Today Posts

Harvard Law School graduates across the country won political victories today as part of the nation's midterm elections. Two of the biggest winners were alumni from the 1980s who were elected governor. In New York, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer '84 was elected the state's chief exective, while Deval Patrick '82 was elected governor of Massachusetts.

No one can accuse Harvard Law professor J. Mark Ramseyer of having modest goals in his latest book "The Fable of the Keiretsu: Urban Legends of the Japanese Economy," published this year by Chicago University Press.

On October 18, members of the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center and the Jamaica Plain community celebrated the sale of the first of 11 planned affordable housing units in the Hyde/Jackson Square area, all of which are being developed by the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation.

On Saturday, October 28, the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau hosted a panel discussion on poverty law challenges after Hurricane Katrina. The focus of the conversation was on the continuing needs of people and organizations in the Gulf Coast region after the massive hurricane devastation.

Kenneth Chenault, the CEO of American Express and a 1976 Harvard Law graduate, returned to Cambridge this weekend to speak at the school's fall reunion exercises. Well-known for his record of reorganizing American Express in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, Chenault spoke about the value of legal education in preparing people for the uncertainties of life.

On Wednesday, October 25, Harvard Law graduate R. Alexander Acosta ’94, was formally sworn in as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito, Jr.

On Thursday, October 19, the Program on International Financial Systems celebrated its 20th anniversary, honoring two decades of commitment to international financial law.

On Tuesday, October 17, four HLS students at the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative -- a partnership between HLS' Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center and Massachusetts Advocates for Children -- took part in a symposium to educate teachers on how trauma impacts a child's learning.

The American Psychological Association recently named HLS lecturer Daniel Shapiro the recipient of their Early Career Award, recognizing young scholars who have made significant contributions to research and practice in peace psychology.

The following op-ed was published in the Boston Globe on October 18, 2006: Before enacting the "Detainee Bill" (otherwise known as the Military Commissions Act) two weeks ago, Congress should have spent more time learning from the Israeli experience.

The following op-ed was published in the LA Times on October 17, 2006: Several years ago, I provoked a storm of controversy by advocating "torture warrants" as a way of creating accountability for the use of torture in terrorism cases.

Autumn brings new patterns of light and shadow, both natural and artificial, to Holmes Field and the quadrangle. The great library is now open most nights until the wee hours.

The Harvard Law School faculty unanimously adopted a reform of the required first-year curriculum yesterday, after a three-year process of study and consultation with legal academics, faculty from other professional schools, and practicing lawyers.

Professor Jody Freeman LL.M. '91 S.J.D. '95 joined the faculty last year and became director of the Environmental Law Program. One year in, Freeman discusses her work and goals for the program with Harvard Law Today.

HLS students recently teamed up with Robert Greenwald, a clinical instructor at the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center’s Health Law Clinic, to lead a two-day policy session for members of the Great Lakes AIDS Policy Consortium.

Renowned constitutional law Professor Bruce Ackerman delivers the 2006 Harvard Law School Oliver Wendell Holmes Lecture. In his three-part series, entitled "The Living Constitution," which began on Tuesday, October 3, and will continue through Thursday, October 5, professor Ackerman will examine various aspects of the US constitution.

Led by Professor Martha Minow, more than 600 law professors nationwide have signed a letter urging Congress to reject pending legislation for trials of terror suspects in military tribunals. The legislation would also eliminate most judicial review of the conditions of detention for individuals labeled by the executive as enemy combatants.

Seven students from the Housing Clinic of the Hale and Dorr Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School recently helped unrepresented low-income tenants facing eviction in Boston Housing Court, giving them 'game-day' advice through the Boston Bar Association's Lawyer for the Day Program. The HLS students worked alongside pro bono attorneys from Ropes and Gray LLP.

International law professor David Kennedy was a conscientious objector during the Vietnam era, but during his early years teaching at Harvard Law School he realized it was time to rethink his position on the valid use of military force.

At a recent CA Inc. shareholder's meeting, 41 percent voted in support of a bylaw amendment proposed by professor Lucian Bebchuk, which was designed to regulate the board's use of "poison pills".

Aharon Barak, retired president of the Supreme Court of Israel, will address the HLS community today as he receives the 2006 Gruber Justice Prize, an award recognizing individuals who have furthered the cause of justice through the legal system.