–
Headshot of Professor Michael Stein of HLS

Historically, law school, legal practice, and law teaching have not been well designed to include people with disabilities (visible or invisible) as either actors or as subjects. Although progress is slowly being made, most law school curriculums do not prepare students to anticipate or actively mediate disability inclusion in classrooms or court rooms. Come learn about how you, as a future lawyer interacting with persons with disabilities or as someone who has a disability yourself, might effectively anticipate and rectify the exclusions perpetuated in classrooms, offices, and the Academy.

–

Believe it or not, there is a role for lawyers in the work of international development beyond the general counsel’s office. Join Wasserstein Fellow David Bernstein ’88 for a community discussion about the career options for lawyers interested in working internationally to help strengthen and build democratic institutions in developing countries. David, recently retired after 20+ years at the World Bank, will discuss his career supporting democratic institutions, reforming judiciaries and combating corruption in countries across the globe while working for the U.S. State Department, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank.

Lunch provided. RSVP below. Open to the HLS community.

–

Too many lawyers end up in jobs they don’t particularly enjoy. Not so for Wasserstein Fellow Kirby Thomas West, who is an attorney at the Institute for Justice, a libertarian public interest firm. Join OPIA for a community discussion with Kirby, where she will discuss her journey from BigLaw to public interest work, and how she found a job that is both rewarding and a lot of fun. Kirby will share what her day-to-day looks like as a public interest litigator, and why it’s a career path worth pursuing.

Lunch provided. Please RSVP below! Open to the HLS community.

–

Prosecutors tend to be unpopular and often distrusted, unless popular culture agrees with who is being prosecuted (which isn’t how prosecutorial decisions work). Sometimes there is good reason for distrust, but despite that, it is hardly wise to paint with a broad brush and vilify or glorify an entire group of public servants. Join Wasserstein Fellow Fara Gold as she discusses why being a prosecutor means upholding the Constitution, wielding power fairly, and doing so with humanity. She will explain why she cringes when she reads about prosecutors who have “notched wins” or “scored convictions,” because that isn’t how principled prosecutors talk about their careers. Fara will discuss this in the context of her own career first as a state prosecutor, then as a federal prosecutor for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division where she specialized in prosecuting law enforcement sexual misconduct, and now as an attorney with the Office on Violence Against Women where she focuses on policy and training to address gender-based violence.

Lunch provided. Please RSVP below. Open to the HLS community.

–

Peter O’Meara from the Harvard International Office will hold drop-in office hours in the OPIA suite to offer quick consults and answers questions about travel and work authorization as an international student. No need for an appointment; students will be served on a first-come, first-served basis.