Latest from HLS News Staff

In his welcome address to incoming Harvard Law students this year, Harvard Law School Dean John F. Manning ’85 made the case that lawyers and the legal profession will be central to resolving many of the challenges facing the nation and the world today.

As a high school student volunteering with Teen Court, Jordi Torres ’13 thought that a legal career in public service might be right for him. Years later, Harvard Law School’s Low Income Protection Plan (LIPP) enabled him to pursue that desire.

With the start of the academic year, a look at nine faculty who have joined Harvard Law School, been promoted, or taken on new roles in 2021.

Rachel A. Viscomi ’01 has been appointed clinical professor of law at Harvard Law School. Viscomi, who was appointed director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP) in 2018, was most recently an assistant clinical professor of law.

Sheila Heen ’93, negotiation expert and trainer, has been appointed professor of practice at Harvard Law School, effective July 1, 2021. She has been a lecturer on law at HLS since 1995.

Today, Harvard Law School welcomed to campus its most diverse class of J.D. students in school history — with record-breaking test scores and grade point averages, to boot.

A virtual tour of Harvard Law School, home to historic buildings, the world's largest academic law library, and a number of dedicated learning and clinical practice spaces.

Dan Eaton ’89, former president of the Harvard Law School Association, says that the new shield reflects the “idea of Harvard Law School as a leading expositor of the rule of law” and discusses the wide range of alumni ideas that emerged through the process and his views of the final product.

A new study led by Dr. Ashley Nunes, a fellow at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, concluded that, counterintuitively, fleets of electric, autonomous taxis could dramatically increase energy consumption and emissions that contribute to climate change — not reduce them.

Annette Gordon-Reed ’84 discusses how the Shield Working Group approached its task, what she and other members learned from extensive focus groups about HLS’ distinguishing features, and how the new shield reflects the mission, values, and diversity of Harvard Law School.

As part of ongoing analysis, the 36-member Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court of the United States, 16 of whom are Harvard Law School faculty or alumni, recently solicited testimony from scholars across the political spectrum to weigh in on Court reform.

A landmark Supreme Court decision and an extension of Name, Image and Likeness rights to student athletes usher in a summer of change for the NCAA, says sports law expert Peter Carfagna ’79.

Harvard Law Professor and Federal Reserve Board veteran Daniel K. Tarullo discusses inflation and the United States’ economic recovery.

Harvard Law School has appointed Joshua C. McDaniel to serve as a visiting assistant clinical professor and as the director of its Religious Freedom Clinic.

Looking for a new book to enjoy at the beach, park, or on your couch? Six HLS faculty members share what they’re reading this summer. 

Homeschooling reform advocates Elizabeth Bartholet and James Dwyer discuss meaningful homeschooling regulations to prevent abuse and promote higher educational standards.

The Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program and the American Bar Association have jointly released a report on best practices for eviction diversion.

Harvard Law School’s Christopher T. Bavitz, the WilmerHale Clinical Professor of Law, has been appointed as vice dean for experiential and clinical education.

Betsy showed that advocacy can be married with academia and modeled how to unapologetically take a stand.

A Harvard Law School clinic works to overturn a federal policy in D.C. that advocates say leads to racial injustice and contributes to mass incarceration.

Jeanne Tai, who as a senior administrator at the HLS Graduate Program and International Legal Studies has deeply influenced the careers of thousands of lawyers and legal academics around the world, will retire on June 15 after 24 years at Harvard Law School.