Michael Wald : An Oral History
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Michael Wald is the Jackson Eli Reynolds Professor of Law, Emeritus at Stanford Law School. In this oral history, he shares recollections of his childhood and early education; attending Cornell University and Yale Law School; and his career as an academic researcher, teacher, and public official, including his association with Stanford Law School since 1967. Wald describes how he developed an interest in children’s and family law, his experiences working in government and at various legal service agencies, and the impact of his scholarship. Wald recounts his role in the development of clinical coursework and interdisciplinary teaching at the Law School and shares his philosophy about preparing lawyers for the work of public interest law.
Description
| Type of resource | sound recording-nonmusical, text |
|---|---|
| Extent | 2 video files; 2 audio files; 1 text file |
| Place | Stanford (Calif.) |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
| Date created | June 29, 2022 - 2022-07-07 |
| Language | English |
| Digital origin | born digital |
Creators/Contributors
| Interviewee | Wald, Michael | |
|---|---|---|
| Creator | Wald, Michael | |
| Interviewer | Schofield, Susan W. | |
| Publisher | Stanford Historical Society |
Subjects
| Subject | Wald, Michael |
|---|---|
| Subject | Stanford University. School of Law |
| Subject | Children's and family law |
| Subject | Juvenile Justice Standards Project |
| Genre | Interview |
Bibliographic information
| Summary Part 1 | Part 1 [00:00:00 – 00:31:52] Early life and family history • Growing up in suburban Rockville Centre, New York • Attending South Side High School • Religious and racial divisions in Rockville Centre • Early political interests • Interest in pursuing a teaching career • Decision to attend Cornell [00:31:53 – 00:59:53] Entering Cornell; decision to study in Government Department; special small group seminar • Influence of professor Ted Lowi, George Fox, and Walter LeFeber • Teaching methods at Cornell • Wrestling experience at Cornell • Influence of Civil Rights Movement • Summer jobs in Washington D.C. at Housing and Home Finance Agency (with Robert Weaver) and Office of Management and Budget; impact of volunteer tutoring work • Fraternity experience at Cornell • Meeting his wife, Johanna [00:59:54 – 01:25:05] Decision to attend law school at Yale • Intersection of interests in teaching and law • Enrollment in joint JD-Political Science program • Political science field's focus on question of the public interest • Influence of Yale faculty, teaching methods, and students • Classmates Benno Schmidt and Walter Dellinger • Johanna’s transfer from Columbia to Yale Law School • Marriage to Johanna, birth of their first child, and the experience of women in law school [01:25:05 – 02:11:06] Developing an interest in children and family law; influence of Joe Goldstein, Anna Freud, and Jay Katz • Impact of the book Beyond the Best Interests of the Child • Thoughts on psychoanalytic theory and the law; tension between theory and practice • Law Review project with Betsy Levin on US Supreme Court Miranda v. Arizona • Summer work experiences with San Francisco law firm Heller, Ehrman and Los Angeles firm O’Melveny & Myers • Influence of Supreme Court decisions in Brown v. Board of Education and In re Gault, 387 U.S. 1 • Decision to pursue public interest law • Reginald Heber Smith Fellowships • Post-law school job offers • Recruitment to Stanford Law School • Learning how to teach law as a young professor |
|---|---|
| Summary Part 2 | Part 2 [00:00:00 – 00:33:04] Early teaching career; courses on family law and juvenile probation • Integrating interdisciplinary scholarship into courses; co-teaching with psychology and psychiatry faculty; memories of John Kaplan • Perspectives on interdisciplinary teaching • Teaching as a learning experience; memories of teaching property and taking students to juvenile court • Perspectives on Law School faculty appointments and collegiality • Status of women on faculty and as faculty wives [00:33:05 – 01:11:00] Recruiting diverse students and faculty; Thelton Henderson • Anti-Vietnam War movement at Stanford • Student sit-ins at campus buildings; faculty role in resolving conflicts • Faculty debate about, and vote on, granting amnesty to student protestors [01:11:01 – 01:33:48] Leave to gain practical experience following his first three years of teaching • Ventura County District Attorney’s Office • District of Columbia Public Defender Service • Defending people arrested in the 1971 May Day protests • Center for Law and Social Policy in D.C. • Youth Law Center in San Francisco • Impact of these practical experiences on his teaching and thinking [01:33:49 – 02:10:03] Return to teaching at Stanford • Creating clinical courses at the Law School • Clinical coursework in the juvenile area and student experiences • Interdisciplinary clinical teaching • Impact of Law School clinics in East Palo Alto • Creating Children and the Law course • Boys Town Center on Youth Development at Stanford [02:10:04 – 02:40:50] Research on impact of children’s policy • Courtesy appointment in the School of Education • Change in Law School calendar to facilitate interdisciplinary teaching • Involvement with local school districts on special education issues • Creating public policy courses at the Law School [02:40:51 – 03:08:00] Origins of research and scholarship in children’s law • Juvenile Justice Standards Project • California Children’s Lobby • Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act of 1980 • California State Advisory Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect • Translating law into policy |
| Summary Part 3 | Part 3 [00:00:00 – 00:30:49] Creating a joint JD-MPP program • Focus on families in poverty and impact on children • Administrative challenges in delivering the program • Creating public policy labs • Change in laws schools from Socratic method to solving cases • Appeal of teaching clinical courses • Changes in students seeking admission to law school [00:30:50 – 01:00:29] Commitments and opportunities outside of Stanford • Deputy General Counsel U.S. Department of Health and Human Services • Director of the San Francisco Human Services Agency • William and Flora Hewlett Foundation • Receiving Miriam Roland Award for volunteer service [01:00:30 – 01:29:20] Influence as a scholar in shaping family law • Focus on same-sex marriage from a child’s perspective • Student mentorship as an aspect of teaching • Mentorship of faculty • WT Grant Foundation Faculty Scholar selection committee • Chapin Hall Children’s Center • Council of the World Economic Forum Global Children’s Agenda [01:29:21 – 02:11:27] Perspectives on university presidency and deanships • Challenges and opportunities for Stanford going forward • Family and post-retirement activities • Interest in birdwatching • Gratitude for library, IT, and other staff at Stanford |
| Transcript |
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| Finding Aid | |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/jf253ps3002 |
| Location | SC0932 |
| Repository | Stanford University. Libraries. Department of Special Collections and University Archives |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Collection
Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program interviews, 1999-2022
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