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