Hall of Fame 2025: Ying White ’97

A woman with a dark bob and glasses smiles; she wears full ceremonial regalia. A man in red graduation regalia is in the background.
Ying White ’97 was the commencement speaker at the spring 2025 commencement. She was inducted into Stetson Law’s Hall of Fame in 2025.

When Ying White ’97 first became an attorney, her father-in-law gave her a picture of a young Abraham Lincoln, which she kept in her office. It was a reminder of what hard work and perseverance can accomplish.

“Here was a man aspiring to be an attorney with no formal legal education,” she said during her spring 2025 commencement address at Stetson Law. “Only through his own efforts, did he not only succeed in that task but as we all know, went on to become one of the great presidents of this country.”

A magna cum laude Stetson Law alumna, White has achieved much through her own hard work and perseverance. With a career defined by supporting major financial institutions amid a shifting global economy, a passion for giving back to her alma mater, and efforts to help Stetson grow its international reach, she is among the latest to join the Stetson Law Hall of Fame.

White was inducted at a November 1 ceremony at the Don CeSar on Florida’s St. Pete Beach.

A woman with dark hair and a grey-striped suit and a man in a button-up shirt and jeans stand in front of a while featuring comemmorative plaques.
Ying White ’97 and former Dean Bruce Jacob ’59.

“The word that I would use to encapsulate Ying is driven,” said Dean D. Benjamin Barros. “She’s achieved so much in her career because she was willing to work so hard at it. She’s incredibly smart and incredibly talented. You see the drive in her. She’s really at the top of the game.”

Success on a global scale

White’s adaptability equipped her to thrive in a changing world. As partner at the global law firm Clifford Chance LLP, she has advised global fund managers like Citadel, BlackRock, and Vanguard on how to be profitable as they entered the China market.

She has advised sovereign wealth funds and Chinese businesses on their investments with major global funds. As chair of the American Bar Association’s China Law Committee, she conducted many US-China legal exchange programs. Throughout her career, she has sought to embody the values she says Stetson Law instilled in her and her classmates: compassion, ethics, courage, and boldness in the pursuit of justice.

Showing love for her alma mater

For years, White has mentored international students and alumni. She served on the Stetson Law Alumni Association Advisory Board Member from 2005-2008 and has personally supported Stetson Law Greatest Needs, the W. Gary Vause International LLM Scholarship, and Stetson Law Scholarships.

A woman wears a salmon-colored suit and a man wears a dark suit. Together, they hold an orange bag that says "aurora." There are Chinese characters on the wall behind them.

After Barros expressed a desire to have Stetson Law increase its international student enrollment, White offered to serve as a host, liaison, and translator on an October 2024 trip to China to explore academic partnership opportunities. The trip included a visit to Southwest University of Political Science and Law in Chongqing, China, which then sent a delegation for a productive visit to Stetson Law in March 2025.

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Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580
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