David C. Yamada

Biography

David Yamada is a Professor of Law and Director of the New Workplace Institute at Suffolk University Law School, where he is a globally recognized authority on workplace bullying and psychological abuse. He wrote the first comprehensive law review article on workplace bullying (Georgetown Law Journal, 2000), and his model workplace anti-bullying legislation has become the template for enacted and proposed workplace anti-bullying laws and ordinances in the U.S. He is also an affiliated scholar with the Workplace Bullying Institute.

In addition, Professor Yamada is a leading expert on the field of therapeutic jurisprudence and on the legal implications of unpaid internships. His Minding the Workplace blog, which examines topics such as workplace bullying, dignity at work, and employment law and policy, has attracted some 1.5 million page views since its 2008 founding. He has been frequently sought out by the media on topics related to his work, including major outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, and Boston Globe.

Professor Yamada's current active professional and non-profit service activities include:

• International Society for Therapeutic Jurisprudence (founding chair, board of trustees)
• Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (member, board of directors)
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (member, advisory committee to the Action Collaborative on Preventing Sexual Harassment in Higher Education)
• Revolutionary Spaces, Inc. (vice chair, board of directors)
• University of Chicago, Graham School for Continuing Adult and Professional Studies (member, Graham Council)

At Suffolk, Professor Yamada served as the founding director of both the SPILG summer public service fellowship program and the Rappaport Honors Program in Law and Public Service. His internal service includes the University Faculty Senate, University Faculty Handbook Committee, and University Faculty Grievance Committee.

Professor Yamada earned his J.D. from New York University School of Law, where he served on the NYU Journal of International Law and Politics and received the Arthur T. Vanderbilt Medal for extraordinary contributions to the School of Law. Before entering academe, he practiced for six years as a public interest lawyer in New York City, first at the NYC Legal Aid Society (Associate Appellate Counsel, Criminal Appeals Bureau), and then at the New York State Attorney General's Office (Assistant Attorney General, Labor Bureau). He also served as a senior instructor and co-coordinator in the first-year Lawyering Program at NYU School of Law.

Education

• JD, New York University (1985)y
• MA (Labor & Policy Studies), SUNY-Empire State College (1999)
• BA, Valparaiso University (1981)

Publications

Selected Articles

• Designing Trauma-Informed Legislation: Designing the Workplace Bullying Accountability Act, 58 UIC L. REV. 541 (2025).
• Expanding Coverage of the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Act to Protect Workers from Severe Psychological Harm, 51 SUFFOLK U. L. REV. 393 (2023).
• Therapeutic Jurisprudence: Foundations, Expansion, and Assessment, 75 U. MIAMI L. REV. 660 (2021).
• The Legal and Social Movement Against Unpaid Internships, 8 NORTHEASTERN U. L. J. 357 (2016).
• Emerging American Legal Responses to Workplace Bullying, 22 TEMPLE POL. & CIV. RTS. L. REV. 329 (2013)
• Therapeutic Jurisprudence and the Practice of Legal Scholarship, 41 U. MEMPHIS L. REV. 121 (2010)
• Workplace Bullying and American Employment Law: A Ten-Year Progress Report and Assessment, 32 COMP. LAB. L. & POL'Y J. 251 (2010)
• Employment Law As If People Mattered: Bringing Therapeutic Jurisprudence into the Workplace, 11 FLA. COASTAL L. REV. 257 (2010) (Symposium contribution)
• Human Dignity and American Employment Law, 43 U. RICHMOND L. REV. 523 (2009)
• Workplace Bullying and Ethical Leadership, 1(2) J. VALUES BASED LEADERSHIP 49 (2008)
• Crafting a Legislative Response to Workplace Bullying, 8 EMP. RTS. & EMP. POL'Y J. 475 (2004) (symposium contribution)
• The Employment Law Rights of Student Interns, 35 CONNECTICUT. L. REV. 215 (2002)
• The Phenomenon of "Workplace Bullying" and the Need for Status-Blind Hostile Work Environment Protection, 88 GEORGETOWN L.J. 475 (2000)
• Voices from the Cubicle: Protecting and Encouraging Private Employee Speech in the Post-Industrial Workplace, 19 BERKELEY J. EMP. & LAB. L. 1 (1998)
• Beyond "Economic Realities": The Case for Amending Federal Employment Discrimination Laws to Include Independent Contractors, 38 BOSTON COLLEGE L. REV. 239 (1997) (with Lewis L. Maltby)