Simeon E. Baldwin Award
The Simeon E. Baldwin Award was established in 2007 and is presented by the Center to a Yale Law School graduate or faculty member in recognition of distinguished achievement in law and business.
Simeon E. Baldwin, both a student and faculty member of the Law School, was the leading railroad lawyer of his day and was responsible for putting in place the Law School’s interdisciplinary tradition, which would propel Yale Law into the preeminent institution it is today. He was also governor and chief justice of the Supreme Court of Connecticut, and a founder and president of an astounding number of professional associations including the American Bar Association, American Association of Law Schools, and American Political Science Association. Baldwin’s extraordinary career embodies the distinguished service that the Center wishes to recognize and honor in award recipients.
Award Recipient List
Chandler, William B. ’79 LL.M. (2010)
Cutler, Stephen M. ’85 (2020; presented in 2022)
DiBlasi, Gandolfo V. ’78 (2013)
Fleischer, Arthur Jr. ’58 (2009)
Fraidin, Stephen ’64 (2012)
Giuffra, Robert J. Jr. ’87 (2016)
Hansmann, Henry B. ’74 (2018)
Heineman, Ben W. Jr. ’71 (2017)
Jimenez, Frank R. ’91 (2024)
Landy, Eugene W. ’58 (2014)
Lang, Robert Todd ’47 (2007)
Langbein, John A. (2015)
Ludwig, Eugene A. (2011)
Schwartz, Alan ’64 (2019)
Winter, Ralph K. ’60 (2008)
Remarks on Award Presentation to Recipients
The Hon. William B. Chandler III ’79 (LLM), Chancellor, Delaware Court of Chancery
(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.”