BY KATIE MAPES
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Admin Announces New, Friendlier 3L Paper Requirement
At the end of the 2L/3L finals period, the HLS administration announced a sweeping change in the law school’s written work requirement, allowing students to opt out of the traditional long research paper and substitute two pieces of writing from clinicals, moot court, seminar reaction papers, or journal writing. The Registrar’s Office currently has forms for 3Ls to show that they have satisfied the new requirements.
When asked what prompted the change, Dean Elena Kagan responded, “In the course of reviewing our curriculum, the faculty thought hard about the various opportunities for significant writing in courses, seminars, clinics, and extracurricular activities. What we tried to do was to strengthen the writing requirement by making it more meaningful – ensuring that all students, whatever their interests or career ambitions, can focus on the kind of writing most valuable to them.”
Tribe Treated for Benign Tumor
Professor Lawrence Tribe will not be teaching class this spring because of a benign brain tumor requiring medical treatment. Students enrolled in his class were informed about the class cancellation in mid-January. The Record wishes Professor Tribe good health and a speedy recovery.
Klarman Moves from UVA to HLS
University of Virginia Law School professor Michael Klarman has accepted a tenured offer from HLS, where he will continue his work in constitutional law and history and criminal law. Klarman has published several books and over 30 articles, and won awards for his teaching and service. “The fact that Harvard is just a long stroll from Fenway Park makes this almost a dream come true,” said Klarman about his new home. He is the 22nd tenured or tenure-track professor hired by HLS in the last 5 years.
HLS Students Collect More Public Interest Fellowships
Harvard Law’s recent domination of the Skadden Fellowships for public interest work, collecting six this year, was only the beginning of the law school’s success in the fellowship arena. Other winners among the class of 2008 include: Equal Justice Works fellowships for Alexis Kuznick at the Urban Justice Center, Elizabeth Fischer at Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, and the Record’s own Andrea Saenz at the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project; a Human Rights Watch fellowship for Fernando Delgado; a National Center on Philanthropy and the Law fellowship for Jennifer Kwong; and a Prettyman/Stiller fellowship at Georgetown Law for Michael Marks. Look for further coverage of the winners in the Record.
Nesson Talks Poker to Colbert
Professor Charles Nesson appeared on “The Colbert Report” last week, spreading his message that poker is a valuable learning tool. Wearing his trademark black, Nesson was calm and collected even in the face of host Stephen Colbert’s question, “Do you have a gambling problem?” and subsequent effort to hold an intervention for him. Nesson also proposed a poker game between the presidential candidates, leading Colbert to opine that Hillary Clinton probably already has cat’s-eye sunglasses for the poker table. The Record also enjoyed the recent appearance of former Record columnist Debra Dickerson, who called Bill Clinton’s questionable campaign tactics “sphincter-like.”