Why I Changed My Mind
HLS Faculty Panel, April 10th, 12:20-1:20, Austin 100 North – Register HERE
See a recording of the event HERE and Harvard Gazette coverage HERE
Back by popular demand, a fourth iteration of the faculty panel Why I Changed My Mind featuring HLS faculty members’ stories of professional moments of reckoning when ideas they had previously thought settled in their worldview changed. Though (ideally) academia is a place where revising one’s ideas is a constant, in reality getting something ‘wrong’ (for students and professors) can be scary. In the current cultural climate it often feels that there is less and less room for the notion that one’s ideas can (and should!) evolve over time as new arguments, information and data emerge. Faculty speakers will demonstrate this process in action as they share their stories on a panel moderated by Jonathan Zittrain, George Bemis Professor of International Law. Lunch will be provided. Featuring:
- Steven and Maureen Klinsky Visiting Professor of Practice for Leadership and Progress, Elizabeth Prelogar
- Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Noah Feldman
- Louis A. Horvitz Professor of Law, Lucie E. White
Trans Lives in Today’s Legal Climate
Alejandra Caraballo & Deborah Lolai, Tuesday, April 8th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Recent legislation and public rhetoric have focused critical attention on how new policies affect the lives of transgender individuals. These include proposals related to gender recognition in legal contexts and healthcare access for transgender youth. Given this evolving policy landscape, what options exist for transgender individuals and supporters to advocate for their civil rights? Join HLS Cyberlaw Clinic’s Alejandra Caraballo and the HLS LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic’s Deborah Lolai for a conversation and discussion about current legal challenges and civic engagement strategies regarding transgender rights. Lunch will be provided. Please REGISTER in advance.
Regulate or Innovate? A Comparative Look at AI Governance in the EU & US
Florence Seghers (LLM25), Stefan Heiss (LLM25) & Christian Eggers (JD25), Thursday, April 3rd, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Join this lunchtime discussion amongst 3 of your peers whose research focuses on the divergent regulatory approaches to artificial intelligence in the European Union and the United States. While the EU emphasizes proactive regulation (the Brussels effect) and ex ante standards to shape technology development responsibly, the US favors a lighter-touch approach aimed at fostering innovation and market-driven solutions. Given the ever-changing political and regulatory landscape, this panel of HLS students will examine the critical question of democracy’s role in governing emerging technologies and the broader implications for global AI leadership. Lunch will be provided. Please REGISTER in advance.
Real Estate Ownership and Investing
Derek Brainard of AccessLex, Wednesday, March 26th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Owning and investing in real estate plays a significant role in increasing your net worth over a lifetime. During this session, AccessLex Institute’s Director of Financial Education, Derek Brainard, will discuss the benefits of real estate ownership, trends, how to prepare yourself financially for the homebuying process, and considerations for those looking to use real estate as an investment in the future. Bring your questions and your appetite! Lunch will be provided. Please REGISTER in advance. This event is co-sponsored by SFS.
The Future of Classroom Speech
Charles Nesson, March 10th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
What is the future of speech in the classroom? How can we engage respectfully across diverse perspectives? Join Professor Charles Nesson for a workshop on the future of campus speech and the mission of the university. Professor Nesson will introduce participants to Nymspace, a tool developed as part of the Berkman Klein Center. Participants will have the opportunity to use Nymspace to discuss pressing campus issues and think more deeply about speaking across difference. Please bring your laptops for the session if you want to play. Please REGISTER in advance. Lunch will be provided.
How to Use WORD Like a Lawyer
Debbie Ginsberg, March 3rd, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Getting ready to write your appellate brief this spring but have no real idea how to format it properly? Come get help from our faculty research librarian, Debbie Ginsberg, who specializes in leveraging technology for all things law! She’ll cover using styles, creating a table of contents, adding Roman and Arabic numbers to the same document, and creating a table of authorities. If you have other questions about how to effectively use Word in your legal research and writing, she’s the one to ask. So bring your laptops, your questions, and your appetites and get theses skills under your belt before you need to turn anything in! REGISTER HERE Lunch will be provided.
Vibes Matter – What Makes us Trust the News?
Ben Reininga, February 24th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
The news industry has two primary tasks: Accurately report what’s going on and present that info in a way that reaches people. It’s been failing at the latter — as of 2024, more people say they deeply distrust the media than trust it, and audiences are moving from traditional outlets to social platforms and individual creators. Ben Reininga, former Head of Editorial at Snapchat and 2024/5 Nieman & Berkman-Klein fellow is researching what makes users trust news videos — with the hope of providing more insight and tools to news publishers to help them connect with users. This session will begin with a presentation on the state of the news industry and news creator landscape and then move into an interactive workshop. Participants will watch a series of news videos and then answer questions and discuss their reactions. Our goal is to build a shared understanding of what characteristics users are responding to, as part of this ongoing research. REGISTER HERE Lunch will be provided.
TechReg Reading Group (TRRG): Emerging Policies of the New Administration
Alan Raul, Feb 13th & 27th, March 6th & 27th, and April 3rd, 4:00-5:15pm- REGISTER HERE
Join the HLS Beyond and the Berkman Klein Center sponsored TechReg Reading Group (TRRG) for a series of faculty guided discussions about TechReg policy developments as they are announced by the Trump Administration (e.g., White House, OMB, OSTP, Commerce, DHS, DOJ, FCC, FTC, etc.). Specific topics will likely include Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Privacy, Electronic Surveillance, Emerging Technologies & National Security, Internet Speech & Social Media, and International Data Flows. Topics and discussion will be guided by HLS Lecturer on Law and Berkman Klein Center Affiliate, Alan Raul, with invited guests as topics warrant. TRRG will meet on five Thursdays during the spring semester from 4:00 – 5:15 PM (Feb 13th, Feb 27th, March 6th, March 27th and April 3rd). The topic for each group meeting will be circulated to all participants no later than Tuesday at noon before the week’s Thursday session along with a few links to relevant policy materials or articles to help stimulate discussion. Though not offered for credit, those who attend at least 4 sessions may include the TechReg Reading Group on resumes and cvs, showcasing your commitment to the evolving tech landscape. HLS as well as university-wide students interested in the discussion and debate of new digital policy initiatives, are welcomed. Meetings can be attended individually, but students are strongly encouraged to attend as many as possible to contribute to the development of a robust discussion. REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Snacks will be provided.
Personal Finance for Lawyers:
Tools to Tackle Debt, Savings, & Future Wealth
Dr. Darla Bishop, February 6th, 4:00-5:30pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Come meet financial well-being expert Dr. Darla Bishop for an interactive, hands-on session designed to help you set yourself up NOW for your life post HLS. This workshop will introduce you to tools for saving, spending, budgeting, and investing with a focus on actionable strategies so you can gain clarity on which financial demands to prioritize during the transition from law student to legal career. Through a series of hands-on exercises, you will explore how to match a financial strategy to your particular career goals and life priorities – including happiness and well-being. It’s never too early to lay the groundwork for your financial future so that when you meet the headwinds of tomorrow, you’re prepared with financial awareness, insight about your relationship with money, and clarity about how to use your resources to create the life you want to live. This event is co-sponsored by The Well. Signficant afternoon snackage will be available.
How to Anticipate & Mediate Disability in the Practice & Teaching of Law
Professor Michael Ashley Stein, November 4th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Historically, law school, legal practice, and law teaching have not been well designed to include people with disabilities (visible or invisible) as either actors or as subjects. Although progress is slowly being made, most law school curriculums do not prepare students to anticipate or actively mediate disability inclusion in classrooms or court rooms. Come learn from our local expert, Professor Michael Stein, about how you, as a future lawyer interacting with persons with disabilities or as someone who has a disability yourself, might effectively anticipate and rectify the exclusions perpetuated in classrooms, courtrooms, offices, and the Academy. The format will include both lecture and interaction. Please REGISTER for lunch.
How to Protect a Presidential Election
Professors Lawrence Lessig and Larry Schwartztol, October 30th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – See coverage of this event in the Crimson and in Harvard Law Today
Inspired by the events of the 2020 presidential election and the subsequent attack on the capital, Professor Lawrence Lessing (w/ co-author Matthew Seligman) outline in their book How to Steal a Presidential Election the various legal frameworks that the loser of an election in the U.S. could use to assume office despite election results and charted the possible courses of action a losing candidate/party could take in the aftermath of a contested election. On the eve of another presidential election and faced with heightened threats of voter suppression, new laws governing election officials’ powers, and the rampant spread of rhetoric around election integrity, we invite you to sit in on a conversation between Professor Lawrence Lessig and Professor of the Practice and Director of the Democracy and Rule of Law Clinic, Larry Schwartztol. Bring your questions, concerns, and an appetite to what promises to be an enlightening lunch hour. Please REGISTER for lunch.
“Security” in the 21st Century – An Insider’s Guide
Professor John Tien, October 21, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
What does security look like in the 21st century and what are the primary concerns in the U.S. today? Who is involved in shaping policy and how is policy implemented in different areas? How is “risk” assessed and who is a part of determining those parameters? Bring your questions and come learn about the broad swath of security issues overseen by DHS across multiple agencies including: cybersecurity and the protection of America’s critical physical and cyber infrastructure (CISA); disaster preparedness and recovery (FEMA); supply chain optimization, border security, and free and fair trade (CBP and ICE); air, pipeline, and rail security (TSA); maritime physical and cyber security (USCG); citizenship and immigration services (USCIS); the safeguarding the U.S. financial system (USSS); and counter-narcotics production and trafficking (HSI). Expect candid answers and a robust discussion lead by someone who has served in various capacities across 4 administrations. Professor Tien is currently a Senior Fellow of Science and Technology at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center and a Distinguished Professor of the Practice at Georgia Tech’s School of Cybersecurity and Privacy. Lunch will be provided.
Everything You Need to Know to Make a Podcast
Lowry Yankwich (JD 22), October 10+11th, 4-5:30pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Ever wanted to make a podcast? Here’s an opportunity to learn how. Podcasting has matured into an industry that serves as a major source of news, entertainment, and education for people across the ideological and socioeconomic spectrum. Join Lowry Yankwich (JD 22) for this two-session crash course which will introduce you to the medium and provide the opportunity to learn–and practice–the main skills needed to bring a podcast to life. In Session One, attendees will practice skills that feed directly into good lawyering: conducting an interview, and writing a hook that captures the listener’s attention. In Session Two, you’ll learn about the technical side of podcasting, from the basics of audio editing, to distribution platforms for putting a podcast out into the world! You can join for either one, or both – they each have their own learning component, but we recommend both! Check out Lowry’s podcasts Thirty Bach and The Tonic as well as his guest host gig on HLS’s CleanLaw. Dinner will be provided for both sessions.
What is Red Teaming?
w/ BKC’s Rebooting Social Media (RSM), October 7th, 12:20-1:20pm, Lewis Multi-purpose Room, 5th floor – REGISTER HERE
Jazz Night in Langdell Reading Room –
A Celebration of the Re-Opening
Cosimo Fabrizio (JD 25) & Shaan Pandiri (JD 26), Thursday, Oct 3rd, 5-6:30, Langdell Reading Room, REGISTER HERE
Hosted by HLS student musicians Cosimo Fabrizio (JD 25) and Shaan Pandiri (JD 26), the third edition of Jazz Night in Langdell will combine the musical stylings of your fellow students w/ cameo sit-ins by musically inclined faculty. Help celebrate the re-opening of the Reading Room while gaining a deeper understanding of jazz through selected works and commentary. What’s not to love? A variety of cozy seasonal snacks and beverages will be on hand. Hosted by HLS Beyond and DOS. Check out @Harvard’s Tik Tok post about last spring’s event
This event is for the HLS community and HUID holders only.
How Current AI Can Help You Do Legal Research
Debbie Ginsberg, HLS Research Librarian, September 30th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Bring your laptops and your appetite and join Debbie Ginsberg of HLSL’s Research Services team for a demonstration of the AI tools currently available to law students. She’ll fill you in on the tools used in law practice (not yet accessible to law schools) compared to the latest commercial LLMs available, and discuss the current limits, likely changes, and implications of AI tools for the future of legal research. Stay informed, know what to expect, and learn how to use AI to improve your own research! Due to overwhelming demand and limited space, we have added a second session for this workshop that will be held Thursday, October 17th 12:20-1:20pm. Please Register for Session 2 HERE
The Importance of Empirical Skills for Changing Policy
Arevik Avedian and Felicia Caten-Reines (JD ’25), September 23rd, 12:20-1:20, Langdell 232/3, REGISTER HERE
Last year HLS Beyond and Professor Arevik Avedian brought you the session How to Read an Empirical Paper with the underlying motive of demonstrating just how important understanding data and empirical analysis can be in today’s legal profession. This fall join her and HLS student Felicia Caten-Raines (JD ’25) from the HLS Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program to hear the data-driven details behind the incredibly impactful report they co-authored with researchers from HLS, HMS, and Physicians for Human Rights entitled “Endless Nightmare”: Torture and Inhuman Treatment in Solitary Confinement in U.S. Immigration Detention. Based on litigated FOIA data on solitary confinement placements in US Immigration detention facilities from 2018 to 2023, their analysis uncovered an expansion of solitary confinement in U.S. immigration detention, despite calls for an end to this inhumane practice. In this session they will walk through various steps of empirical analysis, including data quality check and cleaning, best practices of creating and sharing replication data and code, and data analysis and visualization – all grounded in this incredible project that led to a now large-scale advocacy push to end solitary confinement in US detention centers supported by almost 200 organizations. Check out the report in advance.
Advanced Financial Planning for Different Legal Careers – Investing
w/ Director of Financial Education at AccessLex, Derek Brainard Wednesday, March 27th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Now that you’ve learned about the basics, it’s time to think about specific investing strategies that suit your future financial profile – whether that’s BigLaw, work at a small or mid-sized firm, solo practice, or a public interest position. Investment analysis and risk assessment are important frameworks to familiarize yourself with as you begin setting up your retirement plan, consider purchasing life insurance, select an appropriate health insurance plan, shop around for liability insurance, and even begin estate planning. Come with your specific questions and get them answered by an expert from AccessLex Institute. You’ll have the opportunity to indicate specific topics of interest on the Registration Form and a chance to schedule free individual financial coaching on site. Lunch will be provided. Brought to you buy HLS Beyond and SFS.
Why I Changed My Mind
HLS Faculty Panel, March 6th, 12:20-1:20, Austin 100 North – Register HERE
See a recording of the event HERE and Harvard Gazette coverage HERE
Back by popular demand, a third iteration of the faculty panel Why I Changed My Mind featuring HLS faculty members’ stories of professional moments of reckoning when ideas they had previously thought settled in their worldview changed. Though (ideally) academia is a place where revising one’s ideas is a constant, in reality getting something ‘wrong’ (for students and professors) can be scary. In the current cultural climate it often feels that there is less and less room for the idea that one’s ideas can (and should!) evolve over time as new arguments, information and data emerge. Faculty speakers will demonstrate this process in action as they share their stories on a panel moderated by Jonathan Zittrain, George Bemis Professor of International Law. Lunch will be served.
Featuring: Janet Halley, Eli Goldston Professor of Law Juliette Kayyem, Robert & Renee Belfer Sr Lecturer & faculty chair of the Homeland Security (HKS) Ruth Okediji, Jeremiah Smith Jr. Professor of Law
Jazz Night in Langdell – Leap into Spring Edition
Cosimo Fabrizio (JD 25) & Shaan Pandiri (JD 26), February 29th, 5:30-7pm, Langdell Reading Room, REGISTER HERE
Back by popular demand, HLS Beyond and the HLS Library offer another opportunity to enjoy the stylin’ sounds of your peers Cosimo Fabrizio (JD’ 25) and Shaan Pandiri (JD’26), and their musical friends (including some faculty cameos!). On the rare occasion of February 29th, we hope you’ll leap at the opportunity to spend some downtime time with friends in the sonorous surrounding of the Landgell reading room. Even though we can’t call it a first this time, I think we can all agree it’s an occasion worth repeating. Snacks and beverages will be on hand. Please Register for catering purposes. This event is for the HLS community only.
Financial Planning for Different Legal Careers
w/ Director of Financial Education at AccessLex, Derek Brainard, FEBRUARY 27th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
No matter what your plans are for the future—BigLaw, work at a small or mid-sized firm, solo practice, or public interest positions– at some point soon you’re going to need to think about your financial future. All of these paths come with unique financial planning considerations, so we’ve invited a targeted expert from AccessLex Institute to lead both an introductory seminar and a more advanced workshop (later in March) on financial planning. The topics covered will range from spending, managing debt, and protecting your money, to investing for the future. Register for the intro session and select the topics most important to you and we’ll customize the session to attendees’ interests. You can also indicate now whether you’d be interested in attending the more advanced workshop. At both sessions you’ll also have the opportunity to schedule free individual financial coaching. Lunch will be provided. Space is limited and REGISTRATION required so sign up now! Brought to you by HLS Beyond and SFS
Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, A White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation
w/ Discussant Professor Martha Minow and co-authors Stobo Sniderman (SJD candidate) and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) FEBRUARY 14th, 4:00-5:00pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Professor Martha Minow joins co-authors Stobo Sniderman (SJD 26) and Douglas Sanderson (Amo Binashii) for a discussion of their award-winning and bestselling book, Valley of the Birdtail. The story follows multiple generations of two families, one white and one Indigenous, and weaves their lives into the larger history of Canada. It is a story of villains and heroes, irony and idealism, racism and reconciliation and reflects much of what has gone wrong in relations between Indigenous Peoples and non-Indigenous Canadians. First 35 attendees will receive a free signed copy of the book. Light snacks and drinks will be provided.
From Spark to Flame: Lawyers as Creatives
A Panel Featuring HLS Students and Alums w/ Catherine Grace Katz (JD 23), Adam Sandel (JD 21), Stobo Sniderman (SJD candidate), Lowry Yankwich (JD 22), and moderated by Professor Rebecca Tushnet
Monday, February 12, 12:15-1:20, Millstein West A, Please REGISTER HERE
Come meet and hear about the creative process from a cohort of HLS students and alums who have sought to incorporate creative projects into their professional lives. While not centered in the law, all 4 describe their time in law school as part of, not separate from, their creatives endeavors. Between them there are 4 non-fiction books (and 2 more forthcoming) covering such varied topics as the history-changing role of 3 statesmen’s daughters at the end of WW2, Indigenous and white Canadian relations, a philosophical guide to the good life, the nature of prejudice, and fitness. There are also 2 podcasts and a blog which range in topic from an ongoing collection of performances and discussions of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, to piano music more generally and the people who play it, and fitness and philosophy. Professor Tushnet moderates a discussion amongst them about how they started (and finished) projects, stumbling blocks they encountered in that process, and everything in between as they nurtured their sparks into something concrete they have put out in the world. Lunch will be provided. Registration Required.
Ethical AI for Lawyers
w/ Ryan Groff (Casetext) and Barbara Taylor (DLA Piper), November 14th, 12:20-1:20, Austin Hall 100 Classroom North – REGISTER HERE
Ryan Groff and Barbara Taylor lead this session on Ethical AI based on a new CLE requirement for lawyers at DLA Piper, designed in collaboration with Casetext. Between “robot lawyers” and sanctions from judges for misuse of AI, it can be hard to navigate this powerful new tool. At this workshop you will learn about real, trustworthy applications of generative AI, including legal research, document review, and contract analysis. Learn how to distinguish between responsible and irresponsible uses of AI and discern how to apply existing legal ethics requirements to generative AI. Space is limited so REGISTER today! Lunch will be provided. This event is for HLS students only.
Difficult Conversations: Exploring the Role of Power in Everyday Conversations
w/ Professors Sheila Heen & Rachel Viscomi, November 6th, 5-6:30pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Most people conceive of power in terms of dominance, where one either has it or does not. But in the skillful hands of Sheila Heen (co-author of Difficult Conversations) and Rachel Viscomi (Director of the Negotiation and Mediation Clinic), you’ll learn to understand power as a more fluid concept that is context dependent. This workshop will focus on everyday scenarios that challenge a zero-sum understanding of power and teach how to identify the predictable mistakes and blind spots that often impede us when navigating relationships – both personal and professional. You’ll walk away with a set of strategies for maintaining and wielding your own power as you maneuver through the often opaque terrain of daily life. Lunch will be provided.
Limited space, so please REGISTER in advance. Registered attendees will receive a free copy of the newly published and significantly revised 3rd edition of Difficult Conversations. This event is for HLS students only.
Money Matters
w/ Professor Norm Champ, November 2nd, 12:20-1:20, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Back by popular demand, Professor Norm Champ returns for a timely discussion of the effects of inflation on your financial outlook. With interest rates at an all time high, should you consider investing in a car or home or is it better to rent and wait it out? Will inflation ever ‘come back down’ and what are the mechanisms driving it? And with credit card debt at an all time high, what should be the primary focus of your financial planning at this stage in your life? Bring your questions to a lunchtime discussion about the current financial realities affecting your life and plans. All registered attendees will receive a free copy of Norm’s book, Mastering Money. This event is for HLS students only.
Space is limited so REGISTER today! Lunch will be provided.
Swimming in a Sea of Invisible Waves
Sarah Newman (metalab), October 24th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
Have you ever wondered what the world would look like if we could see the information that moves invisibly around us via wifi, cellular, and satellite? Most of us take for granted the basic functioning of our electronics and the modes of transmission used to move the massive amounts of information that support our daily lives, economy, and tech development in the 21st century. If you want to clear up some of your own misconceptions about how things really work, come meet the team behind metalab’s Swimming in a Sea of Invisible Waves for an engaging afternoon of discussion and interaction as they share some of the creations that have emerged from this multimodal project. Part art, part science communication, part public engagement, Sarah Newman and her team have sought to understand, demystify, and create designs to visualize the various radio frequency technologies (wifi, cellular, bluetooth, and satellite) that provide the scaffolding for 21st century information and communication technologies. This event is for HLS ID holder only. Limited space, so please REGISTER in advance w/ dietary restrictions. Lunch will be provided
And What do you DO? Reimagining Work & Identity
Joy Batra, JD/MBA ’14, October 30th, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3
October 11th session is now full but there are spaces in the October 30th session. Please REGISTER HERE
Our jobs have long been seen as the path to social standing and security. The question “what do you do?” is shorthand not only for your job title and social status, but what your commitments are, how you spend your days, and where you fit in the community landscape. But presenting yourself and valuing yourself only in these narrow terms can short circuit our sense of self and even circumscribe our capacity to imagine expanding what ‘counts’ when we pose the better question “Who are you?” Separating your identity from your profession is associated with more resilience, self-esteem, and, yes, better performance at work. In this hour-long interactive session, we’ll explore what emerges when your ‘side-hustles’ and ‘outside interests’ are made as central to your sense of self as ‘what you do for a living’. HLS alum Joy Batra (14) author of The Freelance Mindset, will engage you in the process of drafting a more comprehensive ‘elevator pitch’ answer to the age-old question about what you DO that includes more of who you ARE. All registrants will receive a copy of Joy’s book.
This event is for HLS Students only. Limited space, so please REGISTER in advance w/ dietary restrictions. Lunch will be provided.
Jazz Night in Langdell – Fundamentals of the Music
Check out @Harvard’s Tik Tok post about this event!
Cosimo Fabrizio (JD 25) & Shaan Pandiri (JD 26), October 5th, 6:00-7pm, Langdell Reading Room, REGISTER HERE
Hosted by HLS student musicians Cosimo Fabrizio (JD 25) and Shaan Pandiri (JD 26), the first (that we know of) Jazz Night in Langdell will combine the musical stylings of your fellow students (w/ possible cameo sit-ins by musically inclined faculty) and the jazz education you know you’ve been missing. Come join us and gain a deeper understanding of jazz through the selected works of greats like Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, and John Coltrane. What’s not to love?
A variety of cozy seasonal snacks and beverages will be on hand. Please Register for catering purposes. This event is for the HLS community only.
The New Legal Order: Social & Legal Ramifications of the Quantum Future
Dr. Katri Nousaianen (HLS), Dr. Joonas Keski-Rahkonen (CCB), Dr. Ben Waber (MIT) & Dr. Ofrit Liviatan (Gov Dept) April 2nd, 12:20-1:20pm, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER HERE
We are approaching a brave new world of quantum technologies. Emerging novel quantum resources, such as quantum computers and simulators, have an enormous potential to provide benefits beyond the capabilities of today’s technology in terms of social impact and commercial applications. In the legal arena “quantum-boosted” artificial intelligence could substantially improve the quality and efficiency of discovery acceleration, research, and innovation processes, while lowering transaction costs. At the same time, the emergence of quantum technologies will fundamentally affect societal and legal development, underlying power dynamics, and international relations. The duty to anticipate the social and legal ramifications of a widespread adoption of such technologies will fall to governmental authorities, policy makers, and lawyers. Come join in on an ongoing conversation between Drs. Katri Nousiainen (HLS), Ofrit Liviatan (Govt), Joonas Keski-Rahkonen (CCB), & Ben Waber (MIT) to learn more about this rapidly developing field and its multi-disciplinary implications. Limited space, so please REGISTER in advance. Staff & Faculty welcome! Lunch will be provided
Legal Design: a legal (R)evolution
Marco Imperiale, LL.M ’16, April 18th, Langdell 232/3, REGISTER HERE
Curious about this new and fast-growing discipline? Legal Design has environmental, social & political implications, centering the democratization of relationships between consumers, clients, & citizens and those in the legal fields. The deliberate design of human-centric legal documents, policies, and contracts is just part of what Legal Design covers. Come learn more about the “next big thing” in legal studies with our visiting researcher & Legal Design expert, Marco Imperiale. Limited space, so please REGISTER in advance w/ dietary restrictions. Lunch will be provided.
How to Read an Empirical Paper
Professor Arevik Avedian, March 22nd, 12:30-1:30, Langdell 232/3, REGISTER HERE
Do you lack a background in math and statistics and struggle to make your way through the mathematical concepts and data used to make arguments in empirical papers? Join Professor Arevik Avedian and practice breaking down an empirical paper into digestible parts. Get a peak at the kind of math and statistics that may be important for you to understand in your future work and a preview of what is covered in her course Fundamentals of Statistical Analysis, offered in the fall. Register to receive the “workshop” paper in advance and join with others in a no pressure setting to explore the basics of approaching data and analysis in legal writing. Space is limited so please REGISTER in advance. The sample paper to be used for the workshop will be emailed to all registrants. Lunch will be provided. Arevik Avedian is a Lecturer on Law and Director of Empirical Research Services at HLS. She holds a Ph.D. in world politics and methods and a M.A. in economics from Claremont Graduate University, and a dual B.A/M.A. in international relations from David Anhaght University of Armenia. Some of her current methodological interests include geographic information systems (GIS), text mining and location analytics.
Why I Changed My Mind
HLS Faculty Panel, Feb 21st, 12:30-1:30, Milstein East B
Back by popular demand, a second iteration of the faculty panel Why I Changed My Mind will feature 3 HLS faculty members’ stories of professional moments of reckoning when ideas they had previously thought settled in their worldview changed. Though (ideally) academia is a place where revising one’s ideas is a constant, in reality getting something ‘wrong’ (for students and professors) can be scary. In the current cultural climate it often feels that there is less and less room for the idea that one’s ideas can (and should!) evolve over time as new arguments, information and data emerge. Faculty speakers will demonstrate this process in action as they share their stories on a panel moderated by Jonathan Zittrain, George Bemis Professor of International Law. Lunch will be served.
Featuring:
Guy-Uriel Charles, Charles J. Ogletree Jr. Professor of Law & Director of the Charles Hamilton Institute for Race and Justice
Rachel Viscomi, Assistant Clinical Professor & Director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP)
Charles Fried, Beneficial Professor of Law
Read about the event in the HLS newsletter! See a recording of the event HERE.
Why I Changed My Mind: Sharing Our Own Stories of Change
Facilitated dialogues on change, Feb 27th, 12:30-1:30, Langdell 232/3 – REGISTER
We live in a time of deep division where investing energy in those who disagree with us can seem depleting at best, and futile at worst. But what if being able to understand and empathize with those who hold different views begins with exploring our own stories of growth and transformation? Are you curious about how others’ views have shifted over time? Would you like to reflect on how your own thinking has evolved? If you’d like to learn to hold space for exchange that embraces the shifting landscape of our views, come join Rachel Viscomi of last week’s faculty panel, Why I Changed My Mind and engage in small group dialogue facilitated by your peers from the Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program. Space is limited so please REGISTER in advance. Lunch will be provided.
Rachel Viscomi is is an Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard Law School and the Director of the Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program (HNMCP). She runs the Harvard Dispute Systems Design Clinic, training law students to become problem-solving lawyers, while supporting clients to rethink the way they manage conflict within their organizations.
Blockchain Solutions to Socio-Political Problems: An Exploration of Current Issues in Web3
Mini-seminar with Molly White, March 6th, March 27th, & April 17th, 12:30-1:30, Langdell 232 – REGISTER
Blockchains have been proposed as a panacea for a number of technical and social problems in the world of Web3 – to fight against disinformation/incentivize accurate information in journalism, online encyclopedias, and social media, as a means of banking the un/under banked, for securing online identity, or providing token-based alternatives to self-governing online communities via decentralized autonomous organizations (DOAs). Whether these terms and issues are already familiar to you, or if you’ve always wanted to take a bit of a deeper dive into what blockchains and Web3 are really about – join Molly White for this series of explorative conversations about whether blockchains live up to the hype, what the limitations and trade-offs might be, and to gain a better understanding of the implications this technology holds for the future of the web and humanity.
This 3-part series is being offered as a “mini-seminar” where participants take part in a developing exchange and exploration of these issues. We ask that only those who can commit to the entire 3-part series register. Space is limited to 25 people so please REGISTER in advance. Lunch will be served.
Molly White is a fellow of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. A software engineer, noted cryptocurrency skeptic and cultural commentator, she is the author of the blog Web3 Is Going Just Great.
Mastering Money with Norm Champ – A Personal Finance Series
Thursdays, Feb 2nd, 9th, & 16th, 12:30-1:30, Seminar Room 232, Langdell Hall – REGISTER
What is your relationship to money? Are you a saver or a spender? Do you think and plan for the future or look away, thinking you’ll get to it later? Have you ever made or followed a budget? HLS Beyond has invited Norm Champ (JD ‘89), partner at Kirkland and Ellis, former Director of the Division of Investment Management of the SEC and HLS lecturer, to help you become the Spending Governor of your own life. In a three part series you will do a self analysis of your financial profile, create and learn how to keep a budget that suits your current and future life circumstances, and start planning for your future with simple tools you can access now. If you’re someone who has always wanted and needed to do this, but just never seem to have the time, join us over the course of three weeks at lunchtime. In the words of Norm Champ, “People who are financially secure mastered money by accepting a simple hard truth: you must take charge of building your own balance sheet.” Take your first steps with this HLS Beyond series Feb 2nd, 9th, and 16th at lunchtime.
Registration required (for one or all sessions) All registered students will receive a free copy of Norm’s book Mastering Money. Lunch will be served.
Thursday, February 2nd – Mastering Money: Tools for Personal Assessment – What’s YOUR financial profile? In this session participants will fill out a variety of financial self assessments to get a clearer picture of their habits, histories, and areas for improvement. Everyone will start work on a budget document, updating relevant categories based on your life and situation, and will have the opportunity to ask questions about how to gauge their personal budget parameters. You will also be introduced to some relevant budgeting and savings apps that can help bypass common behavioral stumbling blocks to saving and budgeting. Please bring your laptop.
Thursday, Feb 9th – Mastering Money: Creating a Personal Budget – Let’s Do It! The bulk of your budget work will be done in this session so come prepared with the budget document you worked on in Session 1 and access to any relevant documents and accounts that will be used to fill in your blanks. This session is literally a working lunch, you’ll all be in it together with the goal of getting a working budget in place before you leave as well as a plan for how and when you will maintain it’s inputs – determined by you to fit into your life and habits (the good ones AND the bad ones). Please bring your laptop.
Thursday, Feb 16th – Mastering Money: Savings, Debt, and Investing – The Role of Money in your Life Cycle. This session will be devoted to a discussion and Q&A about financial issues throughout the stages of the life cycle including 1.) the realities of debt and how best to manage it over time, 2.) the role of investing as part of a savings, retirement, or wealth-building strategy, 3.) better understanding and planning for typical financial milestones (e.g. marriage and its financial implications, home-owning, child-rearing, financing education, etc). You will also have the opportunity to start an investment account using recommended apps to get you on the road to becoming the Spending Governor of your own life. Please bring your laptop.
The Art of Listening, Asking, & Storytelling for Advocacy & Beyond
A Three Part Series Feb 6th, 13th, & 22nd/23rd – REGISTER
Storytelling is a part of the very fabric of our lives and something we employ daily – whether it be personally, in the classroom, or in the courtroom. Storytelling with a purpose communicates not only information but selective information, shaped to illicit empathy, understanding, and at its best, action on behalf of a cause, an individual life, or a movement. But storytelling is also an acquired skill which draws on many aspects of communication – listening, interpreting, making connections, and engaging with subjects’ stories respectfully and ethically. As a skill that can be honed, it also requires practice and a thoughtful approach. Join Professor Alexander Chen (15), founding Director of the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic at HLS where he teaches Gender Identity, Sexual Orientation, and the Law, and Andre Perez, founder of the Transgender Oral History Project, film director & producer, and educator for a three-part series designed to help you think about and practice this skill from start to finish. Hear from your hosts about their process in both advocacy law and documentary film making. Take part in a workshop where you will interview/be interviewed and craft/tell each other’s stories with the guidance of Andre Perez. And finally, get to know the LXT Multimedia Studio at HLS where you will get coaching on how best to present and represent in front of a camera and create a recording of the story or interview you honed during the workshop or elsewhere.
Registration required (for one or all sessions)
Monday, February 6th, 12:30-1:30pm, Storytelling and Advocacy: A Screening and Intimate Conversation – Watch the Boston premiere of an episode from America in Transition (AIT), a Sundance-backed series by and about BIPOC trans people. Afterward, get a behind-the-scenes peek via a conversation between AIT Director Andre Perez, and the Director of the LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, Alexander Chen. They will draw on their combined 20 years of experience to discuss the role of storytelling in advocacy in their respective professions. They will share ethical, strategic, and practical complexities that accompany sharing real-life stories for social change. Langdell 232/3. Lunch will be provided
Monday, February 13th, 4-5:30pm – Shaping Stories through Listening and Sharing – We tell stories all the time – whether we are trying to make friends, find jobs, or entertain ourselves – but how often do we really listen? Oral historian and documentary filmmaker, Andre Perez, will lead an interactive presentation follow-up with a hands-on workshop where you will get to craft your own story and interview others about theirs. Langdell 232/3. Snacks will be provided.
Wednesday/Thursday Feb 22/23rd, 12:00-1:30 – Live Interviewing and Storytelling on camera w/ LXT (Learning Experience & Technology) Multi-Media Studio – Get to know the HLS LXT Multimedia Studio. Spend a session with LXT staff, telling your story or practicing an interview on camera. Get advice on staying calm and engaging with a remote audience, clear speaking and positioning, speaking from memory and off the cuff. You will have the opportunity to watch back, critique, and try again. After the session, you’ll receive a recorded snippet of your interview or story from the Shaping Stories workshop or elsewhere.
Web3 is Going Just Where? A Fireside Chat with Molly White and Jonathan Zittrain
Thursday, January 12th, 12:30-1:30pm, Webinar Recording
In the wake of the FTX collapse, what impact have cryptocurrencies had on the world and what can we learn from them about the next generation of the internet we want to build? Join Molly White of Web3 is Going Just Great fame and internet and society professor Jonathan Zittrain for a wide-ranging fireside chat to ring in the new year — and a taste of the discussion series Molly will lead for HLS Beyond in the spring.
Molly White is a fellow of the Harvard Library Innovation Lab. A software engineer, noted cryptocurrency skeptic and cultural commentator, she is the author of the blog Web3 Is Going Just Great.
Jonathan Zittrain is a professor of law and professor of computer science at Harvard University, where he co-founded the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. He wrote The Future of the Internet—And How to Stop It, and is working on its sequel, Well, We Tried.
Brownbag “Playshop”: Getting Hands on with ChatGPT
Wednesday, January 11th, 12:30-1:30pm, Seminar Rooms 232, Langdell Hall
Spring 2020:
Comparative Digital Privacy Teach-In
April 10, 2020
Collecting Data and Conducting Research through Interviewing, Part 1: Scoping Your Inquiry
March 10, 2020
Get set up for interview research! Instructors April Faith Slaker (HLS Access to Justice Lab) and Ramona Crawford (Harvard Library, Services for Academic Programs) will help you decide what role interviews might play in your practice, whether as sources of empirical research data or preparation for randomized control trials. You will leave with a conceptual basis for scoping your inquiry, including how to meaningfully align questions in terms of your project and setting, strategies for phrasing questions effectively, and tips on recruiting participants.
Improv and Storytelling Workshop with expert improviser Courtney Pong
February 25, 2020
Immerse yourself in an activity that will energize and empower you to take on the challenges and opportunities that come with your unique role as a lawyer! What will you do in this workshop?
- Up-level communication and leadership skills
- Practice improv as an iterative process in a supportive environment
- Experience the power of collaboration
Receive instruction, real-time coaching, have chances to practice application of skills learned, and then reflect. (It’s also really fun.) Leave this engaging, active session with tools and skills you can practice such as:
- Reframing any situation as an opportunity to make connections and gain momentum
- Telling meaningful, impactful stories
- Speaking to the needs and knowledge of your audience
- Decision-making under pressure
- How to communicate effectively with both clients and team members in any situation, while keeping the big picture in mind
Fall 2019:
Tech Explorations Part 1: Data and How to be Skeptical
November 21, 2019
Great data analysts know what to look for in data to uncover the hidden stories – come explore ideas for extracting information from data. Explore how to have a critical eye for patterns and anomalies by exploring visuals and jointly looking for patterns, discuss what it means to have domain expertise when looking at data (what happened in a minor car crash involving a semi-autonomous vehicle?), see some tools for data analysis, help uncover the story behind a data set, see how visualizations can help share a story with others.
The instructor, David Homa, is the Harvard Business School’s Digital Initiatives director. He has built a career out of integrating business and technology with experiences in enterprise software, ecommerce, and internet media, and spent several years designing sound systems for pro sports stadiums.
Managing a Project
November 7, 2019
Working on a project at HLS? Gearing up to start a new project? Project management strategies can help you set and achieve your goals. Come learn the basics, including a few strategies to help you succeed: 1) identifying the stages of your project and setting a timeline, 2) mapping your project’s stakeholders, and 3) managing their expectations. We’ll do a few exercises together, so come with a current or future project in mind.
Hilary Ross is the Project Manager for the Assembly: Disinformation program at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center. Prior to joining the Berkman Klein Center, Hilary worked in communications at a think tank in DC, managed a program at a non-profit in Boston, taught as a Fulbright Fellow in Vietnam, and was a 2017 State of the Net Fellow.
Plain Language in the Law
October 29, 2019
A growing sentiment exists that plain language must be incorporated into the law. This includes not only legal resources intended for self-represented litigants, but also legal documents and forms submitted to or coming from the court and other justice system actors. In this session participants will learn what is an effective plain language resource, the landscape of tools to create those resources, and how the A2J Lab is embarking on empirical evaluation of created resources. During this session, participants will review actual samples of effective resources and create their own before and after samples.
Drawing on her knowledge of justice system operations and the pressures on the justice system, Ms. Danser joined the Access to Justice Lab at Harvard Law School to incorporate rigorous research into improving access to justice. Ms. Danser believes that for our research to be impactful, we must recognize the strengths and weaknesses of the communities reviewing and incorporating it. Using her court management and non-profit leadership experience, Ms. Danser encourages courts and the justice community to think about their needs and the needs of their users and how to successfully balance those interests. Reach Ms. Danser at [email protected]
Spring 2019:
“Why I Changed my Mind”
March 4, 2019
Unlike many other professions — including trial advocacy in an adversarial system — academics often represent that they aspire to “get it right,” whatever that means, and being shown new data or arguments that undermine or negate a previously-held conclusion is an occasion for excitement and joy, an opportunity to revise and refine one’s sense of the world, more than a source of embarrassment for having gotten anything wrong to begin with. The panel of speakers at “Why I Changed My Mind” will demonstrate this process in action as they share a a long-held professional view that they’d embraced and perhaps advocated for, and then how it came about that they no longer believe it.
The faculty discussion will be moderated by Jonathan Zittrain, George Bemis Professor of International Law and Vice Dean for Library and Information Resources and will include: Kendra Albert, Lecturer on Law; Jeannie Suk Gersen, John W. Watson, Jr. Professor of Law; Jill Lepore, David Woods Kemper ’41 Professor of American History; Michael Moffitt, Roger D. Fisher Visiting Professor in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution; and Laurence Tribe, Carl M. Loeb University Professor.