Source: Yada Yada Law School website
Yada Yada Law School is a "fake law school where real law professors teach online classes about nothing," but actually about Seinfeld and the law.
If you're looking for an engaging way to survey other areas of law, or just have some fun for a good cause, it is well worth your time to check out online courses from Yada Yada Law School (YYLS).
In real life, Greg Shill may be Associate Professor of Law at the University of Iowa College of Law, but since May he's also been the Art Vadelay Dean & Kenny Rogers Roasters Foundation Chair in Business Law at YYLS. Since his tenure began, Shill and several fellow law professors have offered free online classes to the masses—on Seinfeld and the law. These “classes about nothing, for charity” are actually taught by several law professors on introductory legal topics in areas like criminal, constitutional, property and tort— through scenarios and situations from famous episodes of Seinfeld. Courses started June 3 and are scheduled to run at least through August.
Classes are free and for fun, but Shill and his YYLS colleagues do ask participants to donate to the COVID-19 relief efforts.
"We decided to do this for two reasons. First, to give people trapped at home during the pandemic something to enjoy, and hopefully learn from. And second, to try and help out those in need by raising money for charity. To that end, we have partnered with Legal Services of New York City, to raise money for COVID-19 relief in the epicenter of the pandemic in New York. [ ] We ask that you chip in $6 today. $6 because that is the price of the marble rye that Jerry was unable to buy lawfully and ended up stealing."
The first course, Seinfeld Property Law, was taught by Sara C. Bronin, Thomas F. Gallivan Chair in Real Property Law and Faculty Director, Center for Energy and Environmental Law at UConn School of Law. The hour-long course went by pretty quickly, covering the significance of and basics of property law, as well as the links between institutional racism, property, and zoning laws in the United States. You might also be surprised to learn that the law might actually (sort of) be on George's side in the well-known episode in which he stubbornly insists that he has rights to a parking spot in front of Jerry's building. The precedent? Case law about a hunting dispute.
Classes are free but you'll need to sign up to attend on Zoom. Though classes have been running since the beginning of June on Zoom, you can also catch up on past episodes through the YYLS Youtube channel. The next opportunity to catch YYLS online will be this Wednesday—with double-header classes on Seinfeld Criminal Law and Seinfeld Criminal Procedure—on July 22, from 1 - 3 PM ET. To attend, you can sign up here.
You can donate to Legal Services of New York City here, at any time.
