Student Spotlights

During his undergraduate studies, Stephen Petraeus wanted to explore a different world from the military life in which grew up. But as a sophomore, Petraeus felt a longing for that world and joined ROTC—a decision that led to eight years in the U.S. Army and two deployments to Afghanistan, including with the storied 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team.

With no other members of the military in the extended family, the parents of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Sara Plesser Neugroschel LL.M. ’19 were “very, very surprised” when she decided to commission in the Navy after her 2L year at the University of Miami Law School, from which she graduated in 2009.

Students and faculty from the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program spent a week in Texas volunteering at the Karnes Detention Center, where they met with fathers and sons who had been forcibly separated from each other under President Trump’s zero-tolerance policy. They offer their thoughts on this powerful and eye-opening experience.

As part of national Pro Bono Week, from Oct. 22 to Oct. 27, Harvard Law School's Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs is highlighting the work of outstanding attorneys engaged in critical pro bono legal work in the areas of immigration, civil rights, economic justice and climate change.

U.S. veterans and active duty military members who want to pursue graduate studies at Harvard will now have even more support thanks to a new graduate studies fellowship announced today by the Harvard Kennedy School.

This year, 13 Harvard Law School students were selected as Chayes International Public Service Fellows, part of a program honoring HLS Professor Abram Chayes ’49 that provides students with the opportunity to spend eight weeks during the summer working with governmental or non-governmental organizations concerned with issues international in scope or relevant to countries in transition.

13 Harvard Law School students were selected as Chayes International Public Service Fellows this year. Here are some snapshots from their experiences.

A student delegation from the Harvard Association for Law and Business (HALB) visited business, legal, and government leaders in London and Brussels, Belgium, in late August, as part of HALB’s second-annual International Trek.

Last week, Harvard Law School welcomed a new class of J.D., LL.M. and S.J.D. students to campus. Orientation for new students included a welcome by HLS Dean John F. Manning ’85, section photos, a visit from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan ’86, and a lawn party on Holmes Field.

On Tuesday, Aug. 21, Harvard Law School’s Graduate Program officially welcomed the LL.M. Class of 2019 -- 188 students from 65 countries who will spend the upcoming academic year pursuing a Master of Laws degree -- along with six students set to begin their studies for the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree.

Members of Harvard Law School’s S.J.D. community gathered on campus for the 2018 S.J.D. Association Workshop, “Between Law and Justice: Ethics, Politics, and the State,” on May 17. The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is Harvard Law School’s most advanced law degree, designed principally for aspiring legal academics who wish to pursue sustained independent study, research, and writing.

After Hurricane Maria roared over Puerto Rico in September 2017, crippling the island where Natalie Trigo Reyes ’19 grew up and where much of her family still lives, she felt “completely overwhelmed.” Within days, however, she put together an event that raised about $40,000 for relief efforts, collected enough emergency goods to fill three large trucks, and joined Harvard Law Assistant Professor Andrew Manuel Crespo ’08 and Lee Branson Mestre of the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs to plan the school’s response to the disaster.

Members of the Class of 2018 gathered in May with family and friends for Commencement festivities, which featured an address from U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.); the presentation of awards to students, staff, and faculty; and a send-off from Dean John F. Manning ’85.

As they prepared to graduate, four members of the Class of 2018 took time to reflect on their unique interests and share experiences they will take from their time at Harvard Law.

Cameron Clark ’18 is the winner of this year’s Gary Bellow Public Service Award, established in 2001 to honor the late Harvard Law professor Gary Bellow, his commitment to public service, and his innovative approach to the analysis and practice of law.

A class action lawsuit has given two Harvard Law students the chance to help frame both the legal and media strategies against a lucrative telephone company contract that exploits inmates while enriching the coffers of a county sheriff. 

At the close of the bicentennial year, graduating J.D.s and LL.M.s reflect on their law school experience and share their hopes for the future of Harvard Law School.

Blessing Jee knew when she arrived at Harvard College that she would take time off from her studies, but she didn’t expect was that it would make her “fall back in love with Harvard”—and set her, newly energized, on her future path: pursuing public interest law Harvard Law School.

Building on lessons learned 'by making good and bad decisions, by accumulating successes and failures and mistakes, and by watching lots of other people do the same,' Dean John F. Manning related five pieces of advice for new lawyers--what he described as 'canons of construction for life'--during his first commencement address as dean of Harvard Law School.

Edgar Kley Filho, administrative and operations supervisor in the Dean of Students Office, received the 2018 Suzanne L. Richardson Staff Appreciation Award during Class Day exercises.

On Thursday, May 25, the Harvard Law School Class of 2018 received their diplomas at a ceremony on Holmes Field, and celebrated their graduation with family, friends, and picture-perfect New England weather.