Professor Robin Effron to Teach Civil Procedure through the Lens of Seinfeld at Yadda Yadda Law School

On July 22, Professor Robin Effron will deliver an online lecture via Zoom on civil procedure in Seinfeld as part of the Yada Yada Law School, “a fake law school where real law professors teach classes about nothing.”

The Yada Yada Law School is a free online summer series featuring faculty from law schools across the country who will lecture on legal issues as seen through the lens of the 1990s sitcom. The program is organized by Professor Gregory Shill of the University of Iowa College of Law, the “Art Vandelay Dean & Kenny Rogers Roasters Foundation Chair in Business Law” at Yada Yada.

In her course, Effron, the “Newman U.S.P.S. Professor of Law,” will discuss issues of civil procedure that arise in scenes from classic episodes such as “The Deal,” and “The Soup Nazi.” Seinfeld, like many other sitcoms, featured numerous scenes where the characters make promises and agreements that lend themselves to concepts in contracts, or they become entangled in criminal law. But for a show that never involved a formal civil suit, says Effron, “there are some surprising lessons that we can learn about the jurisdiction of courts in America and the questions about who can bring a claim and how it must be brought.” Other Yada Yada Law School classes explore criminal law, contracts, torts, evidence, and other fundamental legal topics.

While registration to attend Yada Yada Law School is free, and classes will be made available on YouTube, the organizers ask the participants to contribute to COVID-19 relief efforts of Legal Services NYC.