Boies, Schiller & Flexner chairman David Boies received Yale Law School's highest honor, the Award of Merit. Yale Law School dean Robert Post presented Mr. Boies with the award at a luncheon October 20, 2012, referring to Mr. Boies as a "trailblazing lawyer," "crystalline in his clarity and reasoning" and "a perfect model of integrity and tact." (For Dean Post's full remarks, click here.)
Upon accepting the award, Mr. Boies spoke of the practice of law as facilitating justice, which, he asserted, includes "what we do in our communities [and] what we do in making justice truly available to all of our citizens and ultimately to every citizen in the world." (Click here for video.)
Since 1957, the Yale Law School alumni have presented the Award of Merit annually to esteemed Yale Law School graduates or faculty members who have made a substantial contribution to public service or to the legal profession. Previous recipients include Yale Law School dean Harold Koh, former presidents Gerald Ford, William J. Clinton and District of Columbia congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.