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May 2009

Roe analyzes the obstacles to a 30-day Chrysler bankruptcy in the WSJ

The following op-ed by Harvard Law School Professor Mark Roe, “A Chrysler bankruptcy won’t be quick,” appeared in the May 1, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal.
The following op-ed by Harvard Law School Professor Mark Roe, “A Chrysler bankruptcy won’t be quick,” appeared in the May 1, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Wilkins named commencement speaker at University of Iowa College of Law

David Wilkins, the Lester Kissel Professor of Law at HLS, has been selected to be the 2009 commencement speaker at the University of Iowa College of Law's graduation ceremony on Saturday, May 16.
Reno receives the American Judicature Society’s Justice Award

On April 17, Janet Reno ’63, the first woman attorney general of the United States, received the 2009 Justice Award of the American Judicature Society, in Washington, D.C. The Justice Award is the society’s highest honor.
Ian Gershengorn ’93 named deputy assistant attorney general at USDOJ

Ian H. Gershengorn ’93 has joined the Department of Justice’s Civil Division as deputy assistant attorney general. He will oversee the Federal Programs Branch.
Forecasting President Obama’s Impact

On Saturday, April 25, 2009, Professor Charles Ogletree ’78 moderated a panel discussion entitled “Forecasting President Obama's Impact on America’s Political and Economic Agenda” as part of the weekend’s HLS Reunion program.
Scott in WSJ: Banks need fewer carrots and more sticks

The following op-ed, “Banks need fewer carrots and more sticks,” was co-written by Harvard Law School Professor Hal Scott; R. Glen Hubbard, dean of Columbia Business School; and Luigi Zingales, professor at the Chicago Booth School of Business. It appeared in the May 6, 2009, edition of the Wall Street Journal.
Bebchuk in Financial Times: Keep banks out of the PPIP

The following op-ed, “The PPIP: Keep banks out,” written by Harvard Law School Professor Lucian Bebchuk LL.M. ’80 S.J.D. ’84, appeared in the May 5, 2009, edition of the Financial Times.
HLS grad prevails in the Supreme Court, in first oral argument of her career

On April 22, Lindsay C. Harrison ’03, an associate in the Washington office of Jenner & Block, won her first case in the Supreme Court—and the first case she’d ever argued. For immigrants appealing deportation orders, it may also be a day to celebrate.
Panelists survey the breadth and depth of International Legal Studies

On April 24, HLS hosted a panel discussion titled “The International Face of Harvard Law School.” The panel, moderated by Professor William Alford ’77, included John F. Cogan, Jr. ’52 and four current HLS students who described their experiences in the international law program at HLS.
How “the bailout is robbing the banks” (webcast)

The bailout of financial institutions that was enacted by Congress in the Fall of 2008 didn't actually reach its intended recipients—the banks that control consumer lending—said Professor John C. Coates in a lecture at Harvard Law School in April.
Juan M. Garcia ’92 nominated to Navy post in Department of Defense

Juan M. Garcia ’92 was nominated on April 29, 2009 to be the assistant secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, in the Department of Defense. He is currently an attorney with Hartline, Dacus, Barger, Dreyer & Kern in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Bartholet: Focus on the Child’s Human Rights

In a May 10 New York Times editorial “Celebrity Adoptions and the Real World,” HLS Professor Elizabeth Bartholet ’65, the faculty director of the Child Advocacy Program at Harvard Law School, was one of six contributors who shared their opinions on international adoption and what the standard should be for allowing international adoptions.
HLS students win honors at international commercial arbitration moot competitions in Vienna and Hong Kong

Thirteen students from Harvard Law School recently won honors at the 2009 Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot Competitions in Vienna and Hong Kong.
Sunstein confirmation hearing

The U.S. Senate hearing on the nomination of Harvard Law School Professor Cass Sunstein to be administrator, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, was held on Tuesday, May 12.
Wilma A. Lewis ’81 nominated to be assistant secretary for Land and Mineral Management

In May, President Barack Obama ’91 nominated Wilma A. Lewis ’81 to be assistant secretary for Land and Mineral Management at the Department of the Interior.
Bordone appointed clinical professor of law

Robert Bordone ’97, formerly the Thaddeus R. Beal Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, has been named a full clinical professor of law. An expert in negotiation and dispute resolution, Bordone is the founding director of the Harvard Law School Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program.
Roe in Forbes: Stress Testing the Government’s Chrysler Plan

The following op-ed written by Professor Mark Roe ’75, “Stress testing the government’s Chyrsler plan,” appeared in the May 13, 2009, edition of Forbes.
Suk in Slate on copyright law in fashion industry

HLS Assistant Law Professor Jeannie Suk ’02 co-wrote an op-ed “The Squint Test: How to Protect fashion designers like Jason Wu from Forever 21 knockoffs” with C. Scott Hemphill, an associate professor of law at Columbia. Their article appeared May 13 in Slate Magazine and on ABC News. Suk and Hemphill are coauthors of the article“The Law, Culture, and Economics of Fashion” which appeared in the Stanford Law Review, vol. 61, issue 5, March 2009.
Kaufman in WSJ on Supreme Court Justice Cardozo

In a Wall Street Journal article titled “Has the Supreme Court Already Had a Hispanic Justice?,” HLS Professor Andy Kaufman ’54, author of “Cardozo,” a biography of Supreme Court Justice Cardozo, shared his research concerning Justice Cardozo’s ethnic heritage with WSJ Reporter Ashby Jones.
Bordoff named to key post on climate change

On May 1, the White House appointed Brookings Institution economist Jason Bordoff ’04 as associate director for climate change at the Council on Environmental Quality.
Six Alumni Recognized as "Dealmakers of the Year" by The American Lawyer

Six Harvard Law School alumni were recognized by “The American Lawyer” as among the top 25 “Dealmakers of the Year” for 2008. Honorees included three members of the HLS class of 1978, as well as three other alums.
Michael E. Leiter ’00 is director of the National Counterterrorism Center in Obama administration

Michael E. Leiter ’00 is currently serving as director of the National Counterterrorism Center. He was confirmed by the Senate in June 2008, after serving as acting director in the Bush administration since 2007. In January, President Obama ’91 announced that Leiter would remain in his post as part of the new administration’s intelligence team.
In New York City Bar program, Wolfman discusses ethics in tax practice

On April 24, Harvard Law School Professor Emeritus Bernard Wolfman, a leading tax law expert, spoke on “Ethical Problems in Tax Practice” at the Sixth Annual Institute on Tax Aspects of Mergers and Acquisitions. The event, held at the offices of the New York City Bar, was presented by the New York City Bar in conjunction with the Center for the Study of Mergers and Acquisitions of Pennsylvania State University’s Dickinson School of Law.
Winners of 56th Williston competition

The winners of Harvard Law School’s 56th annual Williston Contracts Competition were announced on April 28. The competition, sponsored by the Board of Student Advisers and organized and run by Harvard Negotiators, offers first-year students the opportunity to practice negotiation and contract drafting.
Goldsmith in The New Republic: The Cheney Fallacy

In his op-ed “The Cheney Fallacy,” HLS Professor Jack Goldsmith discusses why he believes Barack Obama is waging a more effective war on terror than George W. Bush. The op-ed was published in the May 18, 2009, issue of The New Republic. Goldsmith, a member of the Hoover Institution Task Force on National Security and Law, was an assistant attorney general in the Bush administration and is the author of “The Terror Presidency: Law and Judgment Inside the Bush Administration.”
Lantz receives law student ethics award

Todd Lantz ’09 received the 2009 Law Student Ethics Award from the Association of Corporate Counsel’s Northeast Chapter in April.
Hanson in Philadelphia Inquirer: Judges are activists

HLS Professor Jon Hanson and Adam Benforado ’05 wrote the following op-ed “Right or left, judges are activists” that appeared in the May 20 edition of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Benforado is an assistant professor of law at Drexel University's Earle Mack School of Law and Hanson is director of The Project of Law and Mind Sciences at Harvard Law School.
Bebchuk in Forbes: Near-sighted stress tests

The following op-ed, written by Harvard Law school Professor Lucian Bebchuk LL.M. ’80 S.J.D. ’84, entitled “Near-sighted stress tests,” was published in Forbes on May 21, 2009.
Two HLS siblings win “The Amazing Race”

On May 10, sibling teammates Victor Jih ’96 and Tamara Jih ’06 claimed victory in the 14th-season finale of the CBS reality show “The Amazing Race.” Brother and sister took home the million dollar prize for being first over the finish line at Maui’s King Kamehameha Golf Club in Hawaii.
Roe in Financial Times examines why a gas tax makes the new auto fuel standards work

In an op-ed, “Delayed petrol tax beats CAFE plan,” that appeared in the May 21, 2009, edition of The Financial Times, Harvard Law School Professor Mark Roe ’75 and Michael Levine of New York University School of Law discuss the need for a petrol tax in order to make the Obama Administration’s automotive goals work well.
Tim Massad ’84 appointed chief counsel of TARP

Timothy Massad ’84 a partner at Cravath, Swaine & Moore has been appointed by the Obama Administration to be chief counsel of the U.S. Treasury Department’s Troubled Asset Relief Program.
HLS Human Rights Program issues new report on abuses in Burma

A new report issued by the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School calls for the UN Security Council to act on human rights abuses in Burma. The report, “Crimes in Burma,” comes in the wake of renewed international attention due to the continued persecution of Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.
Elizabeth Warren named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2009

Time Magazine has named Harvard Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren as one of 100 Most Influential People in 2009. Warren is listed in the Leaders & Revolutionaries category of the annual TIME publication naming the people who most affect our world.
Zittrain elected to Internet Society’s Board of Trustees

On May 5, Harvard Law School Professor Jonathan Zittrain ’95 was elected to a three-year term on the Internet Society’s Board of Trustees. A non-profit organization, the Internet Society seeks to provide leadership on internet related standards, education, and policy around the world.