups, many YLS alumni at S&C are actively involved in pro bono work. Recent matters include helping a survivor of domestic violence, a 32-year-old mother of two with no prior criminal history, who was convicted of second degree murder in the shooting of her abuser, with receiving a reduced sentence in a landmark case under New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA); reversing on appeal the conviction of a client who had been sentenced to 17 years-to-life imprisonment for criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree; co-counseling with the ACLU in litigation seeking Covid-related safety protections for detainees in jail; assisting the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty with tracking community responses to COVID-19 and evaluating best practices; preparing an amicus brief concerning the history of the state-secrets doctrine as it has been used by the United States; representing a minor from Afghanistan in his asylum claim on the basis of fear of persecution based on his ethnic identity, religious identity, and political opinion; assisting a Marine Corps veteran, who had reached the rank of Sergeant and was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon for his service in Iraq, with seeking to upgrade his military discharge status; and representing the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in seeking to uphold statutes requiring a minimum age to purchase a firearm.
Yale Law School alumni who join the Firm go on to pursue a range of prestigious opportunities, in addition to becoming partners at S&C. 15 Firm alumni who attended YLS are currently on law school faculties. Others serve in government, including as Assistant U.S. Attorneys; as counsel to and management for Fortune 500 companies and other businesses, including Alibaba Group Vice Chair Joseph Tsai; and as lawyers in private practice.
Today, S&C continues to partner with YLS both in and out of the classroom. In addition to participating in events such as the “Practice Area Forum” and the Yale Mock Interview Program, partners Heather Coleman (YLS ’07) and Marc Treviño (YLS ’93) and Of Counsel Michael Wiseman will teach “Corporate Crisis Management” at YLS in fall 2022. Marc Treviño andBob Giuffra (YLS ’87)are also members of the advisory board of the Yale Center for Corporate Law.
In 2022, we welcomed 11 summer associates who attend Yale Law School. You can learn more about YLS alumni and our presence at the law school on these pages. We hope to see you on campus.