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The Abdallah S. Kamel Center for the Study of Islamic Law and Civilization at Yale Law School brings prominent scholars of Islam to the Yale campus for public lectures, seminar discussions, visiting fellowships, and visiting professorships.

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The American Constitution Society is the largest student group at Yale Law School. ACS@YLS aims to foster community-wide discussion over progressive issues in American law and provide a forum for all members of the Yale Law progressive community to pursue their interests, educate the wider community, and bring scholars and practitioners together to find the best way to effect progressive change.

Throughout the year, ACS@YLS hosts a wide variety of speakers from the public and private sectors, fosters student-faculty interaction through reading groups and workshops on progressive theory, and provides current students valuable tools for excelling in both law school and their legal careers.

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The Asian Pacific American Law Students' Association (APALSA) serves the interests of its membership by fostering a community within the law school and strengthening ties in the broader Asian Pacific American legal community.

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The Capital Assistance Project allows YLS students to provide substantive legal research and writing support for death penalty practitioners around the country. Students gain experience in capital defense and advocacy work while contributing to the anti-death penalty movement.
 Last year, CAP members worked on nine projects in partnership with The 8th Amendment Project, the Atlantic Center for Capital Representation, the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, Reprieve, and the Southern Center for Human Rights. 

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The Catholic Law Students Association (CLSA) is a group of Catholic law students offering a Catholic perspective to legal issues and a welcoming and supporting environment for all.

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The Disabled Law Students Association is a law student affinity group comprised of communities situated within a broad disability umbrella. Our community includes disabled students, neurodivergent students, students with learning impairments or non-traditional learning styles, deaf students, hard-of-hearing students, blind students, deaf-blind students, students with chronic illnesses, students with mental health conditions or emotional disorders, and other students who receive or would like to receive accommodations.

We define our affinity group broadly, welcoming anyone who identifies as a member. Our aim is to foster a sense of community and increase the legal profession's accessibility and cultural competency surrounding disability. We provide individualized support to our members in accessing accommodations and ensuring their needs are being met at the law school, in internships, and across other contexts. It is our hope that, through our organization, our members can support each other in navigating the legal profession.

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First Generation Professionals at Yale Law ("FGP") seeks to provide a safe and welcoming space for Yale Law School students who are the first in their families to pursue a professional degree - primarily serving those who come from lower-income and working class backgrounds - to discuss and assist each other with their concerns as they navigate the environment of Yale Law School. We advocate for policies that better meet the needs of our members and seek to foster a broader conversation about class at the Yale Law School. Finally, FGP acknowledges and embraces our membership's diversity and differences in all forms, including those of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, geographic or national origin, political ideology, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veteran status.

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The Green Haven Prison Project meets with a group of prisoners dedicated to self-improvement at the Green Haven Correctional Facility. Every other week we have a shared seminar with the prisoners discussing current issue of political or personal interest.

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The Haven MLP is a partnership with HAVEN, a free clinic operated by Yale medical students every Saturday for uninsured patients, the great majority of whom are also undocumented immigrants. Law student volunteers work onsite at the clinic and meet directly with patients to conduct legal screening and identify issues that should be referred to NHLAA for possible legal representation. Common legal issues include immigration, wage theft, landlord/tenant concerns, and domestic violence. A training session is conducted at the beginning of each semester for interested students who can then sign up for individual shifts.

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The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) organizes law students and lawyers to develop and enforce a set of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons. Mobilizing direct legal aid, litigation, and systemic advocacy, IRAP serves the world's most persecuted individuals and empowers the next generation of human rights leaders.

Since its founding in 2008, IRAP has helped resettle over 4200 refugees and their families to 18 different countries and has trained over 2000 law students and lawyers in the process. The Yale Law School chapter is one of IRAP's 30 student chapters across the United States and Canada.

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The J. Reuben Clark Law Society serves members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and all others interested in or affiliated with the LDS faith.

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The La Sociedad of Latine Law Students (LaSo) supports Latinx students at YLS primarily by community building, providing professional and academic mentorship, offering opportunities for political engagement on issues confronting the Latinx community, and connecting members with Latinx alumni and practitioners.

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The Marshall-Brennan Constitutional Literacy Project is a national civics education program that sends law students into public high schools to teach courses in constitutional law and oral advocacy. These courses focus primarily on educating high schoolers about their constitutional rights.

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The Middle Eastern and North African Law Students' Association provides a forum for engaging the Yale Law School community on the legal, political, social and cultural realities of the peoples of North Africa and the Middle East.

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The Morris Tyler Moot Court competition takes place each year at Yale Law School, culminating in the Harlan Fiske Stone/Thurman Arnold Prize Finals in the spring. All second- and third-year law students are eligible and encouraged to participate.

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The Muslim Law Students' Association serves as a vehicle for gathering Muslims and others interested in learning about Islamic legal issues and issues of concern to Muslims and other minorities.

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The National Lawyers Guild (NLG) is dedicated to the need for basic change in the structure of our political and economic system.

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The mission of the Yale Native American Law Students Association (NALSA) is twofold. First, we are dedicated to providing personal, professional, and cultural support to Yale's Native American law students and fostering a community among all law students who are interested in Indian legal issues. Second, we are committed to educating Yale's student body about Indian law, tribal sovereignty, and indigenous rights. NALSA is inclusive and welcomes all members of the YLS community.

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The Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights was established at Yale Law School in 1989 to honor Orville Schell, a distinguished New York City lawyer and partner at Hughes, Hubbard & Reed, who was vice chairman of Helsinki Watch and chairman of Americas Watch from its founding in 1981 until his death in 1987.

The Schell Center offers law students and graduates diverse opportunities to apply the lessons they are learning in the classroom to further the cause of human rights and to examine human rights practice critically. It also brings critical human rights discussion to the wider university community. At the same time, it provides a forum for international human rights practitioners to consider the theoretical issues their work entails and for scholars studying human rights to engage in interdisciplinary dialogue. In addressing these needs, the Schell Center seeks to increase knowledge and understanding of international human rights issues; to equip lawyers and other professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to advance the cause of international human rights; and to assist human rights organizations.

The Schell Center coordinates a diverse program of human rights activities that serve students and scholars at Yale and contribute to the development of the human rights community locally and internationally. The Center:

Sponsors frequent panels, lectures, and conferences, including the weekly Human Rights Workshop: Current Issues and Events;
Promotes activism through summer and post-graduate fellowships;
Sponsors visiting human rights scholars and practitioners;
Acts as a liaison between the Law School and the human rights community;
Advises students about human rights research and about job and career opportunities;
Fosters human rights activities throughout Yale University

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OutLaws is an organization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) members of the Law School community. Our goals are to provide a community for LGBTQ-identified people within YLS, to provide opportunities and connections for members of the YLS community who are interested in LGBTQ rights, and to advocate for legal issues of interest to the LGBTQ community.

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Founded by Professor Paul Gewirtz in 1999 as the China Law Center, the Paul Tsai China Center is the primary home for activities related to China at Yale Law School. The Center is a unique institution dedicated to helping advance China's legal reforms, improving U.S.–China relations, and increasing understanding of China in the United States.

In interaction with research and teaching at Yale, the Paul Tsai China Center works collaboratively with a broad range of top experts in the Chinese government, universities, and civil society on concrete projects designed to have a positive practical impact. Our Center has an established track record in helping to further a broad range of legal reforms in China. Cooperative projects have focused particularly on issues of judicial reform, criminal justice reform, administrative and regulatory reform, and public interest law. Projects involve a range of activities, including workshops and seminars in the United States and China, research visits to Yale and to China, and books or articles by Chinese or U.S. scholars.

The Paul Tsai China Center also conducts research and convenes high-level Track II and Track 1.5 meetings on a broad range of U.S.–China foreign policy issues. The centerpiece of this work is the Dialogue on U.S.–China Relations, a thriving channel since 2012 for top U.S. and Chinese figures to develop and provide timely policy recommendations for both governments. The dialogue convenes carefully selected former officials and practitioners to work toward strategic and diplomatic innovation over the full range of issues in the U.S.–China relationship, with dual emphases on security and economic issues. The Center also hosts top Chinese and U.S. scholars and policy practitioners at Yale as guests and visiting scholars who produce original research and interact with the broader Yale community.

In 2016, Yale Law School received an extraordinary gift of $30 million in honor of its distinguished alumnus, the late Dr. Paul C. Tsai, '54 LL.M , '57 J.S.D., to support the continuing work of the China Center. This generous gift was given by Paul Tsai's son, Joseph C. Tsai, Yale College, B.A. '86; Yale Law School, J.D. '90. In recognition of this gift, the Center was renamed the Paul Tsai China Center.

The Director of the Paul Tsai China Center is Professor Paul Gewirtz. Prior to establishing the Center in 1999, Professor Gewirtz was on leave from Yale University from 1997–1998 and was a part of President Bill Clinton's administration, where he served as Special Representative for the Presidential Rule of Law Initiative at the U.S. Department of State. In that post, he developed and led the U.S.–China initiative to cooperate in the legal field that President Clinton and China's President Jiang Zemin launched at their October 1997 Summit.

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The mission of this organization is to create a space for graduates
of public institutions of higher education to network, share
experiences, and combat the imposter syndrome that often attends
being a product of public education in an incredibly elite and, at
times elitist, institution.

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QTS is a student organization that seeks to foster a safe space and
to create a sense of community for transfer students at YLS. QTS
leadership will gather the institutional knowledge that current
transfer students possess to facilitate the adaptation process of
future transfers. It will also make demands to the administration
and other student-run organizations regarding the needs of transfer
students.

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The South Asian Law Students Association (SALSA) provides those interested in South Asian culture at Yale Law School a space to gather, create support networks, and form communities. We hope to instill awareness of the role of law students as future leaders who understand, care about, and support the history and concerns of the South Asian community.

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The Temporary Restraining Order Project (TRO Project) staffs an office at the New Haven courthouse to assist individuals seeking temporary restraining orders. Students assist with completing paperwork and follow up to ensure that TROs are served and applicants return for their hearings.

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The Liman Center promotes access to justice and the fair treatment of individuals and groups seeking to use the legal system. Through research projects, teaching, fellowships, and colloquia, the Liman Center supports efforts to bring about a more just legal system.

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The International Community @ YLS is a group for all foreign and international students across all academic programs at Yale Law School. The group provides programming centered on career planning, immigration advocacy, and community building.

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The Thomas Swan Barristers' Union provides students with the opportunity to learn trial advocacy skills in an educational, fun, and competitive environment. Students act as attorneys and simulate a jury trial, preparing witnesses and writing and performing pre-trial motions, opening statements, direct and cross examinations, and closing arguments.

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Our mission is to support the trans community at YLS by creating safe spaces, connecting members, and advocating for our needs.

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We provide resources such as:
* Activities like movie night, board games, and crochet classes, as well as the occasional socially distant outdoor hang
* Academic advising
* Professional advising
* Unprofessional advising
* Emotional support
* Bringing cool speakers to campus - or to digital campus
* Co-developing advocacy strategies
* The inside scoop about what to expect in the classroom, on campus, and around New Haven.

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The Women of Color Collective is an affinity group for women of color and persons of color belonging to traditionally under-represented gender identities. We provide social support, mentorship, and community.

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The Yale Animal Law Society, a member of the Student Animal Legal Defense Fund, works to reduce animal suffering by providing resources and events related to animal law to the law school community. We welcome all who are interested in developing legal, policy, and community-based strategies to protect animals.

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The Yale Black Law Students Association (BLSA) is a student organization composed of Yale Law School students concerned with issues affecting members of the African Diaspora. The purpose of BLSA is to support and advance the interests of its members and the broader Black community.

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The Yale Civil Rights Project is an organization for students working collaboratively with non-profit organizations such as the ACLU, Know Your IX, and National Employment Law Project on legal research projects related to civil rights in the areas of civil liberties, critical race theory, economic justice, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, and women's rights.

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YCS's mission is to provide space and community for aspiring creators of all kinds. Whether you create to publish, introspect, explore, dream, relax, tune out, tune in, or tune up, YCS is where you belong.

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The Yale Entertainment and Sports Law Association (YESLA) endeavors to expose members and the broader YLS community to important legal topics in the Sports and Entertainment industries. YESLA plans to host a number of speakers and organize trips to various events.

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The Yale Environmental Law Association (YELA) provides a home for students interested in environmental law and concerned about the climate crisis. YELA draws attention to all aspects of environmental law, environmental justice, and related fields through YLS community events, speakers and reading groups, and opportunities to connect and collaborate with other campus groups. YELA also serves as a hub for climate and environmental activism at YLS and beyond. YELA places special emphasis on the interdisciplinary, multifaceted character of environmental law and its relevance to a wide range of legal and policy issues.

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The Federalist Society is founded on three core principles: We believe that the state exists to preserve freedom. We believe that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution. And we believe that it is emphatically the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.

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The Yale Health Law and Policy Society (YHeLPS) serves as a central hub for health-related programming at the Yale Law School. YHeLPS invites speakers, plans career info sessions and networking events, organizes experiential learning opportunities like the medical-legal partnerships, and coordinates with other health organizations throughout Yale University.

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The Yale Immigrant Justice Project (IJP) organizes law students in support of immigrant communities in the Greater New Haven area and around the country. Law students engage in projects involving direct legal services, assisting with strategic litigation, and drafting appeals of immigration decisions. As they stand, immigration policies exist to disorient and dehumanize those who wish to make their home in the U.S. We envision a different future in which no one has to live in fear because of their documentation status. We hope to use the skills, privileges, and opportunities our law degrees give us to work towards making that a reality.

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The Yale Jewish Law Students Association (JLSA) is an affinity group that organizes and hosts academic, cultural, religious, and social events including Shabbat and holiday meals, faculty dinners, and lectures.

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The Yale Journal of Health Policy, Law, and Ethics (YJHPLE) strives to provide a forum for interdisciplinary discussion on topics in health policy, health law, and biomedical ethics.

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The Yale Journal of International Law (YJIL) is a student-run law journal devoted to scholarship on international, transnational and comparative law.

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The Yale Journal of Law & the Humanities publishes scholarship at the intersection of law and the humanities.

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The Yale Journal of Law and Feminism is committed to publishing scholarship on gender, sexuality, and the law, especially insofar as the law structures, affects, or ignores the experiences of women and other marginalized peoples. We encourage the submission of articles, essays, and reviews concerning these intersections of law and feminism. As we promote feminist principles to our readers, we also practice those principles ourselves. All members contribute to our Journal's management, making major decisions through modified consensus.

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The Yale Journal of Law and Technology (YJoLT) offers a network of tech-focused law students and exposure to cutting-edge legal scholarship. If you are passionate about robotics, science, privacy and beyond, join our community!

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The Yale Journal on Regulation (JREG) is a biannual student-edited law review covering regulatory, administrative, corporate law topics. It is the top-ranked journal in the fields of corporate, administrative, bankruptcy, and commercial law in the United States.

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The Yale Law & Business Society (YLBS) connects students interested in corporate law, business, entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, and regulation. YLBS presents lectures and workshops and organizes networking events to support the academic and professional interests of our members. In its programming, the Society works closely with the faculty at YLS and the Yale School of Management (SOM) and both schools' alumni.

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YLPS aims to offer both formal and informal activities for students interested in philosophy and law. The organization is committed to fostering engagement with legal-philosophical ideas by sponsoring reading groups, hosting guest speakers, and creating a social community on campus.

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The Yale Law & Policy Review (YLPR) is a biannual publication of the Yale Law School dedicated to publishing legal scholarship and policy proposals by lawmakers, judges, practitioners, academics, and students.

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The Yale Law Christian Fellowship (YLCF) is an open community of Christians aiming to serve and love God and each other, and to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ to the community around us.

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The Yale Law National Security Group aims to foster a non-partisan community focused on national security and foreign policy within the law school.

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The Yale Law Republicans facilitate connections between students and conservative campaigns and Republican officials, both elected and appointed. We sponsor speaker and internal events.

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The Yale Law Veterans Association represents the interests of current and former members of the military at Yale Law School.

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The Yale Society of International Law (YSIL) aims to provide a comprehensive platform for YLS students to pursue their academic and professional interests in international affairs and international law.

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Yale Law School's Career Development Office (CDO) provides a variety of resources to assist you in making informed career decisions. A good starting point is the career pathways section of this site where you can learn about the variety of employment opportunities available. Use the toolkit for student job seekers to guide you through the self-assessment, employer research, application and interview processes. Explore CDO's educational and interview programs and myriad resources that are at your disposal as your job search progresses.

In the fall, every first-year student will be assigned to one of our four attorney counselors. After that, you are welcome to connect with a counselor of your choice.

We look forward to collaborating with you during your time at YLS and beyond.

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Those students who will be third-year students (or the equivalent) in the Fall are eligible to apply for positions as Coker Fellows, teaching assistants that work with the first-year small groups.

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Each year, eleven elected Student Representatives act as an advocate for students, as a liaison to/from the Law School administration, and as partner to various constituents on and off campus.

Student Representatives participate in faculty meetings, appoint students to serve on faculty committees, meet monthly with the Dean, bi-weekly with members of the Office of Student Affairs, and occasionally with other faculty and administrators as needed.

Student Representatives advise the Office of Student Affairs on new organizations and on annual funding allocations.

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YLW+ works to advance the status of women and underrepresented gender identities at YLS and in the legal profession at large. To realize this mission, we create programming, resources, and mentorship opportunities to bolster our members' pursuit of their professional and personal goals.

YLW+ is a non-partisan organization committed to building a supportive community at YLS and beyond.

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