Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
@hlsclp.bsky.social
Studying the changing dynamics of the global legal profession. Read our digital magazine: https://clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hub/magazine/
“If we can change the culture of the legal profession, there is no limit to what we can change in terms of the structures of society,” executive director of People's Parity Project Molly Coleman says. “But cultural change is really hard.”
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Fighting the Corporate Capture of Law from Inside - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
If we can change the culture of the legal profession, there is no limit to what we can change in terms of the structures of society. Molly Coleman, executive director, People’s Parity Project When you...
clp.law.harvard.edu
November 7, 2025 at 4:04 PM
“If we can change the culture of the legal profession, there is no limit to what we can change in terms of the structures of society,” executive director of People's Parity Project Molly Coleman says. “But cultural change is really hard.”
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
"A lot of mistakes in professional ethics come from seeking a false zone of comfort. We as lawyers sit at the intersection of conflict and disagreement ... . It's going to be uncomfortable."
W. Bradley Wendel in #ThePractice:
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
W. Bradley Wendel in #ThePractice:
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Accountability, Conscience, and Dissent in the Legal Profession - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
I am endlessly interested in the uneasy fit between what we’re required to do as lawyers or permitted to do as lawyers versus what ordinarily decent human beings would do. W. Bradley Wendel, Edwin H. ...
clp.law.harvard.edu
November 6, 2025 at 4:05 PM
"A lot of mistakes in professional ethics come from seeking a false zone of comfort. We as lawyers sit at the intersection of conflict and disagreement ... . It's going to be uncomfortable."
W. Bradley Wendel in #ThePractice:
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
W. Bradley Wendel in #ThePractice:
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
In #ThePractice: why should lawyers continue to think about moral philosophy? Are lawyers accountable to the public for the clients they represent? How should lawyers navigate the tension between personal morality and professional responsibility?
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Moral Agency - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
November 5, 2025 at 5:17 PM
In #ThePractice: why should lawyers continue to think about moral philosophy? Are lawyers accountable to the public for the clients they represent? How should lawyers navigate the tension between personal morality and professional responsibility?
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
“Harvard has graduated more Black lawyers than any other law school apart from Howard School of Law, graduates who have gone on to become leaders in virtually every sector of society, including as president and first lady of the United States,” said David Wilkins.
hls.harvard.edu/today/celebr...
hls.harvard.edu/today/celebr...
Celebrating Harvard Law’s Black alumni - Harvard Law School
Hundreds of graduates gathered for a three-day reunion in September to honor the achievements and legacy of Black Harvard Law graduates
hls.harvard.edu
September 29, 2025 at 2:05 PM
“Harvard has graduated more Black lawyers than any other law school apart from Howard School of Law, graduates who have gone on to become leaders in virtually every sector of society, including as president and first lady of the United States,” said David Wilkins.
hls.harvard.edu/today/celebr...
hls.harvard.edu/today/celebr...
The Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession was pleased to welcome over 750 Harvard Law School alumni and guests for the 2025 Celebration of Black Alumni on Sept. 12-14! We heard from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sherrilyn Ifill, Bryan Stevenson, and more. Can't wait for 2030!
September 22, 2025 at 6:42 PM
The Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession was pleased to welcome over 750 Harvard Law School alumni and guests for the 2025 Celebration of Black Alumni on Sept. 12-14! We heard from Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Sherrilyn Ifill, Bryan Stevenson, and more. Can't wait for 2030!
We built an enormous tent to host the hundreds of folks joining us Sept. 12-14 at Harvard Law School for the Celebration of Black Alumni! Open to all. Learn more: HLSCBA.com
September 5, 2025 at 6:38 PM
We built an enormous tent to host the hundreds of folks joining us Sept. 12-14 at Harvard Law School for the Celebration of Black Alumni! Open to all. Learn more: HLSCBA.com
"The rural and the urban are inextricably linked. Urban people are very reliant on rural resources. It’s not just why lawyers should care ... What would happen if our rural communities dried up and blew away?" Lisa Pruitt in #ThePractice 👇
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Confronting Antirural Bias - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Why should legal scholars be thinking about rural-urban difference, broadly speaking? Lisa Pruitt, Brigitte Bodenheimer Research Scholar and Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law. The...
clp.law.harvard.edu
September 3, 2025 at 2:31 PM
"The rural and the urban are inextricably linked. Urban people are very reliant on rural resources. It’s not just why lawyers should care ... What would happen if our rural communities dried up and blew away?" Lisa Pruitt in #ThePractice 👇
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Reposted by Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
@ucdavis.bsky.social Law Professor Lisa R. Pruitt spoke to The Practice, a magazine published by @hlsclp.bsky.social for its August issue about legal deserts, or rural areas with too few lawyers and judges to meet demand.
Check out the full conversation: bit.ly/3HWuC4r
#UCDavisLaw #Faculty
Check out the full conversation: bit.ly/3HWuC4r
#UCDavisLaw #Faculty
Confronting Antirural Bias - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Why should legal scholars be thinking about rural-urban difference, broadly speaking? Lisa Pruitt, Brigitte Bodenheimer Research Scholar and Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law. The...
bit.ly
August 28, 2025 at 9:02 PM
@ucdavis.bsky.social Law Professor Lisa R. Pruitt spoke to The Practice, a magazine published by @hlsclp.bsky.social for its August issue about legal deserts, or rural areas with too few lawyers and judges to meet demand.
Check out the full conversation: bit.ly/3HWuC4r
#UCDavisLaw #Faculty
Check out the full conversation: bit.ly/3HWuC4r
#UCDavisLaw #Faculty
"Rural lawyers are declining in number, and the real question is whether the trend can be reversed," writes Hannah Haksgaard in the new issue of The Practice. After ten years of the South Dakota Rural Attorney Recruitment Program, Haksgaard reviews the data. clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Incentivizing Rural Practice - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
August 28, 2025 at 2:31 PM
"Rural lawyers are declining in number, and the real question is whether the trend can be reversed," writes Hannah Haksgaard in the new issue of The Practice. After ten years of the South Dakota Rural Attorney Recruitment Program, Haksgaard reviews the data. clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
We're building an ENORMOUS tent! Come check it out Sept. 12-14 at the Celebration of Black Alumni at Harvard Law School. All are welcome! Register and learn more: HLSCBA.com
youtube.com/shorts/1EWhZ...
youtube.com/shorts/1EWhZ...
We're building a tent! Celebration of Black Alumni @ Harvard Law School (Sept. 12-14, 2025)
YouTube video by HLS CLP
youtube.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:07 PM
We're building an ENORMOUS tent! Come check it out Sept. 12-14 at the Celebration of Black Alumni at Harvard Law School. All are welcome! Register and learn more: HLSCBA.com
youtube.com/shorts/1EWhZ...
youtube.com/shorts/1EWhZ...
The August 2025 edition of The Practice is live! In this issue, we dive into legal deserts—a problem symptomatic of a larger issue of rural brain drain. Read more 👇
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Legal Deserts - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
August 27, 2025 at 3:40 PM
The August 2025 edition of The Practice is live! In this issue, we dive into legal deserts—a problem symptomatic of a larger issue of rural brain drain. Read more 👇
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Today, more law firms are unveiling hybrid partnership structures with "salaried partner" tiers, says Moray McLaren. What effect does that have on the law firm?
Read Part II in "The Salaried Partner Dilemma."
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Read Part II in "The Salaried Partner Dilemma."
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
The Salaried Partner Dilemma: Part II - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
July 24, 2025 at 6:24 PM
Today, more law firms are unveiling hybrid partnership structures with "salaried partner" tiers, says Moray McLaren. What effect does that have on the law firm?
Read Part II in "The Salaried Partner Dilemma."
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Read Part II in "The Salaried Partner Dilemma."
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
In a new three-part series and follow-up to last year's Practice article on "Defining the Perfect Partner," Moray McLaren details "The Salaried Partner Dilemma," or what "partnership of the future looks like," according to the numbers.
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
The Salaried Partner Dilemma: Part I - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Research participants by law firm type Niche/boutique law firm 12.44 percent Regional business law firm 10.36 percent National independent law firm 57.51 percent International business law firm 19.69 ...
clp.law.harvard.edu
July 14, 2025 at 4:52 PM
In a new three-part series and follow-up to last year's Practice article on "Defining the Perfect Partner," Moray McLaren details "The Salaried Partner Dilemma," or what "partnership of the future looks like," according to the numbers.
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
In "Surviving the Legal Market's Most Dangerous Trap," Mariano Batalla details three types of law firms—unicorns, hedgehogs, and jellyfish. Who are you going to be?
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Surviving the Legal Market's Most Dangerous Trap - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
July 7, 2025 at 4:53 PM
In "Surviving the Legal Market's Most Dangerous Trap," Mariano Batalla details three types of law firms—unicorns, hedgehogs, and jellyfish. Who are you going to be?
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
"[Latin American] law firms are trying to prepare for an increase in disputes, and they need the talent to help their clients through expected downturns," Ignacio Abella, head of research at Latin Lawyer, says.
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Resilience and Reinvention in the Latin American Legal Market - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
There was a 10 percent drop in women partnership hires from 2023 (38 percent) to 2024 (28 percent). Ignacio Abella, head of research, Latin Lawyer Law firms are trying to prepare for an increase in di...
clp.law.harvard.edu
June 26, 2025 at 5:10 PM
"[Latin American] law firms are trying to prepare for an increase in disputes, and they need the talent to help their clients through expected downturns," Ignacio Abella, head of research at Latin Lawyer, says.
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
David Wilkins, HLS Center on the Legal Profession faculty director, was named an FT Innovative Lawyer along with other CLP friends and family like Michele DeStefano and Heidi Gardner: www.ft.com/content/b4b3...
Insiders and outsiders who have reshaped legal work
These 20 individuals selected from 20 years of the FT Innovative Lawyers series have together delivered radical change in the practice and business of law
www.ft.com
June 25, 2025 at 4:05 PM
David Wilkins, HLS Center on the Legal Profession faculty director, was named an FT Innovative Lawyer along with other CLP friends and family like Michele DeStefano and Heidi Gardner: www.ft.com/content/b4b3...
“In the past 20 years, the Big Law firms have realized how important partners are—they are the assets of the firm,” said [Robert] Couture, who previously served as executive director of Am Law 50 firm McGuireWoods from 2005 to 2019.
www.law.com/americanlawy...
www.law.com/americanlawy...
More Lawyers Want Out of Law Firms That Made Deals With Trump, but Notice Periods May Slow Them Down | Law.com
Some partnership agreements include notice periods if departing partners wish to leave their firms in good standing and have their capital contributions returned.
www.law.com
June 24, 2025 at 3:06 PM
“In the past 20 years, the Big Law firms have realized how important partners are—they are the assets of the firm,” said [Robert] Couture, who previously served as executive director of Am Law 50 firm McGuireWoods from 2005 to 2019.
www.law.com/americanlawy...
www.law.com/americanlawy...
"Firms that try to be everything to anyone end up being nothing to everyone. The real danger isn’t external competition or technological disruption. It’s the failure to define who you are, what you offer, and how you deliver value."
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Surviving the Legal Market's Most Dangerous Trap - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
June 18, 2025 at 5:41 PM
"Firms that try to be everything to anyone end up being nothing to everyone. The real danger isn’t external competition or technological disruption. It’s the failure to define who you are, what you offer, and how you deliver value."
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
The business of law is changing, with litigation finance, private equity, high partner salaries, and more. David B. Wilkins joins David Westin on Wall Street Week for a discussion about the changing world of Big Law.
youtu.be/vhDZrDlTBlw
youtu.be/vhDZrDlTBlw
US-China Future, Cheap Gas, UK Losing Millionaires, Investing in Big Law | Wall Street Week
YouTube video by Bloomberg Television
www.youtube.com
June 9, 2025 at 6:27 PM
The business of law is changing, with litigation finance, private equity, high partner salaries, and more. David B. Wilkins joins David Westin on Wall Street Week for a discussion about the changing world of Big Law.
youtu.be/vhDZrDlTBlw
youtu.be/vhDZrDlTBlw
How should legal education evolve in the face of global challenges?
On April 10, IE Law School hosted "Architectures of the Global: Global Legal Education," a conference that brought together thought leaders, educators, and legal professionals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-i...
On April 10, IE Law School hosted "Architectures of the Global: Global Legal Education," a conference that brought together thought leaders, educators, and legal professionals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-i...
IE Law School | Architectures of the Global Conference 2025
YouTube video by IE University
www.youtube.com
June 2, 2025 at 3:31 PM
How should legal education evolve in the face of global challenges?
On April 10, IE Law School hosted "Architectures of the Global: Global Legal Education," a conference that brought together thought leaders, educators, and legal professionals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-i...
On April 10, IE Law School hosted "Architectures of the Global: Global Legal Education," a conference that brought together thought leaders, educators, and legal professionals.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-i...
WATCH: Inequality, Access to Justice, and the Rule of Law, a conference in cooperation with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Equal Justice Works, and the Association of American Law Schools
youtu.be/UTISIKBigN8
youtu.be/UTISIKBigN8
Inequality, Access to Justice, and the Rule of Law
YouTube video by HLS CLP
youtu.be
April 29, 2025 at 6:07 PM
WATCH: Inequality, Access to Justice, and the Rule of Law, a conference in cooperation with the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, Equal Justice Works, and the Association of American Law Schools
youtu.be/UTISIKBigN8
youtu.be/UTISIKBigN8
"What happens when we compare democratic regimes to authoritarian regimes? Are they completely different? The answer, I found, is no," says Vitor Martins Dias in an interview about democratic backsliding in Brazil and around the world.
Read more in The Practice: clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Read more in The Practice: clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
How Brazilian Lawyers Engage with the State - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
The Supreme Court has taken an even more active role in resisting the process of democratic backsliding. Vitor Martins Dias, assistant professor, Butler University [Conservative lawyers] are paying at...
clp.law.harvard.edu
April 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
"What happens when we compare democratic regimes to authoritarian regimes? Are they completely different? The answer, I found, is no," says Vitor Martins Dias in an interview about democratic backsliding in Brazil and around the world.
Read more in The Practice: clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Read more in The Practice: clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
“The more transactionally focused and the more transaction-heavy the firm is, the more it has at risk, and the easier it is for it to unravel if it is barred from doing the kinds of things that are required in a … high-end transactional, regulatory practice."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
As Trump targets law firms, the legal industry remains sharply divided on how to respond
Trump’s punishments for firms and deals with others have shaken the profession, with attorneys across the country grappling with fear, outrage and uncertainty.
www.washingtonpost.com
April 15, 2025 at 1:49 PM
“The more transactionally focused and the more transaction-heavy the firm is, the more it has at risk, and the easier it is for it to unravel if it is barred from doing the kinds of things that are required in a … high-end transactional, regulatory practice."
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
"Law enables democracy and protects political freedom. But it is also critical to investment and finance. ... Without reliable law and an ability for private businesses to defend their rights, investment shrivels."
John Coates in the Financial Times: www.ft.com/content/cc49...
John Coates in the Financial Times: www.ft.com/content/cc49...
Trump’s legal attacks threaten the very basis of sound investment
American businesses need to stand up to the president’s assault on the rule of law
www.ft.com
April 11, 2025 at 7:35 PM
"Law enables democracy and protects political freedom. But it is also critical to investment and finance. ... Without reliable law and an ability for private businesses to defend their rights, investment shrivels."
John Coates in the Financial Times: www.ft.com/content/cc49...
John Coates in the Financial Times: www.ft.com/content/cc49...
In the latest issue of #ThePractice, we talk to researchers studying how lawyers engage in countries with backsliding democracies or authoritarian governments. How do lawyers enable or resist encroaching state power?
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
Lawyers Between Democracy and Authoritarianism - Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession
Harvard Law School
clp.law.harvard.edu
April 11, 2025 at 3:25 PM
In the latest issue of #ThePractice, we talk to researchers studying how lawyers engage in countries with backsliding democracies or authoritarian governments. How do lawyers enable or resist encroaching state power?
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...
clp.law.harvard.edu/knowledge-hu...