HLS in Focus

Last year, I began with the intention of finding a private sector job; however, like many 1Ls, I encountered some difficulty, given the economic climate.  By winter, I decided to make an appointment to meet with an OPIA advisor. I was hesitant to meet with them because I wasn’t all that interested in public service, but I needed to get a job. I met with Lisa Williams for about half an hour. When she asked me what areas I was interested in, I explained to her that I didn’t really have any preference and that I just needed an experience that would help me get a job in the private sector later. Lisa showed me the websites of several reputable organizations in Chicago that were interested in taking first year interns to work on legal issues and offices that would offer the kind of work that would be most comparable to what an intern would get in the private sector. She also told me that I should tap into some Harvard connections. I’ve never been comfortable asking people I don’t know for any kind of favors so she also said she would email some of them herself and see what kinds of positions were available. I left her office with a page full of handwritten notes on organizations to contact and tips on how to approach people with my resume and cover letter. Lisa even reviewed my cover letter the very next day.

I sent out application and went home for spring break worried that I wouldn’t get a job. One day in the middle of break Lisa Williams called me to say that she had spoken to a Wasserstein Fellow in Chicago about my resume and interests. He told her that he would hold on to my resume and try to help me out. He then coincidentally ran into some high-ranking people in the Illinois Attorney General’s Office and handed them my resume, which he happened to have printed out and in his briefcase. Lisa was calling to let me know that the AG’s people were very interested in me and that they might be calling me soon so I should get ready for a phone interview at the very least. Instead what I got was an offer to work in the office’s Special Litigation Bureau.

The job turned out to be fantastic. I had the opportunity to work with almost every lawyer in my department on a variety of cases. My work included areas like consumer fraud, the Americans with Disabilities Act, arbitration guidelines, and the state’s whistleblower statute. The Bureau Chief took me under his wing after my second week there and asked me to work on some of his most important cases, including the Chicago Parking meter investigation and a couple major settlements as well. Over the course of the summer I got a pretty good feel for what it will be like to work as a lawyer. I researched issues of first impression and wrote memos for the attorneys that asked for my help.

In addition to getting to do substantive work and refine my research and writing skills I was also able to attend all of the workshops and information sessions that the office organized for interns. There was everything from hearing about the various career paths that lead to working as a department head in the Attorney General’s Office to how to prepare a resume that will get you hired. The unofficial outings were the most beneficial to me. On several occasions I was able to sit in on status hearings in the Daley Center and submit orders to the court clerks. I know all of this sounds like it shouldn’t have been exciting but I had never been in a courtroom before this experience so I was enjoying every minute of it. One of the highlights of my summer was when I went to the federal building with a couple other interns and sat in on oral arguments in the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. We were all star struck when we realized that the chief judge on the panel was the Honorable Richard Posner. After reading so many of his cases in our 1L classes, it was amazing to see him in action. The summer turned out to be amazing and I have to say I’m somewhat tempted to “switch sides” and work in public interest. We’ll see. 

 - Elizabeth

My criminal law professor has a weird knack for giving us impossible hypothetical scenarios, which he will invariably follow up with the adage: “For every complicated question there is a simple answer… and it is always wrong.”*

The saying rang true for me this weekend. I was visiting some friends at my alma mater, Brown University, and ended up in a conversation with a couple freshmen about law school. I thought I was being pretty informative until someone asked me what they thought was a simple question: What are the classes like?

At first I wanted to answer with something basic like, “fine” or “tough”. The problem is that, just as my criminal law professor would have predicted, any simple generalities would have been flat wrong.

The complication here is that no two of my classes are in any way remotely similar. Each professor’s teaching style is pretty unique and can drive class time in very different directions.

For instance, I have a couple professors that use the Socratic method sparingly, preferring long discussions based on establishing deeper understanding of the principles behind the cases. However, I also have a professor who I’ve heard one student claim “might as well be Socrates” for how extensively she cold calls in an attempt to tease out the relevant facts of each case.

My professors come from all levels of academia, private practice, and governmental work. These unique perspectives can radically change the classroom dynamic, by changing how the professor is likely to frame a question and approach legal problems.

I have classes where it is not unheard of to have 200 pages of reading in a night, and others where I would be shocked if I received more than 20. The reading themselves vary by class from dense case law to broader discussions on legal theory and relevant socioeconomic underpinnings of the law.

My point is that when I am asked how are my classes, it’s difficult to answer because each professor puts a unique spin on the subject matter that they are teaching, such that no two classes are the same. The incredibly cool thing about this is that none of these stylistic decisions are better or worse than the others. I enjoy the open-ended discussions as much as the scholastic inquiry of the Socratic method. I like hearing one professor opine about the deep economic history of property rights and then hear another talk about the time they were defending Mike Tyson and the former heavyweight champion playfully, but painfully, jabbed him in the arm. Every class is distinct from one another, and that’s what makes them rewarding.

If you ever find yourself asking a Harvard law student how their classes are going, forgive them if they stammer a bit. It might actually be a good thing.

* I know my professor would love to take credit for this, but the quote can be traced back to Mencken.

- Anit

1L Reading Groups are a great way for our entering class to get to explore a new area of the law and to start to build close relationships with faculty members.  See below for a great story on how Alan Dershowitz is working with Larry Lucchino, part-owner and CEO of the Boston Red Sox, to teach a reading group on the business and law of sports.  And it seems box seats are included…

http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=529313

On the drive to the airport, I remember joking with my dad that in one year a single institution had managed to take The Tonight Show, the White House, and his first born son. He chuckled a little, but I think he could tell that I was just trying to work out some jitters. The day I was admitted to Harvard Law I made the mistake of renting a copy of The Paper Chase. In the lead up to the big move I kept asking myself, was I really prepared for the endless reading, grueling professors, and overly competitive students?

After being here for almost a month, I am proud to report that my nervousness was unfounded. At first, 1L year felt more like a reversion to high school than an advancement to the top of the academic pantheon. I keep all of my books in a locker, take all of my classes with the same group of people, and eat most meals in a cafeteria. However, as the days went by, the unique academic experience that this place offers began to show through. Life here is a surreal hodgepodge of traditional student life mixed with unparalleled legal opportunities. In an average day I can go from hanging out with friends in Harvard Square to listening to a Supreme Court justice speak. Yesterday, I had to decide between watching my properties professor sit on a panel with two Nobel Laureates and going to a mixer for a student practice organization I’m interested in. Literally as I write this I am coming from meetings with a flurry of well respected policy journals, all of whom brag about the amount of substantive editorial work they give to first year students. As soon as I finish writing this I will be meeting friends for the the law school’s weekly “bar review” (bar here means pub not scary law school test).

The story that best sums up this contrast between quirky student life and unmatched academics took place my first week of classes. My section was assigned a criminal law professor that after 45 years of teaching at Harvard, had decided that we would be his final class. Somehow our section also learned that our first day of class just happened to coincide with this professor’s birthday. We knew we had to do something to celebrate the occasion. We eventually planned it so that when the professor walked in, he was greeted by a sea of students all wearing party hats singing a chorus of Happy Birthday. Without missing a beat, the professor grabbed a party hat of his own and proceeded to introduce the class in it. To any scared potential 1Ls out there wondering if law school is really that terrible, I would like you to picture one of the most senior professors at Harvard Law School giving the introduction to his final class while both students and teacher are wearing headgear intended for five-year-olds. If that scene was in The Paper Chase, I definitely missed it.

- Anit

Everyone has that one story from 1L that they will tell their children and grandchildren for years after everything else about law school is a distant memory. This is mine.

Before I can tell you the story you need to have some background information. My first day of Property was the most intimidating 1L class I ever had. Our professor skipped the usual niceties like “welcome to Harvard Law School, I am Professor X.” Instead, he started out by asking questions of the class before he had even made his way to the podium. As 80 puzzled students tried to quickly find the declaration of the case I was frozen thinking that everything I had heard about law school was going to be true of this class. Fortunately for everyone involved it was not. Our professor was the most socratic professor on campus but he didn’t make anyone cry and everyone I have spoken to has a tremendous amount of respect for this professor. He brought a classic feeling to our class that was unmatched. He wore a suit to class every single day. To top it off, he would remove his suit jacket after about five minutes of every class to reveal the most perfectly coordinated shirt, tie and suspenders! He would then fold the jacket in one swift movement and place it on the desk in the front of the room. After nearly a semester of watching our very serious professor do this like clockwork, someone in our section suggested that we all plan to wear suspenders for the last day of class to honor our professor. We ordered the various colors of suspenders in bulk and planned to wear them under our suit jackets on the last day of class ad reveal them when the professor removed his jacket.

We all arrived early for our 8:30 class to be sure that our plot would be a surprise. Our professor knew something was up when he walked into a silent room full of very well dressed 1Ls. He just had to comment. He told us how remarkable it was to see how we had transformed into young professionals in just a semester and that we all looked very nice. Then he went on with the last class only instead of taking his jacket off after five minutes he kept teaching for what seemed like an eternity before he made his move. Then suddenly everyone stood up and there was a look of panic on his face before he realized that we were all taking off our jackets to show him our suspenders. He looked around in amazement and laughed before he asked us if we would like to know how to fold the jacket too.

I’ll never forget how to fold a suit jacket and I’ll never forget 1L Property.

- Elizabeth

This semester, we’re going to be trying a few new things on this blog.  One of the things that I’m most excited about is the introduction of regular student bloggers who will be posting weekly with current updates and past stories on their experience here at HLS. 

Without further ado, your Fall 2009 student bloggers:

Anit is a 1L, born and raised in Toledo, Ohio,  He graduated from Brown University in 2009 with a degree in International Relations.  At Brown, Anit did “a pretty ecletic mix” of activities, including academic research, managing an alternative rock radio station, and spending a summer in South Africa rehabilitating juvenile prisoners.  Anit is not entirely sure what area of law he’s interested in, but is leaning towards cyberlaw or international law, as those areas are constantly shifting.  He’d like to use his law degree to have a substantive impact on those shifts. 

Lea is a 2L and a native of Texas.  She came straight to HLS after graduating UT Austin with a degree in American Studies and English.  Lea is active in the Tenant Advocacy Project and Harvard Law & Policy review, dabbles in the Women’s Law Association, and has her own blog at http://ivy-lea.blogspot.com/.  She enjoys movies, politics, living off-campus with her boyfriend and cat, and planning her return to Austin for a career in poverty law. 

Erin is a 3L from Iowa who worked in counterterrorism and education before coming to HLS.  She currently serves as a teaching assistant for the Program on Negotiation and as an undergraduate pre-law director at Harvard College.  Erin is addicted to both Netflix and Mexican food and hopes to own her own business someday.  She did her undergraduate work at Truman State University. 

Elizabeth is a 2L from the Yale class of 2008.  She is the co-char of La Alianza, a member of the Women’s Law Assocation, and a member of the Journal on Law and Technology.  She spends much of her free time watching too much television and working on craft projects like crocheting, cross-stitching, or making clothes.  Elizabeth danced in a Mexican folkloric dance group at Yale.  She aspired to work at a private law firm in Chicago, her hometown, after graduation.

One of the perks of being an HLS student is that key players in the law often stop by for a visit.  Supreme Court Justices, law firm & business leaders, political candidates, and government leaders often come to the law school to give speeches, sit on panels, and guest lecture.  Last Friday, Solicitor General Elena Kagan headlined a panel focused on the Solicitor General’s office.  1L Kostya Lantsman shared his recollections:

All day Friday, HLS was abuzz with anticipation of the return of former HLS Dean Elena Kagan, the first woman to serve as Solicitor-General.  Kagan was appearing on a panel entitled “Views from Washington: Reflections from the Solicitor General’s Office” which was moderated by Dean Martha Minow and also included Professors John Manning and Charles Fried. 

Professor Fried, a former SG under Reagan, opened the discussion by outlining the virtues of the SG’s Office.  He cited the interpersonal support and lack of rivalries as a “model of what lawyers working together should be.”  Professor Manning, who spent several years as a civil servant in the SG’s Office in the early ‘90s under Presidents Bush and Clinton then offered his own unique perspective.  Drawing from his time as an Assistant to the SG he praised the “ethos of professionalism and neutrality that is unique” to the SG’s Office. General Kagan remarked on the “lack of partisanship and politicization” and praised the “professionalism and commitment” of the staff.  She also provided some interesting detail regarding the make-up of the office (20 out of the 22 members are civil servants while only 2 are political appointments) and her day-to-day responsibilities (she has to personally approve every appeal the U.S. undertakes, which adds up to about 3-4 cases she has to review and approve or deny per day, the supervision of the 50-55 Supreme Court hearings per year in which the office is involved, and preparing as the SG to argue 6-7 cases/year in front of the Supreme Court.)

When the panel began the question and answer portion, the discussion quickly turned to the hot topic of the day: General Kagan’s first argument before the Supreme Court two days prior.  General Kagan likened arguing in front of the nine justices to arguing in an HLS class with question after question coming from your professor, hypotheticals piling up on hypotheticals, but with nine professors rather than one – not a pleasant thought for a 1L.  When asked about her statement to Justice Scalia that he was wrong, General Kagan said that she knew she could say that to Justice Scalia because “he likes a good battle” and “he gave me one.” 

The panel also spoke about the role of the SG within the US government.  Despite being appointed by the President and serving at his behest, the SG often defends other interests including that of Congress which crafted legislation being challenged or administrative agencies.  Thus, the SG has a daily working relationship with the Attorney-General and rarely sees the President.  In fact, Professor Fried remarked that President Reagan NEVER told him what to do while Fried was serving as SG.  As a result, there is no clear client for an SG.  The trick to the job, General Kagan told the crowd, is trying to figure out how to accommodate all those masters.  In the end, despite being a part of the executive branch, the SG has a unique role defending acts of the legislature and serving as almost a “10^th Justice,” a special officer of the Court and repeat player whose success depends on utmost honesty and the highest level of professional responsibility.  As General Kagan concluded, the SG is a lawyer like any other, but unlike every other.  The SG is “lawyer with a client and cases come across your desk and you have to defend it,” but the client is the US.

Editor’s Note:  If you’re interested in learning more about HLS SG’s in history, check out this recent article from the HLS website: http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/spotlight/public-service/related/hls-solicitors-general.html

If you’d like to learn more about the inner workings of some top government law positions, many of which are now occupied by former HLS professors, check out this article from the HLS bulletin: http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/bulletin/2009/summer/feature_3.php

One of my favorite parts of attending HLS was being part of a big class of incredibly talented individuals from a wide array of backgrounds.  This community greatly enhanced my learning experience while at the law school and guaranteed a vast network of friends and colleagues that spanned geographies, industries and career paths post-graduation. 

Dean Minow recently highlighted the extraordinary backgrounds of this year’s entering class in her first address of the school year. 

It’s worth a quick read/watch:

http://www.law.harvard.edu/news/spotlight/classroom/3_minow.html

2L Transfer Brandon Halter on his experience:

Q: What made you want to transfer to HLS and why?

A: I wanted to transfer because employment prospects as an HLS graduate are far superior to those available to graduates of my former school, especially on the West Coast, where I hope to end up. Also, HLS has an amazing faculty and clinical programs, which were important to me as I moved beyond my first year.

Q: How was the transition to HLS?

A: Almost effortless.  The faculty is first-rate and the students are of a caliber really unparalleled.

Q: What do you think of the school so far? Do you have a favorite element?

A: I’d say the faculty. The facilities and student body are excellent, but the faculty is what makes HLS unique.

Q: What advice do you have for those students currently at other schools
looking to transfer to HLS?

A: If you are willing to sacrifice the comfortable social relationships built during your first year, then transferring is a great option. You can experience a totally new academic and indeed geographic environment, and you can learn certain elements of the law among the most capable and enthusiastic of peers.

We just heard from another one of our great transfer students, 2L Virginia Farmer, who writes about her experience applying for a transfer.

“I wanted to transfer law schools after my 1L year because I was really interested in studying international legal issues, and the school I was attending did not offer a very comprehensive international law program.’

“I set my sights on HLS because I knew that they had one of the top international law programs in the country. Of course, I was not deterred by HLS’s impressive reputation and incredible career opportunities.  The application process was fairly painless. I found it quite easy to compose a personal statement convincing the admissions committee of my desire to go to Harvard!’

“While HLS offers a challenging and rigorous academic schedule, I have not once regretted my decision to transfer here. My favorite thing about being a member of the HLS community is that I am constantly receiving invitations to lectures or panel discussions involving some of the most notable intellectuals of our time. I was very pleased to attend a lecture by Amartya Sen, whose works I had read in almost every undergraduate class, in my first month at Harvard. A few weeks later I was sitting in on a talk given by Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Before attending HLS I could only dream of the opportunity to see these greats in the flesh.’

“My best advice to other students looking to transfer to HLS is to let your personality shine through your application.  While your 1L grades are definitely important, the personal statement should not be overlooked– it is a great place to standout.”