Building Leaders, Creating Change

After graduating from Yale University with his Bachelor of Arts in humanities and political science, Isaiah Affron worked at Kobre & Kim, a law firm in New York City, for three years. His next step was to get into law school, and he entered UVA Law School in fall 2023.

Affron spent the summer between his first and second years of law school in his hometown of Philadelphia as a judicial intern in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. He is spending the summer of 2025 in Washington, D.C., and New York, working in litigation at Sullivan & Cromwell.

The coursework, the members of the school’s faculty, and the student experience have all stood out for him.

“Academically, I’ve loved my coursework—my favorite classes have been Constitutional Law and Federal Courts—and I’ve been lucky to develop relationships with some terrific professors, including Professor Charles Barzun, [Law ’05, Grad Arts & Sciences ’05]” said Affron.

The Law School offers a remarkable balance between academic and extracurricular life that students appreciate. Outside of class, Affron has spent much of his time as an editor of the Virginia Law Review. He also competed in the William Minor Lile Moot Court Competition and played for two different intramural softball teams.

These experiences are among the many that distinguish the Law School. Scholarship support is also key to attracting top students.

“Isaiah’s record of achievement at the Law School makes me very proud of his selection,” said Donald Dell (Law ’64), who created the scholarship.

Dell is also a Yale undergraduate alumnus. He taught Professional Sports and the Law at the Law School for 22 years and said the teaching of John Jeffries (Law ’73) and Paul Mahoney were strong influences on his own approach in the classroom.

A professional tennis player before attending law school, Dell became a successful sports agent whose client list included the likes of Michael Jordan and Arthur Ashe. He negotiated the Stan Smith Adidas deal, one of the most successful shoe deals in athletics and for one of the top-selling sneakers of all time.

“I am very grateful for the support provided by Mr. Dell,” said Affron. “In fact, the Dell Scholarship was a major factor in my decision to attend Virginia.”

Affron is looking forward to another year of study. After graduation, he hopes to begin a career as a litigator.

In announcing the gift made with his wife, Martha Lubin Karsh (Col ’78, Law ’81), to create the Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Distinguished Professorship in Law, Bruce Karsh (Law ’80) said the recipient should be a scholar of constitutional law and “possess a love of teaching and [model] integrity, civility, and fidelity to freedom and the rule of law.”

The description fits Naomi Cahn, who was named the inaugural Justice Anthony M. Kennedy Distinguished Professor in Law. She’s an expert in family law, trusts and estates, feminist jurisprudence, reproductive technology, and aging and the law. Prior to joining the Law School in 2020, she taught at George Washington Law School, where she twice served as associate dean. She is the co-director of UVA Law’s Family Law Center.

Cahn’s many writings include casebooks in both family law and trusts and estates, articles and essays, and more—as well as many academic and nonacademic books such as “Red Families v. Blue Families” (with Professor June Carbone). Her most recent book, “Fair Shake: Women and the Fight to Build a Just Economy,” was named one of five thought-provoking books of 2024 by Salon.

Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and New Yorker, and she has appeared on numerous media outlets, including NPR and MSNBC. Cahn is also a senior contributor to the Forbes Leadership Channel, for which she regularly writes posts on gender equity.

Bruce Karsh—co-founder, co-chairman, and chief investment officer of Oaktree Capital Management—served as a clerk under Justice Kennedy after law school when Kennedy served on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Martha Karsh, leader in the nonprofit world, is a co-chair of the Honor the Future Campaign. She also co-manages the Karsh Family Foundation giving and serves on the national board of the KIPP Foundation, the nation’s largest network of high-performing public charter schools. The couple, who are honorary co-chairs of the Law School’s campaign, are also co-owners of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors. The Karshes have also generously endowed a series of research professorships at the Law School, which are currently held by Professors Aditya Bamzai, Michael Gilbert, Craig Konnoth, and Kimberly Robinson (Col ’92).