OPIA Blog

Dean Elena Kagan was named as a recipient of the 2008 John R. Kramer Outstanding Law Dean Award from Equal Justice Works. The annual award goes to three individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of public interest law.

Since she started in 2003, Dean Kagan has enacted extensive and innovative initiatives to promote public interest work at HLS. The Public Service Initiative, announced this spring at the Celebration of Public Interest, forgives the entire third year of tuition for students who commit to five years of public service work after graduation. Other highlights of Dean Kagan’s tenure include a generous loan repayment program, guaranteed Summer Public Interest Funding, and the mandatory Pro Bono Service Program.

Dean Kagan’s public interest efforts have increased the richness of OPIA’s program offerings and have also positioned HLS as the leader of public interest law. To read more, click here.

While law schools continue to provide rigorous academic and intellectual training, some are starting to supplement this with more practical instruction. Several law schools have started Visiting Assistant Professorship programs in which practicing attorneys join as full-time faculty. By giving these attorneys a chance to concentrate on their scholarship and teaching, law schools hope to mentor promising newcomers with private sector, government and nonprofit experience and introduce them to academia.

Students also stand to benefit from VAP programs. Akiba Coviz, director of academic affairs at Harvard Law School explains, “Anytime someone has practiced out in the world it brings an additional level of value to the students.” These visiting professors are able to offer real-world insights and instruction in practical skills that can be lacking in a traditional legal education. For more on this story, click here.