In April, the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Clinical Legal Education awarded Gautam Hans, clinical professor of law and founding director of the Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Clinic, the 2024 M. Shanara Gilbert Emerging Clinician Award. This national honor recognizes emerging clinicians for their commitment to teaching, social justice, and providing legal services to underserved communities.
“I am thrilled to receive the Gilbert award from the AALS Clinical Section,” Hans said. “Since my first experiences as a clinic student fifteen years ago in my second year of law school, I dreamt of one day becoming a clinical professor. Working with our dedicated and brilliant Cornell students to represent clients who cannot afford representation remains a daily privilege, and I hope that our work honors the legacy of the inspiring Shanara Gilbert.”
Since joining Cornell Law in 2022, Hans has led clinic projects that promote free speech rights and explored intersections between the First Amendment and other areas of law. His clinic’s work has included representing a foreign national denied entry to the United States for political reasons and advising reproductive rights advocates in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Dean Ohlin remarked, “I’m delighted to see this recognition of Professor Hans’ dedication to his students, clinic clients, and the national clinical legal education community.”
Andrew Gelfand ’23, in a letter supporting Hans’ nomination, wrote, “Professor Hans frames the First Amendment as a point of intersection for various other legal disciplines and concerns . . . He
engages with students as coequals or, where appropriate, lets his students lead.”
In addition to his clinical teaching, Hans is a leader in the national clinical community, serving as copresident of the Clinical Legal Education Association and the Center for Study of Applied Legal Education. He frequently speaks on issues relating to free speech and technology, and constitutional law in the media and at conferences.
