Deeply devoted to the cause of children’s rights and welfare and a frequent expert advisor on youth and children’s legal issues nationwide, Michael S. Wald has had a distinguished career as an academic researcher and teacher. He is one of the leading national authorities on legal policy toward children, and he drafted the American Bar Association’s Standards Related to Child Abuse and Neglect, as well as major federal and state legislation regarding child welfare.

Professor Wald has served as deputy general counsel for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services during the Clinton administration, executive director of the San Francisco Department of Human Services, and senior advisor to the president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. He is currently chair of the San Francisco Youth Council and the Faculty Scholars Program of the William T. Grant Foundation, and previously served as a Guggenheim Fellow. He has been a member of the Stanford Law School faculty since 1967.