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The Systemic Justice Project at Harvard Law School is working with other organizations to launch a new initiative, the Justice Union, to bring together law students and lawyers eager to help respond to escalating attacks on civil rights, vulnerable communities,
The 2025 Justice Conference on Facing the Future - Organizing and Lawyering for Justice
The 8th Annual Tortys were a triumph! You can read more about the world’s largest, oldest, and most prestigious tort-themed award shows on the planet here. And you can enjoy some photo highlights below. The Tort Reports — tort-themed mini
Come hear from Maya Ragsdale, an amazing movement lawyer, about “Expanding Labor’s Reach Into Carceral Reform.” The event will take place on Tuesday, November 19th, from 12:15 p.m. to 1:15 p.m., and is co-hosted by the Systemic Justice Project and the
Join the Harvard Human Rights Journal and the Mittal Institute for a discussion about the theft, trafficking, and trade of precious artifacts from Nepal and countries around the world, and the ways in which students and advocates in the United
Come hear Tolu Lawal speak about “Unlock the Bar,” the activism devoted to dismantling the barriers of the character and fitness portion of the bar. Unlock the Bar is a coalition of system-impacted and allied movement lawyers, law students, and
A Harvard Law School Panel Discussion with Professors Jon Hanson, Michael McCann (Visiting Professor of Law; Sportico), Richard Daynard (Founder Public Health Advocacy Institute); Mark Gottlieb (Executive Director, PHAI) and Dr. Harry Levant (Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor; Director of Gambling
The Systemic Justice Project and Torts R Us are proud to host Jim Chalat, a renowned practicing trial lawyer specializing in plaintiffs’ personal injury, motor vehicle accidents, and wrongful death cases in Colorado. Jim’s dedication to improving the lives of
The Harvard Law School Community is invited to join us on this Wednesday to hear from Kelly Fitzpatrick and Josh Koskoff to talk about their civil law case against Yale New Haven Hospital on behalf of Yale Fertility Center patients
[F]law School Episode 1: “Suppression by Surveillance” How Corporate Technologies Fuel Crackdowns on College Protests In the first episode of [F]law School, Jessenia Class speaks with Sam Perri and Reya Singh about how invasive surveillance technology put protestors and student
A Podcast about the Flaw in the Law The Systemic Justice Project and The [F]law are thrilled to announce the creation of a new project, [F]law School, a podcast created by high school, college, and law school students, as well
SJP’s New C0-Director The Systemic Justice Project (SJP) is excited to welcome Christina White as its new Co-Director. Christina will play a pivotal role in developing the project’s upcoming collaboration with the Thurgood Marshall Civil Rights Center at Howard University
Professors Dean A. Strang and Jon D. Hanson as guest speakers in ‘What is Justice?’ series This is the fourth guest-speaker event held by the Criminal Justice Research Group, on the theme of ‘What is justice?’ Professors Strang and Hanson
Learn more on the flyer below:
This Position Is Now Filled Systemic Justice Project Fellow Systemic Justice Project at Harvard Law School Location: Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA Time Status: Full-time Expected Start Date and Duration: This is a one-year appointment, with potential for renewal for
Come to our information session to learn more about systemic justice lawyering
Jon Hanson and Daniel Goldhaber to discuss "How To Blow Up A Pipeline"
Lainey Newman and Theda Skocpol to discuss their new book, "Rust Belt Union Blues: Why Working-Class Voters Are Turning Away from the Democratic Party"
“Climate change is not a tragedy, it’s a crime.” Could this increasingly common refrain among climate activists be more than just a slogan? Years of reporting show that fossil fuel companies like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, and BP knew their business
Jon Hanson will join co-authors Troy Brown and Simone Unwalla to discuss their paper, “Why Not Justice?” at Columbia Law School, sponsored by the Columbia Law School Law and Political Economy Society on this Tuesday.
Read Tobi Omotoso’s Harvard Law Record article, “Challenges, Solutions, and Optimism: SJP’s 2024 Conference on the Corporate Capture of the Legal System” Last weekend the Systemic Justice Project (SJP) and The [F]law hosted their second annual Conference on the Corporate
The Most Dangerous Branch: Court Capture, Why It Matters, What Can Be Done About It 1/26 – 1/27/24 at Harvard Law School. This year’s conference will focus on the harmful effects of corporate interests on the judiciary (federal and
The Systemic Justice Project and The [F]law is thrilled that Five Four Pod is returning to Harvard Law School to participate in this year’s Corporate Capture conference, which you can learn more about at capturedcourts.org. Last year’s visit, which included
Read the “storty” about the 2023 Tortys at HLS Today, here. The event has since grown into one of the semester’s leading social events. In addition to showcasing creative film presentations, a number of students also displayed their talents, ranging
The Seventh Annual Tortys are to be held in The Torty Theater on this Thursday, 11/16/23. As one student described The Tortys last year: “The event is a peculiar blend of an awards ceremony, talent show, dance party, and community
Join us for a lunch talk and conversation about the Trojan horse of "police reform."
LPE Student Association for a discussion with Professor Jon Hanson on deprogramming the 1L torts curriculum.
Systemic Justice Teach-Ins: Building Power to Challenge Injustice Cop City – Organizing for Justice (Oct. 21, 2023) “Organizing is the slow work of building power by building a base, bringing people together, developing their leadership, identifying community problems together and
As part of the Boston University Law School’s Public Interest Retreat, Jon Hanson will join Abbye Ognibene, a plaintiffs’ attorney at Hagens Berman and Ian McCoughlin, a litigator at Shapiro, Haber & Urmy on a panel discussing plaintiff’s side lawyering. Boston University’s
The first Saturday Systemic Justice Teach-In–“Storytelling for Justice: East Palestine”–was a great success. After Jessenia Class and Simone Unwalla welcomed everyone, Jon Hanson provided a short lecture to help frame the day’s events. He described the legal systems two-sided justice
Read Deepika Singh’s Harvard Law Record article, “Community Gathers for Systemic Justice Project’s First Teach-In of the Year.” Last week, Oren Nimni of the nonprofit civil rights firm Rights Behind Bars (RBB) spoke to a packed room of students at the lunch event
Systemic Justice Teach-Ins: Building Power to Challenge Injustice East Palestine – Storytelling for Justice (September, 23 2023) Participants: Christopher and Jessica Albright, from East Palestine, Ohio. Read Emily Baumgaertner’s compelling story of the Albright family, who are coping with the
Join Blake Strode and Oren Nimni on building power and systemic justice lawyering.
Systemic Justice Teach-Ins: Building Power to Challenge Injustice 1. East Palestine – Storytelling for Justice (September, 23 2023) Participants: Christopher and Jessica Albright, from East Palestine, Ohio. Read Emily Baumgaertner’s compelling story of the Albright family, who are coping with
Jon Hanson posted a twitter thread responding to Ian Millhiser’s thread advising law students to: “Bust your fucking ass. Do all the reading, plus the hornbook. Get on law review. Credential the fuck out of yourself.” Hanson’s thread highlights several
Systemic Justice Teach-Ins: Building Power to Challenge Injustice The Systemic Justice Project is helping to organize and host several “Systemic Justice Teach-Ins” during the fall of 2023. The teach-ins, which will be open to students from area law schools and
Tuesday 5th September 2023, Jon Hanson and Dean Strang will be remotely co-presenting their paper, “Injustice Backlash: Deploying ‘Injustice’ to Thwart Justice” at the one-day conference at the University of Worcester in the UK. The conference seeks to explore key
At the the 2023 Corporate Capture of the Legal System Conference at Harvard Law School, Noam Chomsky and Jon Hanson discussed “The Legal Sources and Consequences of Corporate Power” (moderated by Michael Lehavi and introduced by Eleftheria Papadaki). The conference
In the May/June edition of the Washington Lawyer, Jeremy Conrad wrote an excellent article about the Justice Initiative. It begins as follows: Let’s imagine the perfect course of study for a law student interested in engaging in a critical examination
This piece from The [F]law investigates the corporate for-profit structure of Broadway. Over decades of corporatization of Times Square and Broadway, a few companies have established a monopoly on Broadway theaters. As a result, ticket prices have soared, producers are
“Corporate Capture of the Legal System” 1/27 – 1/28/23 at Harvard Law School The [F]law and the Systemic Justice Project, in collaboration with several other student organizations at Harvard Law School held a conference on the Corporate Capture of the
Jon Hanson will deliver Earth Day presentation at Saint Andrew’s School on Friday, April 28, 2023. The talk, titled “Systems Pollution,” compared and connected pollution of the environmental ecosystems with contamination of other systems — informational, institutional, and legal. Below
After Dobbs, dozens of well-known corporations promised to protect the abortion rights of their own employees, most commonly by offering to cover abortion-related travel under the company health insurance plan. These statements and prospective policies make for good PR, but
At the the 2023 Corporate Capture of the Legal System Conference at Harvard Law School, Suzanna Bobadilla moderated a roundtable conversation, “Challenging Corporate Power by Agitating, Educating, and Organizing,” among a group of brilliant and innovative lawyers and organizers who
At the the 2023 Corporate Capture of the Legal System Conference at Harvard Law School, Lisa Fanning moderated a roundtable conversation among a brilliant group of law students, who discuss their Special-Edition contributions to The [F]law on the topics of
Join us for a lunch talk about how The New York Times broke the story of pervasive sexual abuse by Harvey Weinstein—ending decades of silence and empowering the #MeToo movement.
At the the 2023 Corporate Capture of the Legal System Conference at Harvard Law School, Sam Rosen moderated a roundtable conversation among a brilliant group of legal journalists regarding the corporate capture of legal journalism. Corporate Capture of Legal Media
Lucy Litt’s new article on The [F]law uncovers how law enforcement’s data collection and surveillance tools are often inaccurate, yet they are constantly expanding. The more “sophisticated” such tools become, the harder it will be to challenge biases that underlie
This week Jon Hanson had the privilege of speaking with (his brilliant former student) Briahna Joy Gray, on her always-illuminating podcast, Bad Faith. The episode is here. Here is Bad Faith’s description of that episode: Harvard Law & Economics Professor
Delana Sobhani‘s brilliant new article on The [F]law looks at the deep contradictions of police unions. Police exist to protect property, and they have a long history of controlling labor and breaking strikes through violence. Do they really belong in the
Jessenia Class’s new article on The [F]law uncovers how corporate actors funding Cop City under the guise of public safety and “neighborhood prosperity” are harming the very people they claim to serve. Read the article here. “Foundations and corporate actors
Law Firm Transparency
Boston is known for its schools, its sports teams, and, to many, its racism. However, the city has an incredibly rich history of radical Black activism. Most notably, the effort by activists to separate the predominantly Black neighborhood of Roxbury
Niko Bowie and Jon Hanson to discuss "the art of law teaching."
On April 3, 2023, The [F]law and the Systemic Justice Project (in collaboration with Harvard Law and Political Economy) held a roundtable discussion focusing on the problems with conventional legal journalism. The participants were Jay Willis (Balls & Strikes), Mark Joseph Stern
On January 27 and 28, 2023, The [F]law and the Systemic Justice Project (in collaboration with several other student organizations at Harvard Law School) held a conference on the Corporate Capture of the Legal System (held on January 27 and 28, 2023).
Another great JI Saturday Session: this one looking at the history of, and fight against, Cop City
Come hear: JAY WILLIS (Balls & Strikes) MARK JOSEPH STERN (Slate) RHIANNON HAMAM (5-4 Podcast) April 3, 6:00 PM WCC 2009 The roundtable discussion will examine the state of legal journalism and how current law students can make a difference.
The [F]law Podcast is the audio arm of The [F]law, an online magazine that shares stories that reveal how corporate law and power create social problems and systemic injustices. The [F]law publishes pieces that identify how corporate power has infiltrated social and political institutions,
Another great JI Career Session: this one focusing on civil rights lawyering
Duncan Kennedy is the Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Emeritus at Harvard Law School. He is well known as one of the founders of the Critical Legal Studies movement. In the previous episode, you heard the first part of Craig
Jon Hanson will be among the panelists participating in the Berkeley Law event "Untapped Power: The State of Law Student Organizing"
At the the 2023 Corporate Capture of the Legal System Conference at Harvard Law School, Briahna Joy Gray brilliantly delineated the mechanisms of corporate influence over the political system and the legislative process. Briahna hosts her own podcast, Bad Faith,
Jon Hanson will be among the panelists and speakers participating in this year's N.Y.U. Review of Law and Social Change annual colloquium.
Duncan Kennedy is the Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Emeritus at Harvard Law School. He is well known as one of the founders of the Critical Legal Studies movement. In this episode, we’re bringing you the first portion of another
“Jones Day Made Trump” – Live at Harvard Law with David Enrich Recorded live at Harvard Law School’s Corporate Capture of the Legal System Conference, we’re talking about Jones Day. The law firm jumps into bed with all manner of
Juliet Isselbacher wrote an excellent article about the 2023 Corporate Capture of Legal Education Conference. It begins as follows: HOW HAVE CORPORATIONS INFLUENCED the way law is taught, practiced, and discussed, as well as the very legal system itself? At a
Jo B. Lemann and Neil H. Shah co-wrote a very good summary of the 2023 Corporate Capture of Legal Education Conference. It begins as follows: Harvard Law School hosted a conference featuring legal scholars, lawyers, and legal journalists who discussed the
This year’s Grand Torty — the “best picture” prize awarded to one of this year’s 16 Tort Reports, each produced by 5-person teams of students in Jon Hanson’s Torts class — went to “An Act of God.” The mini documentary
Harvard Law School To Host Conference on Corporate Capture of the Legal System The hosts of 5-4 Pod, Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, Prof. Noam Chomsky, Briahna Joy Gray, and other leading experts, scholars, and students will convene to examine the role
Read the “storty” about the 2022 Tortys at HLS Today, here. There was so much hype leading up to the Tortys, said Arzu Singh ’25, that she didn’t think the event could possibly live up to expectations. But it did.
As law students become increasingly alarmed about the climate change crisis the law firms that hire them continue to work assiduously on anti-climate litigation, transactions, and lobbying. Hanson describes the clash and considers signs of potential change in this Twitter
Duncan Kennedy is the Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Emeritus at Harvard Law School. He is well known as one of the founders of the Critical Legal Studies movement. This episode is the second segment of Rio Pierce’s interview of
From this year’s collection of 16 Tort Reports, each produced by 5-person teams of students in Jon Hanson’s Torts class at Harvard Law School, one depicts a fictional fossil fuel law firm, Harmin Zee Planette LLP, discusses its recent performance,
From the collection of 16 Tort Reports, each produced by 5-person teams of students in Jon Hanson’s Torts class at Harvard Law School, two focused on the problem of fast fashion. Both were awarded Tortys by this year’s Academy. Congratulations
Another great JI Saturday Session: this one on building power through organizing
In September, Kwame Anthony Appiah, styled as “The Ethicist” at the New York Times, wrote a piece titled: Is It OK to Take a Law-Firm Job Defending Climate Villains?” examining “whether taking a corporate law job means abandoning your values.” He
Vanessa A. Bee speaking at Harvard Law School
It's not too late to join the Justice Initiative
See Jon Hanson’s long twitter thread on the need for, lack of, and challenges to law-student activism in which he argues that “law students have less and less time to contemplate how law school is changing them and their life
In the latest article from The [F]law, Marty Strauss looks at the deeper institutional currents pushing students toward Big Law: “In Search of Sunlight: How Corporate Law Careers Outshine All Else at Elite Law Schools.” How do the majority of
Justice Initiative Begins Third Year of Teaching Justice-Centered Change Students and advocates invited to participate in project with roots at Harvard and Howard University Law Schools Harvard Law School’s Systemic Justice Project, directed by Jon Hanson, and Howard University Law
When a lawsuit between a civil plaintiff and a corporate defendant gets appealed, the deck is often stacked against the plaintiff. This article discusses the gap in access to expert appellate representation between plaintiffs and defendants, and how the imbalance
Derecka Purnell will speak to interested members of the Harvard Law School community about the journey to “becoming abolitionists,” including the pivotal years she spent at Harvard Law School.
Duncan Kennedy is the Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, Emeritus at Harvard Law School. He is well known as one of the founders of the Critical Legal Studies movement. This episode is the final segment of Abbey Marr’s interview of
In her revealing article in The [F]law, Ellie Olsen argues that lawyers, like everyone else, are morally responsible for the choices they make about how they spend their time and who they choose to help with their training and talent.
Jon Hanson’s remarks at Harvard Law School’s 2022 Class Day event. Read the article about Hanson’s Lecture here.
Big Law’s “pro bono” work, supposedly “for the public good, sells students on the promise that they can make a starting salary of $215,000, plus bonuses, all while doing good work. Have your cake and your soul too. But is
The Class of 2022 made Professor Jon Hanson a four-time Sacks-Freund Award winner at Class Day this week. Hanson was previously honored with the same award, which recognizes teaching ability, attentiveness to student concerns and general contributions to student life, by the
Jon Hanson & Jacob Lipton, the co-founders of the Systemic Justice Project, have recently published their article, Occupy Justice: Introducing the Injustice Framework in Volume 15 of The Harvard Law & Policy Review. You can download the article on SSRN and
Jon Hanson delivered a “last lecture” calling upon graduating Harvard Law students to recommit to their “childhood dreams of justice.” “[Y]ou exist at an unbelievable moment in history,” he told students. “They happen every 50 years: a moment when the
Below are excerpts from Courtney Humphries’s superb Boston Globe article about the Systemic Justice Project at Harvard Law School (cartoon by Sam Washburn and photo by Justin Saglio, both for the Globe): From the first day, it’s clear that law
In the latest article from The [F]law, Rosie Kaur examines how and why Harvard Law students of color are being funneled into Big Law: “Big Law’s Capture of Students of Color.” Related Systemic Justice Resources From The [F]law: Lisa Fanning, The Corporate
Yesterday afternoon Radio Boston’s Meghna Chakrabarti interviewed Jon Hanson and Jacob Lipton, the Co-Directors of the Systemic Justice Project, in a story they titled “Harvard Law Flips Legal Education on its Head with ‘Systemic Justice.'” Listen to the interview here. Here
Here’s the video for the fifth session, held on April 21st, focusing on the Criminal Legal System. The discussion was moderated by Jon Hanson and Jacob Lipton, Co-Directors of the Systemic Justice Project. The Panelists were: Judge Nancy Gertner, Senior Lecturer