Alumni Focus

In her year at HLS, Chikondi Mandala LL.M. ’19 learned "to think critically about the law itself, why it exists, and how we can make it better.”

James O. Bass, Sr. ’34, who was profiled in 2017 as Harvard Law’s oldest living alumnus, died on May 22, 2019, at the age of 108.

Harvard Club of Seattle President Alexis Wheeler ’09 and the Crimson Achievement Program provide mentorship to support high-achieving, low-income high school students.

In a recent Q&A, Professor of Practice Samantha Power, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and author of the Pulitzer-prize winning 'A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide,' reflects on the tragedy in Rwanda and the lessons learned—and not learned—since.

Norman Eisen ’91 tells the epic story of democracy’s long victory in Europe through a house’s history—and his mother’s life.

In the wake of Celebration 65, a commemoration of the 65th anniversary of HLS’s first class with female students, five participants—a former head of state and other successful alumnae in law, government, politics and business—share what they’ve learned about women’s leadership challenges, and how to bring change to their industries, the nation, and the world.

Noah Purcell and Adam Unikowsky first met in the fall of 2004 as 1L sectionmates. Fourteen years later, they met again as adversaries arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bryan Stevenson ’85 creates a memorial and museum to foster conversation on America's original sin.

Speaking at Harvard Law School, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III '09 (D., Mass.) called Monday for a new national economic agenda based on “moral capitalism” that addresses the needs of embattled workers.

Bryan Stevenson ’85 discusses the legacy of slavery and the vision behind creating the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and The Legacy Museum in Montgomery Alabama.

Megha Parekh ’09 is in charge of all legal matters for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

Celebrating a legal services experiment run by Harvard Law School more than 50 years ago—at a time when clinical education did not exist at the school and change was in the air.

Harvard Law School graduates across the country won political victories in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives as part of the nation’s 2018 midterm elections.

A trailblazing career leads Patti Saris '76 to cutting-edge science and criminal justice reform.

Alumni explorations, from the blockchain, to marriage counseling, to Guantanamo Bay

HLSA President Dan Eaton ’89 wants to share the benefits of a remarkable experience.

An HLS education’s value for an author: One of the things I first learned how to do at HLS was how to assimilate large amounts…

President of Ireland from 1990 to 1997 and the United Nations high commissioner for human rights from 1997 to 2002, Mary Robinson LL.M. ’68 now leads the Mary Robinson Foundation—Climate Justice. She’s the author of “Climate Justice: Hope, Resilience, and the Fight for a Sustainable Future,” published in the U.S. in September, and co-producer of Mothers of Invention, a podcast that advocates a feminist approach to fighting climate change.

The first woman to serve as the director of the Division of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Linda Chatman Thomsen ’79 led the Enron investigation and expanded enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. She is now a partner in Davis Polk’s litigation department.

After serving as New York’s solicitor general and working in private law practice, Preeta D. Bansal ’89 played a major role in the Obama administration’s first term as general counsel for the Office of Management and Budget. In 2015, she co-founded the Social Emergence Corporation to explore ways to encourage communication and community. She is a senior adviser to the MIT Media Lab’s Social Machines Laboratory.

A former election lawyer and the general counsel for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign, Katie Biber ’04 now works in Silicon Valley. After a stint as senior counsel at Airbnb, she’s the general counsel and corporate secretary at Thumbtack.

Founder of the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign, Meena Harris ’12 is now Uber’s head of strategy and leadership, and she serves on the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women. She was a senior adviser on policy and communications for the 2016 campaign of her aunt, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris.

“Access to Justice,” the Winter 2019 issue of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences journal Dædalus, features twenty-four essays by leading experts in the field, including Harvard Law School alumni and faculty. It is the first open access issue of the publication.

Managing Director of Fortress Investment Group and General Counsel for Fortress Private Equity, Cameron MacDougall’s first introduction to law and business was at 11 years old as he negotiated the price of his waterbed with a stranger in his hometown of Spokane, Washington.

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).

As dozens of HLS students plan to pursue public service work abroad this summer, Jonathan Kaufman ’06 and Lillian Langford JD/MPP ’13 recall that seeds planted during their own 1L summers grew, strongly and directly, into the work they are doing today

For decades, joyful and candid moments have marked the occasion of students' graduations from Harvard Law School. Here is a sampling of Commencement Day photos from the school's extensive collection. 

Stephen Gageler AC, LL.M. ’87, a justice of the High Court of Australia, returned to Harvard Law School in March to meet with faculty members, participate in classes, and speak on 'Alternative Facts in the Courts.'

Antonio Oposa Jr. LL.M. ’97 reflects on his legacy and efforts to bring environmental sustainability to his home country, the Philippines.

Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy III ’09, who got his start in civil legal aid as a student attorney at HLAB representing tenants in evictions, reflects on how his time as HLAB influenced his advocacy in the legislature, and why it is of utmost importance to safeguard access to counsel for those who cannot afford it.