Student Spotlights

Last spring, the Criminal Justice Policy Program developed an initiative to provide representation to incarcerated people petitioning President Obama for clemency. Twenty-six Harvard Law students volunteered to work with a team of pro bono attorneys to represent clemency petitioners, in what has become the largest law student-based clemency initiative in the country.

Orientation for new students in the J.D., LL.M. and S.J.D. programs wrapped up last week. They were kept busy with ice cream socials, campus tours, lawn games, a visit from Judge Merrick Garland and section photos, capped off with a welcome by Dean Martha Minow in Sanders Theatre.

It took Pedro Spivakovsky-Gonzalez several years and nearly 10,000 miles, on a journey that included several cities around the world, to find his calling in his hometown.

Every year, the American Bar Association presents the Law School Newspaper Award to the best student-run newspaper organization at an ABA-approved law school. This year, The Harvard Law Record was honored to receive this coveted award.

Chayes Fellow Michael Jung ’18 recently wrote about his experience working with UNICEF in Bangkok, Thailand, researching and gaining an overview of the current and future landscape of juvenile justice in the region.

In a recent post on the HLS International Legal Studies Program blog, Malik Ladhani, a rising 2L at HLS with an interest in refugee protection and asylum advocacy, recounted his summer working for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Amman, Jordan, assisting in UNHCR’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis.

Harvard Law 3Ls Andrea Clay and Sam Koplewicz are two of the student filmmakers with the Harvard Law Documentary Studio ('Doc Studio'), a student organization that aims to produce original documentaries that explore social and policy issues.

Early in the spring, first-year Harvard Law School students Chloe Goodwin, Nora Ellingsen, and Josh Looney jumped at the opportunity to volunteer with a national organization to help felons get a second shot at life: Clemency Project 2014, a coalition that supports petitions by nonviolent drug offenders for executive clemency.

Harvard Law School team wins the Deans’ Cultural Entrepreneurship Challenge for MAGIC: career awareness and positive self-image kits, developed by women of color for girls of color.

On May 26, from sunup to sundown, Harvard Law School celebrated its new group of graduates on Holmes Field, in front of Langdell Library. Here is a snapshot--several, to be precise--capturing the ebb and flow of ten hours of nonstop activity, celebration and accomplishment, as only a bird (or a well-placed GoPro) can.

Derek Manners '16 is the winner of the Outstanding Clinical Student Award from the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS). The award is presented annually to one student from each law school for his/her outstanding clinical coursework and contributions to the clinical community.

Joseph Michalakes '16 is the winner of the Andrew L. Kaufman Pro Bono Service Award, chosen for exemplifying a pro bono public spirit and demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to improving and delivering high quality volunteer legal services in low-income communities.

This year, as they prepared to graduate, five members of the Class of 2016 took time to reflect on their interests and share experiences they will take from their time at Harvard Law.

Catherine Howard '16 is the winner of the inaugural David A. Grossman Exemplary Clinical Student Award, named in honor of the late professor and public interest lawyer who was dedicated to providing high-quality legal services to low-income communities.

On Thursday May 26, 2016, the Harvard Law School Class of 2016 officially became HLS graduates. Here is a look at their day of celebration, filled with families, friends, and some cute kids.

J.D.'s and LL.M's from the class of 2016 share some favorite memories of their time at HLS.

Words, scenes and sounds from the Harvard Law School 2016 Commencement ceremonies.

Harvard Law School’s 2016 Class Day ceremony featured speeches by actor, producer, businesswoman and philanthropist Sarah Jessica Parker and Harvard Law School Professor Jeannie Suk, winner of the 2016 Albert M. Sacks-Paul A. Freund Award for Teaching Excellence.

A number of Harvard Law students from the Class of ’16 received special awards this year during the 2016 Class Day ceremony on May 25. The students were recognized for their outstanding leadership, citizenship, compassion and dedication to their studies and the profession.

Doaa Abu Elyounes believes that law can change people’s lives. Now, set to graduate with an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School, Abu Elyounes plans to become a public service lawyer to ensure that everybody has access to the laws that changed hers.

When a severe speech impediment left him struggling to be understood, food became a way for Tommy Tobin '16 to connect with others. In high school he volunteered at a food bank and with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and watched his actions speak volumes. "Speaking through service became a theme for me.”