All Areas of Interest

Area of Interest State and Local Government

In the United States’ federalist system, many of the laws that govern our daily lives emanate from state and local governments. These laws exert tremendous influence over issues ranging from the environment to labor to housing, and they shape the political power and (in)equality of individuals and groups. Harvard Law students learn about the workings of America’s decentralized form of government, the intersection of federal, state, and local laws, and the many challenges and opportunities that state and local government law pose.

From Harvard Law Today

Faculty

HLS Professors

Visiting Professors & Lecturers

Clinics

Education Law Clinic / Trauma & Learning Policy Initiative

Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic

Food Law and Policy Clinic

Government Lawyer: Attorney General Clinic

Government and Policy Lawyering: Semester in Washington Clinic

Judicial Process in Trial Courts Clinic

Making Rights Real: The Ghana Project Clinic

Research Programs and Centers

Access to Justice Lab

Animal Law & Policy Program

John M. Olin Center: Law, Economics and Business

Youth Advocacy & Policy Lab

Related Courses

Course Term Instructor(s)
Access to Justice Lab Spring 2027 Seminar D. James Greiner
Advanced Constitutional Law Fall 2026 Course Noah Feldman
Building Power Lines: Why the US Is Lagging Behind and Can We Fix It? Fall 2026 Reading Group Ari Peskoe
Codifying Trusts and Estates Law Fall 2026 Reading Group Robert Sitkoff
Constitutional Law: First Amendment Fall 2026 Course Noah Feldman
Constitutional Law: First Amendment Spring 2027 Course Richard Parker
Current Topics in Trust Law and Policy Spring 2027 Reading Group Robert Sitkoff
Disability Rights Law Spring 2027 Course Michael Ashley Stein
Education Law Clinic: Individual Representation Fall 2026 Clinic Jodi Guinn
Education Law Clinic: Individual Representation Spring 2027 Clinic Jodi Guinn
All Related Courses