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Harvard Law Today: January 2012

Phil Farnsworth/Martha Stewart

(L-R) Judge Peter J. Rubin ‘88 of the Massachusetts Appeals Court, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Chief Judge Frank H. Easterbrook of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit presided over the final round of the 2011 Ames Moot Court Competition. During her day-long visit to the law school on Nov. 17, Justice Sonia Sotomayor had lunch with faculty members and met with student groups, including La Alianza, the Women’s Law Association and the 1L Section 3 class.

Appointments: Brown-Nagin, Marshall and Nagin join faculty; Williams is Expert in Residence

Dean Martha Minow recently announced three new appointments to the faculty: Tomiko Brown-Nagin as a tenured professor of law, Daniel Nagin as a clinical professor of law and Chief Justice Margaret Marshall as a senior research fellow and lecturer. Boston entrepreneur John Williams ’79 was named the law school’s inaugural Expert in Residence.
Ames Moot Court Competition

In the showdown round of the Ames Moot Court Competition on Nov. 17, two teams of 3L students presented arguments before a distinguished panel of judges headed by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Justices exchange insights on Court

At HLS Reunions Weekend, Justices Stephen Breyer ’64 and David Souter ’66 exchanged good-humored banter and insights about their service on the nation's highest court. The event, “A Conversation with the Justices,” was moderated by Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow.
Briefs

Sullivan on public counsel committee; Students testify on health care, renewable energy; Anderson named to trust commission; Kennedy receives honorary doctorate; Exemplars of good legal writing for 2011; Building the 21st Century Financial System; and Prize-winning faculty book.
Coates on investor risks in capital raising

Professor John Coates presented testimony at a hearing of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing & Urban Affairs Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance and Investment on Dec. 14, in an open session hearing titled “Examining Investor Risks in Capital Raising.”
Ogletree reflects on Obama’s narrative

Professor Charles Ogletree ’78 kicked off the Nathan I. Huggins Lecture Series at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for African and African American Research in November with a discussion of the childhood, schooling and early career of President Barack Obama ’91.
Promoting awareness of disability issues

Professor William Alford ’77, who serves on the board of the International Special Olympics, met with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in November to discuss disability issues.
Spreading worthy ideas

How do modern dietary patterns lead to disease? What should we eat? Those were some of the questions raised on Oct. 21 when the Harvard Food Law Society co-sponsored a “TEDxHarvardLaw” event.
Lady Gaga launches anti-bullying foundation with Berkman Center

In November, Lady Gaga, the Grammy Award-winning artist, partnered with HLS’s Berkman Center for Internet & Society (and the John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the California Endowment) to launch the Born This Way Foundation.
Innovative responses to foreclosures

As the groundbreaking anti-foreclosure work by Harvard Law School students continues to land significant victories for homeowners in Massachusetts, a recent conference to spread the Harvard model drew more than 150 lawyers, law students and community organizers from around the country who want to halt foreclosures in their own communities.
In the dock: Jack Abramoff

Appearing at Harvard Law School a year and a half after being released from federal prison, Jack Abramoff expressed a desire to thwart the political corruption he once infamously practiced. The Dec. 6 event was sponsored by the Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics, whose director, HLS Professor Lawrence Lessig, interviewed Abramoff.
Student Spotlight: From military service to HLS

Ten U.S. Marines and Army soldiers, all of whom served in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan—some in both—are among this year’s entering class at Harvard Law School.
Moving in: Wasserstein Hall, Caspersen Student Center, and Clinical Wing building

The Wasserstein Hall, Caspersen Student Center, and Clinical Wing building opened on Jan. 3, 2012.