John F. Manning

Renowned human rights expert Martha Minow, the Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence at Harvard Law School and a Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, has been named a University Professor, Harvard’s highest faculty honor. Minow, who was dean of Harvard Law School from 2009 to 2017, will begin her appointment as the 300th Anniversary University Professor on July 1. Known for her wide-ranging intellectual curiosity and influential interdisciplinary scholarship, Minow has offered original ways to frame and reform the law’s treatment of racial and religious minorities as well as women, children, and persons with disabilities...John F. Manning, Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at Harvard Law School (HLS), noted that “Martha Minow has been a transformative scholar across multiple fields and disciplines, a devoted and influential teacher, an innovative and impactful dean, and a tireless advocate for those in need of legal services."

...Pete D. Davis ’12 [`18], who will graduate from the Law School this month, authored a report on public interest offerings at the school that has since gained widespread attention. The report, timed to coincide with the Law School’s 200th birthday, argues that while public service opportunities have increased and more graduates are opting for careers in the public sector, the school still has an obligation to further incentivize its graduates to pursue careers in public service...In an email, [John] Manning wrote that the Law School is “deeply committed to public interest” and that they “dedicate vast and growing resources to support that commitment.” Manning also pointed to statistics indicating that students in the JD Class of 2018 spent 637 hours on average performing pro bono work during their time at Harvard—more than 12 times the requirement of 50 hours. In this class alone, students logged 376,532 hours of pro bono service, according to Manning...Kenneth H. Lafler, assistant dean for student financial services at the Law School, wrote that LIPP “is among the most flexible and generous loan repayment assistance programs in existence.” “One of LIPP’s many advantages is that it allows graduates to choose when to enter and leave the program,” he added.

Tomiko Brown-Nagin, a leading historian on law and society as well as an authority on constitutional and education law and policy, has been named dean of Harvard’s Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Harvard President Drew Faust announced today...“I am honored and excited to have the opportunity to lead the Radcliffe Institute, whose mission to bring scholars together across disciplinary and professional boundaries I enthusiastically embrace,” said Brown-Nagin...“Tomiko Brown-Nagin is a brilliant legal historian who is deeply committed to the project of interdisciplinary work. In her time at Harvard Law School, she has been a wonderful teacher of our students, superb leader of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute, and invaluable institutional contributor,” said John F. Manning, the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law at HLS.

A group of Harvard Law students and alumni are urging Law School Dean John F. Manning ’82 to make a number of changes to the school’s Low Income Protection Plan, which helps graduates who go into public service and other low-paying legal careers repay their loans...LIPP aims to assist eligible students in repaying loans by asking students to repay a portion of their student loans based on their income. The Law School then pays the remaining amount. Around 700 graduates are currently enrolled in the program, according to Kenneth Lafler, the school’s Assistant Dean for Student Financial Services...“We are committed to making Harvard Law School more financially accessible and committed to making both front-end and back-end aid here, making it possible for students to pursue the careers that they want to pursue,” Rachel J. Sandalow-Ash ’15 [`20], president of the Coalition to Improve LIPP, said in an interview Wednesday. Sara R. Fitzpatrick [`20], a first-year Law student who serves as policy director for the coalition, said it’s important that graduates from underprivileged backgrounds are able to pursue careers that serve people in their communities...Several student organizations, including the Law School’s student government, the Women’s Law Association, and the Black Law Students Association, signed onto the letter. Paavani Garg [`18], a third-year Law student and president of the Harvard Women’s Law Association, wrote in an emailed statement that changes to LIPP would advance gender equality...The Student Government for Harvard Law School also signed the letter. Amanda M. Lee [`18], president of the Student Government, wrote in an emailed statement that the organization voted “unanimously” to sign the letter in support of the policy changes.

Frank E.A. Sander, a longtime Harvard Law School professor known as a mentor to many and a pioneer in the field of alternative dispute resolution, died Feb. 25. He was 90 years old and lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Sander, on the Harvard faculty from 1959 to 2006, authored numerous books on ADR, taught the topic at Harvard and had a profound impact on those who knew him, worked with him and learned from him...His colleagues at Harvard said Sander was an advocate for his profession and ADR and will be missed. “Frank played a preeminent role in shaping that (ADR) important discipline, which has transformed our legal system,” said Harvard Law School Dean John Manning in a press release. “He was a beloved teacher and mentor to our students, a wise and selfless administrator at our school, and a cherished colleague and friend to faculty and staff.”

Students, faculty, and administrators at the Law School say they are pleased Harvard’s 29th president will be one of their own. University President-elect Lawrence S. Bacow, who will take office after President Drew G. Faust steps down in June, graduated from the Law School with a J.D. in 1976. He also holds two degrees from the Kennedy School...John F. Manning ’82, dean of the Law School, wrote in an emailed statement that he is “delighted” with Bacow’s appointment and “look[s] forward to working with him.”...Manning’s predecessor as dean, Martha L. Minow, wrote in an email that she thinks Bacow’s legal training has equipped him well to lead universities like Tufts, and now, Harvard. “Larry Bacow is not only a proven, effective leader in higher education who passionately cares about access, inclusion, and excellence; he is also genuinely perceptive and wise,” she wrote...“Larry Bacow wasn’t my student, but I wish he had been,” [Laurence] Tribe wrote in an email. “He’s a wonderful choice as Harvard’s next President and I look forward to getting to know him. Just listening to one of his long-form interviews is a source of inspiration and comfort. His background and vision seem ideal for this difficult time of turmoil and transition.”...Jyoti Jasrasaria ’12 [`18], a third-year law student who chaired the student committee that advised the presidential search, said the committee reached out to students across the University, including law students, to solicit input about the search. “Personally, I think, based on the outreach that I did to students along with the rest of the committee over the course of the past few months, that what we have seen and heard from Larry Bacow so far it seems like he is going to be a really good president,” Jasrasaria said...Historically, the Law School has shown a tendency to strike out on its own and occasionally depart from University-wide policy. Jacob R. Steiner [`18], a third-year Law student who served as a Law School representative on the student advisory committee, said he thinks Bacow’s experience at HLS will translate into a deeper understanding of the school’s specific needs and a stronger relationship between the Law School and the University.

Soon after the announcement that Lawrence S. Bacow would be Harvard’s next president, congratulations started pouring in from deans of schools across the University. From community messages to personal statements, Harvard’s deans eagerly expressed their enthusiasm about their new boss. John F. Manning ’82, the dean of the Law School, took pride in the fact that Bacow was an alumnus of his school, and complimented his “superb judgment” in a statement Sunday. He wrote that he was often directed to Bacow for advice when he first took on the Law School deanship last year. “When I became dean, one of the most frequent pieces of advice I got from fellow deans was, ‘You need to meet Larry Bacow; he has terrific insights about how to lead a school.’ They were right,” Manning wrote in an emailed statement.