Five Vanderbilt Law professors – Farhang Heydari, Francesca Procaccini, Christopher Serkin, Sean Seymore, as well as adjunct professor John Richmond — were honored with the 2026 Hall-Hartman Awards for Outstanding Teaching from the Vanderbilt Bar Association.
Hall-Hartman Awards are based on a student poll administered by the VBA. The annual awards, which recognize excellent teaching of both first-year and upper-level classes, are given to one professor in each of Vanderbilt’s three first-year partner houses and to two professors who taught upper-level courses, with separate categories for classes with more or less than 30 students.
These awards are a longstanding Vanderbilt tradition recognizing faculty whose teaching is deemed outstanding. The awards are named in honor of former professors Donald J. Hall and Paul Hartman, both of whom spent their academic careers at Vanderbilt and were revered for their teaching.
Farhang Heydari, Assistant Professor of Law, was recognized for first-year teaching by the Fairfax and Wedgewood Houses and for his upper-level class Criminal Procedure: Investigations. He also teaches Criminal Law; the Administering the Carceral State Seminar; and Policing, Technology, and Artificial Intelligence. He has previously received Hall-Hartman Awards for first-year teaching and upper-level teaching.
Francesca Procaccini, Assistant Professor of Law, was recognized for first-year teaching by the Edgehill and Natchez Houses. She teaches Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, and the Judicial Review Seminar. Professor Procaccini has previously received a Hall-Hartman Award for upper-level teaching.
Christopher Serkin, who holds the Elisabeth H. and Granville S. Ridley Jr. chair in Law, was recognized for first-year teaching by the Capers and Magnolia Houses. He teaches Property, Land Use Planning, and a Property Theory Seminar. Professor Serkin has previously received Hall-Hartman Awards for first-year teaching and upper-level teaching.
Sean Seymore, Centennial Professor of Law, was recognized for his upper-level class Remedies. He also teaches Patent Law, Trade Secrets, Torts, and Civil Procedure.
John Richmond was honored for outstanding teaching as an adjunct professor of law for his course Human Trafficking.
