HLS in Focus

1L and Co-Chair of the Public Interest Auction Sarah Jelsema recently sat down for a Q & A with us after this yearly highlight of the HLS calendar.

What is the public interest auction?
The public interest auction is a fundraiser run entirely by the 1L class that raises money to support students who do public interest work over the summer. We solicit donations from faculty, staff, alumni, parents, students, firms, and local businesses. Some donate money and some donate things to auction off. We receive all sorts of donations – things like Red Sox tickets, gift certificates to restaurants and salons, lunches and fishing trips with professors, cookies and brownies made by the librarians, and a tour of the Northwest Corner Construction project. The auction is one of the biggest social events of the year. Every year the auction has a theme, and we decorate Austin Hall accordingly. This year the theme was “Bright Lights: Bid City” and so the different rooms were decorated as different big cities – London, Paris, and New York.

What has gone into preparing for this event and what have you gotten out of the experience as a co-chair?
Almost all of the 1L class helps out with the auction. We divide the students up by committees and committees mostly help out either by asking for donations, calling alumni and asking them to donate, emailing firms, going door to door in Cambridge, or by helping process the donations and get them ready to sell, or by helping out on the night of the auction. As one of the auction co-chairs, I had the opportunity to work with a group of amazing people to try to plan and coordinate this huge event – it was definitely a  challenging experience for all of us. From coordinating hundreds of student volunteers to keeping track of hundreds of donations, to making sure everything comes together on the night of the auction, being a co-chair was a lot of work, but it was extremely rewarding. It was also a good opportunity to meet new students.

The event is always a lot of fun for students, faculty and staff. What was your favorite part of the evening? Did anything surprise you?
The event was a huge success. My favorite part of the evening was the live auction. Our auctioneers – this year Professors Elizabeth Warren and Jonathan Zittrain – were auctioning off the “right to be – or not be – in the 2010 parody.” The first bidder was the Dean of Students because they gave her a hard time this year in the parody, but then Professor Mann, who bought this item last year, got in a bidding war with Professor Warren and everyone was laughing so hard!

Why should admitted and prospective students seeking a strong public interest community choose Harvard? Why did you?
I think that students looking for a strong public interest community should choose Harvard because they can go anywhere and do anything with a degree from Harvard Law. We are a bigger law school, but as a result, we have so many more options to pick from than other law schools. Good public interest law jobs are really competitive – and since I want one, I’m glad I chose Harvard. I know that the connections and friends that I will make here, with professors and fellow students, will be of benefit for the rest of my life.

Starting April 15, HLS will begin accepting transfer applications for the fall. Over the last couple of years, there have been increased opportunities for Harvard Law students to study off-campus through joint degree and foreign study programs which make it possible for us to admit more transfer students than ever before.

The question of whether to apply as a transfer student is the right move is up to you, but we think that a little research will show you the vast benefits of transferring to HLS. With 102 full-time professors and more than 300 courses, HLS is home to the most intellectually stimulating legal community in the world. Outside the classroom, there are 14 journals, over100 student organizations, clinical placements in approximately 30 areas of the law, and more than enough opportunities for you to experience the incredible diversity of the HLS community during your second- and third- year. For example, the Harvard Law Review encourages transfer applicants to apply for membership and several past transfer students have been successful in that endeavor.

Bottom line? Whether you are interested in constitutional law or environmental law or human rights advocacy or any number of other areas, the breadth and depth of our offerings is incredible. Whether you want to clerk at the circuit court level, follow the path to academia, or pursue a career in public service, the opportunities presented to our graduates are unsurpassed.

For more details on the transfer application process including eligibility guidelines, deadlines, and application requirements, please visit: http://www.law.harvard.edu/prospective/j…

Also, stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for blog entries of a few students talking about their experience transferring into Harvard Law School!

After seventeen years of making his way around Washington, Jeff Senger ’88 is now the Deputy Chief Counsel of the Food and Drug Administration. During a recent brown bag lunch he offered some general wisdom about lawyering in DC and with the FDA in particular. After several years working in the civil rights division of the DOJ, working in alternative dispute resolution under Janet Reno, and a rotation in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Jeff took on some management work in the environmental, health, and tax divisions that honed his interest in public health.

Indeed, as the second-ranking and senior career lawyer at the FDA, he now oversees and manages the legal affairs of an agency that regulates 25 percent of every dollar Americans spend. At the FDA, he said, lawyers and policymakers are helping people more directly than at the DOJ. “Food and medicine are more primal,” he joked. With the rapid expansion of health law practices across the country, the FDA is an especially active agency. One of the latest contentious cases is that of Wyeth v. Levine, a Supreme Court case the drug industry is watching with bated breath. The particulars involve a Vermont musician and migraine sufferer who allegedly lost part of one arm due to side effects caused from the misadministration of Wyeth’s nausea drug Phenergan. The key question: does the fact that drugs are regulated by the federal government preempt drug companies from being sued in state court? “It’s a legal and public policy battle to which there is no easy answer, particularly since the drug is so effective when administered properly,” said Senger.

So what are the advantages of public sector lawyering? “The diversity, experience, and weight of responsibilities in addition to better hours and the flexibility to travel, teach, and write are all arguments for government life,” he said.

If you weren’t fully aware of the scope of opportunities available to you here at HLS, 3L Michelle Galdos’ winter term project gives a glimpse. In a brief interview with staffer Julia Foresman recently, Michelle discussed her project writing on reproductive rights and emergency contraception in Chile.

Check it out: Michelle Galdos (6:07)

Her interest in reproductive rights began at a young age by watching her father, a Peruvian OB-GYN, participate in medical missions to South America. She joined HLS Advocates for Human Rights during her 1L year and interned at the South African Human Rights Commission at the end of the proceeding summer. Following coursework in Women’s Human Rights, she enrolled in the Harvard International Law Clinic during her 3L year to work on women’s health issues. Michelle will be traveling to Santiago, Chile during Harvard’s 2009 Winter Term to research the recent banning of emergency contraception distribution in Chilean public health centers.

We hope to track Michelle’s story, as well as that of other students abroad for winter term, through January… so check back!

Were you one of those people who turned in your MCAT books for LSAT ones? Toying with the thought of doing a JD/MPH? Does studying the medical models of mental illness in Alan Stone’s Psychiatry and the Law course or working on a community-based right to health project in Lucie White’s course Making Human Right Real: the Ghana Project sound interesting? If so, you may be interested in a recent panel on campus that explored the several opportunities available in the arena of health law at HLS.

One of Harvard’s achievements over the last five years has been the creation of the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology, and Bioethics, a premier institution committed to producing scholarship that addresses the legal, social and ethical challenges at the intersection of health and law. A former bioethics PhD and current Academic fellow Chris Robertson ’07 enjoys the scholastic flexibility. “We’re very much experimenting with how best to promote health law. There seems to be unlimited potential for students because the programs are so open-ended.”

In addition to the resources of the Petrie-Flom Center, there are several clinical programs you might consider, including The Wilmer Hale Legal Services Center Health Law Clinic. “The clinic is really a great opportunity to work with people living with chronic or disabling medical conditions,” said 2L Carmel Shachar. “And if you’re interested in health law policy, it gives you a great opportunity to learn about issues firsthand.”

Or why not consider a JD/MPH with the Harvard School of Public Health? “This is a terrific opportunity for students who are especially interested in this field to develop the tools they will need to make a real contribution to formulating public policy,” said Shachar. “Plus, depending on what you ultimately want to do with the degree, you have a real chance to distinguish yourself during OCI (on-campus recruiting)… when you say you’re interested in working in health law for a firm that has a health law practice, they see that you’re committed.”

Adding to the wealth of resources already available to health law enthusiasts, extracurriculars like the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, the Law & Health Care Society, the Society for Law, Ethics, and Biotechnology all push students to think critically about the legal and ethical questions at the heart of healthcare debates today.

“Honestly, the best thing about health law resources here at HLS is personal attention you get from advisors at Petrie-Flom and around the university,” said Shachar in response to a question about why pursue the JD/MPH. “The research opportunities you might be given pursuing law and health policy at a place like the CDC in Washington, DC are huge. The field continues to grow.”

We did a bunch more interviews of students and faculty members to add to the HLS Speaks page off the JD Admissions home page.  New categories of interview clips include: (1) Clinical & Pro Bono Programs; (2) Criminal Law & Justice; (3) Law, Business & Economics; (4) Negotiation & Conflict Resolution; (5) Constitutional Law & Policy; (6) Why Law School; (7) Law, Science & Technology; (8) Reading Groups & Small Seminars; (9) National Security & Terrorism; (10) Social & Gender Justice, Civil Rights; (11) Career Plans; and (12) Joint Degrees.

Please visit the link to HLS Speaks off the JD Admissions home page if you’re interested in these subjects.

I’m guessing most of you out there aren’t daily Crimson readers.  So you probably missed this nice piece on the latest happenings at HLS.

For a fast-paced and constantly evolving line of work, look no further than health law. Or so say Stephen Bernstein and Wasserstein Fellow Richard Weishaupt ‘74, two attorneys who have dedicated their lives to reconciling health policies with practical applications on the state level. They came to HLS recently to speak about health care law in private and public interest practice settings.

“As a health care attorney, you’re dealing in real time to bring better care faster to those who need it,” Bernstein said. As a partner with McDermott Will & Emery, Bernstein specializes in e-health, deployment of electronic health record systems, health related matters impacted by the Internet, and HIPAA. One of his recent projects was working with biotech firms to move data for the purpose of engineering their information for research and healthcare improvements. “The thing about health law is that it keeps changing. It’s energizing in that it forces you to take all these moving parts and advise clients as best you can,” said Bernstein. “You have to be a generalist.”

Weishaupt, a senior attorney with Community Legal Services of Philadelphia, agreed and highlighted his experience working on behalf of lower income employees. “Medicaid, for instance, is a large part of any state’s budget and the growing problem of fewer employers in Pennsylvania providing coverage to their employees is putting a strain on state resources in the absence of universal healthcare.”

When asked to reflect on his career, Weishaupt stressed the advantages for younger attorneys. “Health law allows you to become an expert quickly early on with a subject because your ability to impart advice arises from your knowledge of new policies and legislation,” he said.

According to Bernstein, having operated as a general counsel and served as a healthcare consultant, the rewards can be elusive. “The healthcare environment is complicated and getting more so,” he said. “The solution of how to get people access to healthcare is changing,” he said continued, alluding to Weishaupt’s Medicaid example. “At the end of the day, there are tons of opportunities for young lawyers. It’s really a question of channeling your passion.”

Seems like an exciting challenge. Be sure to check out the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy, Biotechnology and Bioethics here at HLS!

During her Winter Term, 2L Lauren Birchfield traveled to Delhi, India to work with the Human Rights Law Network on the Right to Food Campaign. Upon her return, she shared her story and photos with us.

“I spent January 2008 interning at the Human Rights Law Network (HRLN) in Delhi, India, working on the Right to Food. The Human Rights Law Network provides pro bono legal services, conducts public interest litigation, participates in advocacy, and collaborates with social movements and human rights organizations. Maintaining both litigation and publishing departments, HRLN works on issues such as Right to Food, Women’s Justice, Dalit Rights, Disability Rights, and rights for persons living with HIV/AIDS.

“Along with my colleague Jessica Corsi, I investigated and documented the history of the Right to Food Campaign, its accompanying case, PUCL v. India & Others, and the post-litigation implementation of India’s constitutional right to food. Our time in India was spent largely traveling around Delhi and other parts of the country conducting interviews with activists involved with the Right to Food Campaign. The fact-finding, research, and interviews conducted are currently being incorporated into a final document, which will be completed by June 2008. In our forthcoming paper, we intend to address not only the campaign and litigation, but also larger questions about the right to food, as well. These larger issues include food sovereignty, the effects of neoliberal economic policy and trade liberalization on the rural poor, and the relationship between food security, agricultural production, and employment rights.

“While in India, we had several opportunities to travel. These photographs document the time we spent in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, as well as some of our excursions around Delhi. Our first week in Delhi, we observed and assisted on a fact-finding mission in the villages of rural Uttar Pradesh. The objective of this mission was to collect data on the status of food security in U.P.’s Banda district, and to assess how Supreme Court mandated food and employment orders were being implemented. These images depict some of the villages and the stone quarry we visited while in Uttar Pradesh.

Directly upon our return from Uttar Pradesh, we departed for Rajasthan, where we spent several days interviewing some of the key social activists involved with the Right to Food Campaign. Our first days in Rajasthan were spent in Beawar at a National Right to Information Youth Convention, where we had the opportunity to participate in a candlelight vigil commemorating the first Youth Convention that had taken place in Beawar several years earlier.

“Once we arrived back in Delhi, we spent our last ten days in India tracking down and interviewing human rights activists, economists, Supreme Court Commissioners, professors, and lawyers who had either worked directly on or were invested in food security in India. During our last few days, we also managed to squeeze in a few sight-seeing excursions. We toured the Taj Mahal, as well as some sights around Delhi, such as the Jama Masjid Mosque (Delhi’s principal mosque, which can hold up to 25,000 worshippers).

“Overall, words cannot really express how much I enjoyed both working at HRLN and my winter term experience. At HRLN I met incredibly passionate and qualified people, and was accepted into an office that recognized each of its staff members as important components in its vision for change. There was never a dull moment at HRLN – we were constantly on our feet, putting in calls to human rights activists, scheduling meetings, and traveling all over the country to interview those activists whenever and wherever they could meet with us. I greatly appreciated how much HRLN invested in us and in our project, and how much freedom is gave us regarding the project’s construction and implementation. I found HRLN a fantastic organization to work for, and I was pleased to walk away from the internship having recognized that this – this kind of work, this kind of project – is what I want to pursue as a career.”

Professor Minow just forwarded me a list of our 6 winners of the Food and Drug Law Institute’s H. Thomas Austern Memorial Writing Competition. The students were in Peter Hutt’s winter term course Food and Drug Law:

John Murphy (”Mandatory Labeling of Foods Made from Cloned Animals: Grappling with Moral Objections to the Production of Safe Products”) – First place, Short Paper

Amanda Lydon (”The FDA’s Decision to Make Emergency Contraception Available Without a Prescription: Guaranteed Access for Women or Just the First Step?”) -Honorable mention, Short paper

Daniel Gorlin (”Starving Off Death: An Assessment of the Pharmaceutical Industry’s Strategies to Protect Blockbuster Franchises Upon the Loss of Marketing Exclusivity”) – First place, Long paper

Leah Satine (”Is My Yogurt Lying? Developing and Applying a Framework for Determining Whether Wellness Claims on Probiotic Yogurts Mislead”) – Second place, Long paper

Brianna MacDonald (”Perspectives on FDA’s Regulation of Nanotechnology: Emerging Challenges and Potential Solutions”) – Honorable mention, Long paper

Evan Diamond (”Reverse-FOIA Limitations on Agency Actions to Disclose Human Gene Therapy Clinical Trial Data”) – Honorable mention, Long paper