Before telling you why I chose HLS, I’d like to share a brief story about a childhood mentor and role model, Harvey. Harvey graduated from Harvard Law School and went to work for a large, prestigious law firm. Craving new excitement, and armed with his HLS degree, he transitioned into business and joined CBS. He helped build CBS’s music business, Columbia Records, into what it is today. His vision did not go unnoticed and Harvey soon became one of the first Americans to head a Japanese company when a small electronics manufacturer asked him to serve as their president and CEO. That electronics manufacturer was called Sony and Harvey Schein went on to be one of the most respected and generous leaders in the corporate world and left an inspiring legacy. Sadly, Harvey passed away a year before I was admitted to HLS, but I know he would have been proud when I joined the Harvard Law family.
When choosing a law school, my big decision focused on three amazing law schools — HLS, a school out West, and another school not too far from here. In deciding, I really focused on what alumni were doing. I looked to the U.S. Supreme Court, the large law firms nationwide and the political leaders in Washington and couldn’t believe the huge HLS presence in all these areas. Eager to be a part of such a storied institution, I excitedly chose Harvey’s alma matter. There are many other important factors to consider when picking a law school, like student life, collegiality and resources (which are all top-notch here), but I just couldn’t get over HLS’s treasure trove of storied alumni. It also didn’t hurt to hear that my HLS friends were having a blast in Cambridge and Boston.
Crimson beckons each of us in a different way. For me, HLS provided a great opportunity to study tax and trusts and estates with the leading academics in the field. But like so many others, once I sampled Harvard’s many offerings I discovered new passions. A semester with Vice-Chancellor Leo Strine can hook anyone on M&A, and the rest of the corporate and business law classes and faculty at HLS are equally amazing. No matter what you want to do — or if you don’t know what you want to do at all — you can’t beat the resources and opportunities at Harvard. Cambridge truly is the center of the legal education universe. Where else could you be sitting in entertainment law class and have Tom Cruise just “drop in” and stay (and participate!) in a two-hour class discussion and the very next day listen in M&A class to a panel of the top corporate judges and practitioners in the world? Nowhere but HLS — I promise.
It really means something to be a Harvard Law student. I’ve reached out to many renowned practitioners, judges and businesspeople for my Credence Corporate Revival column, to discuss research ideas or just to chat about life and practicing law. None of them know me, but each and every one has taken my call or responded to my email, and all generously offer their time, knowledge, and expertise to help a young law student find his way. One of the many benefits of hundreds of years of heritage and storied achievement is that no matter where you want to go in your career, you’ll always find a helping hand along the way.
You won’t get lost at HLS, but I promise that you’ll find yourself — just like each of us did. I don’t know what my legacy will be, but I look to those of our alumni and dream: to pioneer like Joe Flom and Paul Roth, to rejuvenate like John Roberts and Barack Obama, to reshape like Bruce Wasserstein and Robert Joffe, to inspire like Harvey. I hope you join us—together we’ll change the world.
– Mike
