Alumni Focus

The American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) has announced that Ambassador Samantha Power '99, diplomat, academic, and human rights advocate, will receive the 2019 Daniel Patrick Moynihan Prize in Social Science and Public Policy.

Yuko Miyazaki LL.M. ’84 sets a historic precedent as a female justice on Japan’s Supreme Court

In the “Countless Stories” video series, Paul Clement ’92, a former United States Solicitor General and current partner at the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis, discusses his advocacy before the Supreme Court.

On Nov. 15, Harvard Law School's Harvard Defenders hosted the 7th annual Litman Symposium. This year's event, titled "Defining Justice: Building a more equitable criminal legal system," featured a Q&A with keynote speakers Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney Sarah Boyette ’10 and Simmi Kaur ’17, an attorney with the Bronx Defenders.

John J. Gibbons ’50, a former federal judge who argued for rights for Guantánamo detainees and dedicated his five-decade career to protecting the rule of law in the United States, died Dec. 9. He was 94.

Hundreds of alumnae gathered to celebrate the history and legacy of women at Harvard Law School, in September. Celebration 65, held Sept. 14-16, commemorated the…

After serving as an officer in the U.S. Navy, M. Alejandra Parra-Orlandoni focused on international law and national security during her time at Harvard Law School. But the most important things she learned, she says, were the ability to think critically and the importance of learning from the experience of others.

Sixty-five years ago, Frederica Brenneman ’53 graduated from Harvard Law School as member of the first HLS class to admit women. A retired Connecticut Superior Court judge, Brenneman was the second woman appointed to the bench in Connecticut history. In this segment, she shares her HLS experience and discusses her career as a juvenile court judge.

Former Attorney General of the United States Loretta Lynch ’84, the first African-American woman attorney general, shares her HLS experience and discusses her career as the country’s chief law enforcement officer. Lynch will be one of hundreds of Harvard Law alumnae gathered on campus on Sept 14-15 to commemorate Celebration 65. 

This September, Harvard Law School will commemorate 65 years since women first graduated from Harvard Law School. In this "Countless Stories" video series, Boston City Counselor Michelle Wu ’12 discusses her advocacy for inclusion, innovation, and transparency in city government.

The Trump administration’s recent “zero tolerance” policies on immigration resulted in the separation of several thousand children from their families at the U.S. border. Harvard Law alumni from dozens of law firms have pulled together to help reunite children who had been forcibly separated from their families.

Many HLS alumni and students are engaged in legal and advocacy work related to immigration, including the situations of refugees and asylum seekers. For some of these lawyers, this interest predates their time at HLS, but has dovetailed with their coursework and hands-on learning during their time as law students.

Alice Cherry ’16 and Kelsey Skaggs ’16 have been named 2018 Echoing Green Fellows. In 2016, Cherry and Skaggs co-founded Climate Defense Project (CDP), a legal nonprofit that provides advice and support to the climate movement in the United States and internationally.

Japanese international law professor Yuji Iwasawa LL.M. ’78 was elected a judge of the International Court of Justice, the U.N.’s principal judicial body. He will join 14 other judges at the International Court of Justice, including Nawaf Salam LL.M. ’91.

As attorney general of the Navajo Nation, Ethel Branch ’08 aims to strengthen tribal law and native voices.

A new book by Laurence Tribe and Joshua Matz examines the real and threatened power of impeachment.

Harvard Law School Association events bring together alumni around the world.

There is no shortage of serious legal issues facing poor people in Greater St. Louis, especially people of color, says Blake Strode ’15, who was born and raised in the area. Just three years out of HLS, Strode is back home fighting the criminalization of poverty as executive director of ArchCity Defenders, a nonprofit civil rights law firm in St. Louis that has filed landmark cases that have already improved the lives of tens of thousands of low-income people.

Caitlin Long ’94 left Wyoming for Harvard Law School and the career on Wall Street that followed, but she’s never forgotten her home state or its only university.

Thanks to Peter Trooboff ’67, a plaque now marks the building in Lviv, Ukraine, where his mentor international law Professor Louis Sohn LL.M. ’40 S.J.D. ’58 spent part of his childhood in the 1930s.

Glenn Feit Sr. ’57, longtime New York City corporate attorney, had an “unexpected turn of career” in the last seven years and is now a musician in the Hamptons (on the East End of Long Island, New York).