Transfer students at Harvard Law School have had a friend in graduating student Zane Daniels ’26, who has worked tirelessly to make the campus a more welcoming one. His community-building efforts, particularly on behalf of transfers, have earned him this year’s Yvonne L. Smith Award.
Instituted two years ago, the award recognizes a student showing an exemplary dedication to supporting others. It was named for the much-loved administrator of the Board of Student Advisers, who retired in 2023 after 46 years at the law school.
“I didn’t overlap at HLS with her, but when I received the award, I made a point of reading up on her,” Daniels said. “I learned about her service to the school and how she made people feel so connected, so empowered and so supported. That has really added to the sense of honor I have to receive this award.”
While he’s enjoyed community work across the board, he became especially interested in the experiences of transfer students.
“I guess the key distinction is that it’s all happening again — you’ve gone through your first year at a different school and you’re having that new school experience a second time,” he said. “Beyond that, it’s just the way law school functions: Everybody is building community through their time here, joining new clinics, taking new classes. For a transfer there’s just more newness.”
He met with numerous students who were considering transferring in, addressing concerns and providing support. But he says he especially enjoyed working to match newly-arrived students with on-campus mentors.
“We sent out questionnaires to see what people might be looking for in terms of the support they’d receive, and for people who would serve as mentors, what sort of support they could provide. And to see how that played out over a school year, watching those relationships blossom, was what struck me the most,” he said. “It was almost like a puzzle, seeing who could fit over here and who’d fit there. In the same way, I like how the law can feel like a puzzle in terms of problem-solving. So, the mentorships scratched that itch as well.”
“What I’ve found in being part of the community myself and helping other people, is that we’re all here for three years of a J.D. program, we’re all finding our way, and people can be incredibly supportive.”
“It’s been rewarding to see people that I helped connect with a student organization take on a leadership role. Or to see a mentorship that I put together pan out and be valuable; maybe I’ll be thanked in the hall or something like that. … What I’ve found in being part of the community myself and helping other people, is that we’re all here for three years of a J.D. program, we’re all finding our way, and people can be incredibly supportive.”
“I think we all realize that at the end of the day, we’re going into a fairly tight-knit profession,” he said. “We’re all going to be colleagues, we’re all going to be working together or maybe against each other. So there is a level of collegiality that I’ve found is the baseline.”
Daniels was also editor in chief on the Harvard Law & Policy Review, and a member of the Federal Courts Clinic and the Judicial Process in Trial Courts Clinic. And in leisure time he’s much enjoyed being part of the law school’s Wednesday-night pub trivia tournaments, where he’s led his team to regular victories. He could also frequently be spotted around campus walking his dog Poppy, a former research beagle: “She’s earned this degree as much as I have.”
Because his mother is a state court judge in New York, Daniels was attracted to law at an early age. “I went to court with her when she was a litigator, I’d get all dressed up and sit at the attorney’s table — that just seemed like the coolest thing,” he said. “I have fond memories of going to court with my mom, seeing her in action, seeing the law in action. And I came to realize that was setting me on the path. It came to feel like the most engaging and important thing, and a place where I could use my skills to join a profession that really matters.”
After graduating he will be working in litigation at a law firm back home in New York City, before moving onto a clerkship.
“I’ve been focused on litigation since I started law school, so I have chosen courses and internships toward that end. At this point in my career I’ve been able to see and participate in a vast breadth of cases. I may narrow it down, but for now I really enjoy the variety.”
He also expects to continue networking as an alum. “I’ve certainly connected with the Harvard alumni community in my career search and in my efforts to serve the student body, so I’d like to be a resource as an alum in the same way I’ve been a resource as a student.”
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