As the academic year comes to a close, Stanford Law School is proud to celebrate some of the students, faculty, and staff recognized as part of the law school’s annual end-of-year awards.

Professor Anne Joseph O’Connell was selected by the graduating class for Stanford Law's ...Hurlbut Award, which honors a professor who “strives to make teaching an art.” Professor O’Connell will deliver the keynote address at graduation.

The Staff Award goes to the one and only Faye Deal, a beloved longtime member of the Stanford community who has played a meaningful role in the lives of countless Stanford Law students.

And the 2026 Dean’s Award for Excellence in Service goes to Delia Appiah Mensah, JD ’26, recognized for her outstanding contributions to student life at the law school.

We also congratulate the 2026 recipients of the Leon M. Cain Community Leadership Award, which honors students who have made outstanding contributions to enhancing the law school community: Halim Labi, JD ’28; Jocelyn Tapia, JD ’27; Rebecca Han, JD ’26; and Khurliman Aytniyazova, LLM ’26.

In mid-May, the The John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law handed out its annual awards at a reception. Read more about those awards here: https://brnw.ch/21x3bdL

Congratulations to all of this year’s honorees!

Stanford Law School's Night of Firsts returned on May 15, bringing together students, alumni, faculty, and friends to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the First Generation and Low-Income Professionals (FLI) affinity group.

As FLI's signature gala, Night of Firsts offered a ...chance to honor the students and alumni who have helped build the organization and to recognize the power of being "first" while opening doors for those who follow.

This year's speakers included FLI founder Jasmine Miller, JD '19, and Christopher Middleton, JD '21, of the Youth Law Center. The event was organized by the 2025–2026 FLI Board, including Co-Presidents Jocelyn Tapia, JD '27, and Breeze Velazquez, JD '27, and led by FLI Gala Chair Blessing Roland-Magaji, JD '27.

Directors are sitting on the boards of competing companies far more often than previously known.

A new study by Stanford Law Professor Mark Lemley, Lane Miles, JD ’25, and Wharton Professor Rory Van Loo identifies 2,309 instances of these overlapping board roles, raising new questions ...about competition, investor influence, and access to sensitive business information.

The researchers’ article, “Anticompetitive Directors,” published in the Columbia Law Review, recently received the 24th Annual Jerry S. Cohen Memorial Fund Writing Award, which recognizes outstanding antitrust scholarship. Read more: https://brnw.ch/21x35Rp