From slavery to convict leasing to prison labor, corporations have profited from Black labor for centuries. In her article in The [F]law, Kiese Hansen describes how and why corporations should pay for reparations. And how making them do so would
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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
Eating disorders are on the rise, but treating them is not getting any easier. They are complicated, they are expensive, and they often are not covered by healthcare insurance plans. When they are covered, patients with eating disorders fight every
Jon Hanson will be among the panelists participating in the Berkeley Law event "Untapped Power: The State of Law Student Organizing"
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.
Another great JI Saturday Session: this one on how to be a justice-centered lawyer
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
In their op-ed for The [F]law, Sam Perri and Marty Strauss describe what happened when the Harvard Chapter of the Federalist Society hosted an event called “A Securities Regulator’s Perspective on ESG.” Read “We Need More Than a Securities Regulator’s
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
Despite many believing it banished to the history books, slavery underlies almost every facet of our lives – and U.S. law as it stands can’t do anything about it. In his article in The [F]law, Ariq Hatibie unravels the intricate
“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
In her article on The [F]law, Falicia Elenberg uncovers how dark money, otherwise known as anonymous political spending, is perfectly legal and casts a harrowing shadow over our political system. Yasmin Clark and roughly 170 other children were wrongfully and
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
Dark money runs throughout our political system, and state supreme court elections are no exception. In the latest article in The [F]law, Tyler Price describes how special interest groups use their deep pockets to “buy” a state supreme court justice
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.
In the latest article from The [F]law, Noelle Musolino examines how big law firms essentially buy Harvard lawyers from the moment they step on campus as first year law students by funding their education, lunches, extracurriculars, and social lives. Every
“Corporate Capture of the Legal System” 1/27 – 1/28/23 at Harvard Law School. Registration is closed. The [F]law and the Systemic Justice Project, in collaboration with several other student organizations at Harvard Law School are organizing a conference on the
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
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,
In the latest article from The [F]law, Samantha Perry reports on “Common Good Constitutionalism,”which promises to be the next big theory in the legal conservative movement. It publicly claims to be anti-corporate, but its really pro-corporate power and control. Read
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
Bankruptcy used to be something that companies fought to avoid. To go bankrupt was an admission of failure, a badge of shame. But in recent decades, bankruptcy has become something that companies, and the people profiting off them, have embraced
Another great JI Saturday Session: this one on building power through organizing
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
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
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.
Another great JI Saturday Session: this one on building power through narrative and storytelling
Vanessa A. Bee speaking at Harvard Law School
Another great JI Saturday Session: this one on building power through movements
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
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 first segment of Rio Pierce’s interview of
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
It's not too late to join the Justice Initiative
Six of the nine sitting Supreme Court Justices are affiliated with the Federalist Society. How did this radical student organization ensnare our legal institutions? With the help of corporate billionaire John M. Olin—a man lauded to this day for his
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
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
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
Greater Boston is undergoing a housing crisis fueled in part by large corporate landlords. Undetected in the conversation about the greed of these landlords is one of the largest entities with countless properties, and yet the least accountability: Harvard University.
Jon Hanson’s remarks at Harvard Law School’s 2022 Class Day event. Read the article about Hanson’s Lecture here.
Briahna Joy Gray shares her brilliant thoughts about her experiences and influences in law school, her goals as a journalist and podcaster, her experience on the Bernie Sanders campaign, the role of left-wing journalism, the problem of corporate power, her
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
Vanessa A. Bee, Alec Karakatsanis, Sam Rosen, & Jay Willis at Harvard Law School participated in the panel about law, lawyering, and journalism as part of the launch of The [F]law on February 10, 2022. The panel was moderated by
Amy Hayes reports on how forced arbitration clauses have been a “get out of jail free” card for corporations in everything from consumer actions to civil rights disputes. Now, Americans are fighting to win back their right to court. Read
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 contains the second part of Abbey Marr’s three-part interview
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
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