Alumni Focus

At the reins of New York’s federal public defender office for two decades, Leonard F. Joy ’56 represented notorious defendants in cases involving international intrigue, terrorism plots and arms trafficking. But Joy’s favorite case will always be one that reminds him why he transitioned into public defense as a young corporate lawyer. The case was particularly satisfying for Joy, not just because he won but because it offered the rare thrill of defending someone “who was truly good.”

Robert J. Katz ’72 is the new chairman of the Dean’s Advisory Board. Katz is a senior director at Goldman, Sachs & Co., for which he served as general counsel from 1988 through 2000.

“Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” by Amy Chua ’87 (Penguin).The roar that accompanied the publication earlier this year of Chua’s memoir has resounded around the Internet,…

Kroger went from being a Marine reconnaissance scout to a Yale undergraduate to an aide for then-Rep. Charles Schumer ’74 and then for Bill Clinton’s presidential campaign, before he enrolled at Harvard Law School. After clerking for a year, he landed a job in 1997 as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where he quickly racked up a list of high-profile convictions against drug dealers and mobsters.

When Priscilla Holmes ’55 attended Harvard Law School, as a member of the third class to admit women, there was only one “Ladies Room” on campus, in the basement of Austin Hall.

Harvard Law School Spring Reunions this year brought back a record number of alumni, nearly 800. Among them were U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy ’61 and Elena Kagan ’86, the law school’s former dean.

An active member of the HLSA, in 2009, Malik Dahlan LL.M. ’01 founded the Harvard Law School Association of Arabia, which will have its official launch this fall. This spring, he shared his vision for his firm and the HLSAA.

Lobsang Sangay LL.M. ’96 S.J.D. ’04 is the first to admit he has rather big shoes to fill as he prepares to take office as prime minister, or Kalon Tripa, of Tibet’s government-in-exile.

A few weeks before he received his LL.M. from Harvard Law last year, János Fiala was handed a victory by the European Court of Human Rights.

The new CEO of pharmaceutical giant Merck, Kenneth Frazier ’78 is driven by high hopes for the company and what it can do

While she recently received an onslaught of attention for the strict parenting techniques depicted in her book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother,” during a recent panel discussion, Amy Chua ’87, promoted the idea that “there are so many ways of producing happy, healthy, strong children.”

Harvard Law School Distinguished Senior Fellow Ben W. Heineman, Jr., Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Elena Kagan ’86 and Princeton University Professor Anne-Marie Slaughter '85 are among the new class of members elected to the American Philosophical Society this year.

Adrienne Bradley ’12 was named one of Latham & Watkins' 2011 Diversity Scholars in April. The Diversity Scholars initiative awards $10,000 scholarships to four second-year law students in the United States who intend to practice law in a global firm. The program is one of several firm initiatives designed to promote diversity and equal opportunity in the legal profession.

Lobsang Sangay LL.M. '96 S.J.D. '04, the first Tibetan to attend Harvard Law School, has been certified as the new Kalon Tripa—a position often referred to as "prime minister" of a "Tibetan government-in-exile" headed by the Dalai Lama—following elections in March.

In a relaxed and often-humorous conversation before a packed room of more than 750 of their fellow Harvard Law School alumni, U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justices Anthony M. Kennedy ’61 and Elena Kagan ’86 on Saturday shared personal stories and offered a rare glimpse into the Court’s very private world, in a special reunion event moderated by HLS Dean Martha Minow.

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court appointee Fernande R.V. Duffly ’78 became the first Asian Pacific American to serve on the Supreme Judicial Court when she was appointed by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick ’82 in December, 2010.

Four Harvard Law School alumni are among the National Law Journal’s list of the “Most Influential Lawyers.” Thirty-four attorneys were recognized in 10 specific practice areas.

In February, the American Law Institute conferred its new award, the Young Scholars Medal, on Oren Bar-Gill LL.M. ’01 S.J.D. ’05 and Jeanne C. Fromer ’02. The award was created to “call attention to academic work that is practical, focused on the real-world and can influence law for the better.”

In a lunch with Harvard Law School students, Jeffrey Cohen ’88, Managing Director and Global Head of Retail at Lazard, discussed his journey from a law school and legal training to investment banking.