By Allison Torres Burtka
Michigan Law
The Law School Student Senate (LSSS) has announced its 2026 award winners, honoring Michigan Law professors for their exceptional teaching and dedication to students.
The LSSS has named Spencer D. Smith as L. Hart Wright Professor of the Year, Kerry Kornblatt as 1L Legal Practice Professor of the Year, Frank E. Vandervort as Clinical and Experiential Professor of the Year, and Adrian Ohmer as Inclusive, Innovative, and Interdisciplinary Teaching Professor of the Year.
“Michigan Law has an extraordinary roster of teachers—research faculty, clinicians, legal practice professors, lecturers, and more,” Smith said. “I’m honored by this recognition, but I’m aware of how much company I’m in.”
LSSS President Victoria Pedri, 3L, said, “It’s been a genuine privilege to help recognize Michigan Law faculty through these student-led awards during my tenure with LSSS. What stands out every time is how deeply students value not only exceptional teaching but also mentorship, inclusivity, and the many ways faculty show up for them beyond the classroom.”
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L. Hart Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching: Spencer D. Smith
The L. Hart Wright Award is Michigan Law’s oldest student-led teaching award and is named after the beloved and renowned tax professor L. Hart Wright. It recognizes a professor who exemplifies the spirit of Michigan Law.
One student nominator called Smith “the best law professor I’ve had by a country mile.”
“Spencer Smith reminded me why I came to law school. Every lecture is engaging and interesting,” another student wrote.
Smith said, “My own best learning has happened when someone pushed me hard but also gave me room to take risks, to be wrong, or even to fail outright. That’s the classroom environment I try to create: high expectations, with the freedom to struggle toward them.”
One student noted that Smith “distills complicated concepts into approachable and digestible explanations” while remaining “exceptionally kind and encouraging.”
Smith is an assistant professor who teaches constitutional law to 1Ls and antitrust law to upper-level students. “Constitutional law and antitrust law can be unforgiving subjects—abstract, demanding, at times almost deliberately opaque,” he said.
“That difficulty is part of what makes them rewarding to teach. When it clicks, it’s satisfying.”
Before joining Michigan Law, Smith served in the US Department of Justice and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. He maintains a pro bono practice and has served as a special assistant attorney general of Michigan, assisting the Michigan Attorney General’s Office with Supreme Court litigation.
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1L Legal Practice Professor of the Year: Kerry Kornblatt
This award honors a legal practice faculty member who develops their students’ legal research and writing skills from their first days on campus as 1Ls.
Students highlighted Kornblatt’s exceptional instruction and unwavering support for 1Ls. One student wrote: “Professor Kornblatt goes above and beyond in everything she does, teaching us how to marshal legal arguments and be an effective researcher.”
Another student shared: “I have never seen my writing improve so substantially over the course of a few months.” They added, “We trusted her to make us better writers without ever making us feel diminished.”
Kornblatt is a clinical assistant professor in the Legal Practice Program.
“I’m so deeply honored to be recognized by our students in this way. I have the most fulfilling work I can imagine-—and that’s due in no small part to our amazing students. We regularly ask them to do things that are challenging, that are unfamiliar, and that take a level of resilience they’ve never had to find before. Time and again they do it with good humor, while also looking out for each other,” Kornblatt said. “I’m lucky to have such a special job in such a special place.”
In addition to teaching legal practice classes, Kornblatt teaches an advanced legal writing seminar on judicial clerkships. She previously taught legal research and writing at Wayne State University School of Law.
Before teaching, Kornblatt clerked for the Hon. Helene White on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Hon. Leslie Southwick on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Hon. Mark Goldsmith on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She also served as a staff attorney for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
—————
Clinical and Experiential Professor of the Year: Frank E. Vandervort
This award recognizes a clinical or experiential faculty member who prepares students to support real-life clients.
Vandervort is a clinical professor and co-director of the 1L Advocacy Clinic. He also teaches in the Juvenile Justice Clinic, which he co-founded in 2009.
“Frank is an incredible clinical professor. He is an exemplar of being dedicated to the work—both the work that we do for clients and the work of helping us develop into the best lawyers we can be for our clients,” one student said.
“It is a tremendous honor to be named the Clinical and Experiential Professor of the Year by Michigan Law’s student body,” Vandervort said. “I am deeply grateful to work with such dedicated, intelligent, and passionate students who want very much to make a difference in the lives of their clients, their communities, and in the world. I am humbled and thankful for their recognition.”
Vandervort’s primary interests are juvenile justice, child welfare, and interdisciplinary practice. He is a member of the editorial board of Child Maltreatment, the official journal of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, as well as a past president of the society and former chair of its Amicus and Public Policy Committee.
—————
Inclusive, Innovative, and Interdisciplinary Teaching Professor of the Year: Adrian Ohmer
This award recognizes a faculty member for teaching that goes above and beyond the traditional case method, using methods that are innovative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive of students from all walks of life.
Ohmer is a lecturer at Michigan Law. Students described his Innovation Platform course as transformative and uniquely integrative. “He challenges us in new ways and brings the best out of us,” one student said. Another noted, “He seamlessly integrates current events, business case studies, his own experience, and other readings to cultivate a holistic educational experience like no other.”
“I see teaching as a way to give back to an institution that helped hone my own skills and from which I’ve taken so many meaningful lessons and friendships,” Ohmer said.
“The students at Michigan Law, and especially those in my class, are willing to be challenged every week, and that willingness brings me so much joy,” he said. “Working with students, understanding their curiosities, and figuring out ways to push them and keep them excited about the capital markets at large is a privilege.”
Ohmer’s full-time job is serving as a managing investment director at the $4 billion Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Previously, he was an investment director at the Kresge Foundation and a senior manager at the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust. Chief Investment Officer magazine recognized him in 2023 as one of the industry’s next generation of chief investment officers, and he received the 2021 Crain’s Notable LGBTQ in Business award and the 2019 Rising Star Award from the National Association of Investment Companies.
—————
Honoring exceptional professors
Each award recipient will be invited to give a “Blue Jeans Lecture” of their choice at a community lunch hosted by the LSSS and the Office of Student Life in the fall.
“The nominations are consistently moving, and they reflect a community that takes teaching and care seriously,” Pedri said. “I’m honored to play a small role in celebrating the extraordinary faculty who make Michigan Law special. I also want to thank my fellow Academic Committee members, Jose, Angad, and Sam, who diligently read each nomination and helped ensure every student voice was heard with care and respect.”
Michigan Law
The Law School Student Senate (LSSS) has announced its 2026 award winners, honoring Michigan Law professors for their exceptional teaching and dedication to students.
The LSSS has named Spencer D. Smith as L. Hart Wright Professor of the Year, Kerry Kornblatt as 1L Legal Practice Professor of the Year, Frank E. Vandervort as Clinical and Experiential Professor of the Year, and Adrian Ohmer as Inclusive, Innovative, and Interdisciplinary Teaching Professor of the Year.
“Michigan Law has an extraordinary roster of teachers—research faculty, clinicians, legal practice professors, lecturers, and more,” Smith said. “I’m honored by this recognition, but I’m aware of how much company I’m in.”
LSSS President Victoria Pedri, 3L, said, “It’s been a genuine privilege to help recognize Michigan Law faculty through these student-led awards during my tenure with LSSS. What stands out every time is how deeply students value not only exceptional teaching but also mentorship, inclusivity, and the many ways faculty show up for them beyond the classroom.”
—————
L. Hart Wright Award for Excellence in Teaching: Spencer D. Smith
The L. Hart Wright Award is Michigan Law’s oldest student-led teaching award and is named after the beloved and renowned tax professor L. Hart Wright. It recognizes a professor who exemplifies the spirit of Michigan Law.
One student nominator called Smith “the best law professor I’ve had by a country mile.”
“Spencer Smith reminded me why I came to law school. Every lecture is engaging and interesting,” another student wrote.
Smith said, “My own best learning has happened when someone pushed me hard but also gave me room to take risks, to be wrong, or even to fail outright. That’s the classroom environment I try to create: high expectations, with the freedom to struggle toward them.”
One student noted that Smith “distills complicated concepts into approachable and digestible explanations” while remaining “exceptionally kind and encouraging.”
Smith is an assistant professor who teaches constitutional law to 1Ls and antitrust law to upper-level students. “Constitutional law and antitrust law can be unforgiving subjects—abstract, demanding, at times almost deliberately opaque,” he said.
“That difficulty is part of what makes them rewarding to teach. When it clicks, it’s satisfying.”
Before joining Michigan Law, Smith served in the US Department of Justice and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor. He maintains a pro bono practice and has served as a special assistant attorney general of Michigan, assisting the Michigan Attorney General’s Office with Supreme Court litigation.
—————
1L Legal Practice Professor of the Year: Kerry Kornblatt
This award honors a legal practice faculty member who develops their students’ legal research and writing skills from their first days on campus as 1Ls.
Students highlighted Kornblatt’s exceptional instruction and unwavering support for 1Ls. One student wrote: “Professor Kornblatt goes above and beyond in everything she does, teaching us how to marshal legal arguments and be an effective researcher.”
Another student shared: “I have never seen my writing improve so substantially over the course of a few months.” They added, “We trusted her to make us better writers without ever making us feel diminished.”
Kornblatt is a clinical assistant professor in the Legal Practice Program.
“I’m so deeply honored to be recognized by our students in this way. I have the most fulfilling work I can imagine-—and that’s due in no small part to our amazing students. We regularly ask them to do things that are challenging, that are unfamiliar, and that take a level of resilience they’ve never had to find before. Time and again they do it with good humor, while also looking out for each other,” Kornblatt said. “I’m lucky to have such a special job in such a special place.”
In addition to teaching legal practice classes, Kornblatt teaches an advanced legal writing seminar on judicial clerkships. She previously taught legal research and writing at Wayne State University School of Law.
Before teaching, Kornblatt clerked for the Hon. Helene White on the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the Hon. Leslie Southwick on the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and the Hon. Mark Goldsmith on the US District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. She also served as a staff attorney for the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
—————
Clinical and Experiential Professor of the Year: Frank E. Vandervort
This award recognizes a clinical or experiential faculty member who prepares students to support real-life clients.
Vandervort is a clinical professor and co-director of the 1L Advocacy Clinic. He also teaches in the Juvenile Justice Clinic, which he co-founded in 2009.
“Frank is an incredible clinical professor. He is an exemplar of being dedicated to the work—both the work that we do for clients and the work of helping us develop into the best lawyers we can be for our clients,” one student said.
“It is a tremendous honor to be named the Clinical and Experiential Professor of the Year by Michigan Law’s student body,” Vandervort said. “I am deeply grateful to work with such dedicated, intelligent, and passionate students who want very much to make a difference in the lives of their clients, their communities, and in the world. I am humbled and thankful for their recognition.”
Vandervort’s primary interests are juvenile justice, child welfare, and interdisciplinary practice. He is a member of the editorial board of Child Maltreatment, the official journal of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, as well as a past president of the society and former chair of its Amicus and Public Policy Committee.
—————
Inclusive, Innovative, and Interdisciplinary Teaching Professor of the Year: Adrian Ohmer
This award recognizes a faculty member for teaching that goes above and beyond the traditional case method, using methods that are innovative, interdisciplinary, and inclusive of students from all walks of life.
Ohmer is a lecturer at Michigan Law. Students described his Innovation Platform course as transformative and uniquely integrative. “He challenges us in new ways and brings the best out of us,” one student said. Another noted, “He seamlessly integrates current events, business case studies, his own experience, and other readings to cultivate a holistic educational experience like no other.”
“I see teaching as a way to give back to an institution that helped hone my own skills and from which I’ve taken so many meaningful lessons and friendships,” Ohmer said.
“The students at Michigan Law, and especially those in my class, are willing to be challenged every week, and that willingness brings me so much joy,” he said. “Working with students, understanding their curiosities, and figuring out ways to push them and keep them excited about the capital markets at large is a privilege.”
Ohmer’s full-time job is serving as a managing investment director at the $4 billion Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Previously, he was an investment director at the Kresge Foundation and a senior manager at the UAW Retiree Medical Benefits Trust. Chief Investment Officer magazine recognized him in 2023 as one of the industry’s next generation of chief investment officers, and he received the 2021 Crain’s Notable LGBTQ in Business award and the 2019 Rising Star Award from the National Association of Investment Companies.
—————
Honoring exceptional professors
Each award recipient will be invited to give a “Blue Jeans Lecture” of their choice at a community lunch hosted by the LSSS and the Office of Student Life in the fall.
“The nominations are consistently moving, and they reflect a community that takes teaching and care seriously,” Pedri said. “I’m honored to play a small role in celebrating the extraordinary faculty who make Michigan Law special. I also want to thank my fellow Academic Committee members, Jose, Angad, and Sam, who diligently read each nomination and helped ensure every student voice was heard with care and respect.”
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