Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession’s Post

🇺🇸 | Harvard Law School Steps Back in Time According to figures released last month, there are a grand total of 19 Black students in the first-year class at Harvard Law School, down from 43 in last year's entering class. It is a major step backward for a school that has produced some of the leading Black lawyers in America, a step backward that dramatically affects not only Black students, but the quality of education for all students at HLS. https://lnkd.in/gc__HSR8

Reflecting on my first semester with my last exam submitted, I also can’t help but reflect on the recent New York Times article detailing the drastic decrease in Black student enrollment here at Harvard Law School. On Day 1, it was unmistakably clear that our class differed in quantity. As the article notes, the class of 2027 has roughly half the number of Black students compared to prior classes, including only six Black men. Despite these circumstances, I am proud of how our class has responded and rallied together to retain the essence of what it means to be Black lawyers in training at Harvard Law School — something that would not have been possible without the support and guidance of Black upperclassmen, faculty, and staff. For decades, Harvard has been at the forefront of new developments in higher education. Across our history, some of the nation’s top jurists have been Black JDs from Harvard Law School. After the Supreme Court’s decision in SFFA, I recall calling on UVA, my undergrad alma mater, to continue pushing for adequate representation in its student body. During this critical time, it is similarly essential for Harvard Law School to meet the moment and ensure a diverse array of perspectives are present to fully understand the scope and impact of the law as we seek to study and shape it. https://lnkd.in/eBANtXzX

Professor Brewer asserts "This Article implores the legal profession, given its potential to significantly disrupt the pipeline to the legal profession, to intervene in promoting accountability in remediating implicit bias and discrimination in school discipline decisions that disproportionately hinder Black girls' educational outcomes. The lack of accountability for disparate school discipline policies has resulted in little progress in decreasing the school-to-prison pipeline for Black girls. As a result, failures to eradicate implicit bias and discrimination in educational systems threaten the pipeline of future Black women law students, lawyers, and judges. This Article argues that if the bias in current school discipline policies toward Black girls is left unabated, then inevitably, society will be deprived of their gifts, clients will be deprived of their expertise and perspective, and law school communities will be deprived of their contributions and thought leadership. Most critically, Black girls themselves will be deprived of fulfilling their passions and purposes in life."

🇺🇸 | Harvard Law School Steps Back in Time According to figures released last month, there are a grand total of 19 Black students in the first-year class at Harvard Law School, down from 43 in last year's entering class. It is a major step backward for a school that has produced some of the leading Black lawyers in America, a step backward that dramatically affects not only Black students, but the quality of education for all students at HLS. https://lnkd.in/gxi4nMih

Today marks the 70th Anniversary of the landmark legal Supreme Court ruling of Brown v Board of Education. Even though decades have passed, racial disparity in education remains an issue, which coupled with the advance of technology, deepens the urgency to solve the problem for the following generations. Read this excerpt below and more from my article published today in The PuLSE Institute, discussing the significance of Brown's decision and its impact for the future. "A rather unique attribute of Brown is also its collection of Brilliant Black minds, top notch legal thinkers and researchers, united around a common cause for the betterment of humanity. This fact, coupled with the central argument of the case, demonstrates that the best investment still is and always will be in human intelligence, of which education plays a central role from the earliest, most formative years. Brown also stands the test of time as a reminder that challenges, no matter how big, must be faced head on, even when the popular standard is against you." https://lnkd.in/e_HcnVX6

👩🏾⚖️HBCU LAW SCHOOL COMMISSION:North Carolina Central University has formed a 13-member commission, chaired by former law school dean Raymond C. Pierce, to shape the future of its law school. The commission will provide recommendations on ABA requirements, admissions, courses, student support, bar passage rates, and post-graduation outcomes. The commission will begin work in January 2025 and will issue its report in May. WHY IT MATTERS: The NCCU School of Law, which marked its 85th anniversary in March, is one of six law schools on historically Black campuses. Together, they graduate a disproportionate percentage of the nation’s Black lawyers. @North Carolina Central University To read more, click the link

On this week’s episode of Aspen Leading Edge with Patty Roberts, Lolita Buckner Inniss, JD, LLM, PhD, Dean of the University of Colorado Law School, shares her journey to becoming the 17th dean – the second woman and first Black dean. The discussion covered her leadership in the women in legal education section of AALS, the encouraging rise in female law students, and the new Introduction to Law course for undergraduates at the University of Colorado Boulder. https://bit.ly/3AfcQpn

♥️ I am happy to announce that Mosaic is now an official Sponsor of The Harvard Black Law Students Association! To my knowledge, we are the only legal search firm to directly sponsor a Harvard Law School affinity group and we are just getting started with this push. In addition to financial support for the nation's top law students from historically underrepresented backgrounds, we are working to provide more versatile free support in the form of: 🦚 Unbiased Career Insights: We provide transparent advice about firm culture, diversity practices, and career options, without any vested interest in which firms students choose (largely because law firms don’t use 3rd party recruiters for students anyways! There’s no direct financial interest for us on that front). 🦚 Panel Support: We assist with building panels on specific practice areas, helping with outreach to potential panelists, and crafting meaningful discussions. 🦚 Exclusive Alumni Data: We provide org leaders with a comprehensive list of every alum of their student group currently practicing in Big Law. This list can include direct work emails, phone numbers, practice areas, firms alumni have practiced at prior, and other valuable background information to help students stay engaged with their alumni network. Since many alums don’t actively check their law school email addresses, this resource is a game-changer in connecting members with mentors. 🦚 Alumni Mentorship: Leveraging the alumni data and our industry relationships, we help connect members with alums at major firms who are willing to provide real-world mentorship and guidance. 🦚 Market Data: Mosaic has unique insights into diversity at the top fifty-seven law firms, including partnership odds and other metrics, to help student members of our sponsored organizations make maximally informed career decisions. ________ More announcements coming soon. University of Chicago Law School, Stanford Law School, Yale Law School

🧑🎓 The number of first-year Black and Latino students enrolled at Harvard University Law School this year plummeted almost by half as enrollment data submitted to the American Bar Association reveals a drop from 43 to 19 Black students and from 63 to 32 Latino students compared to the previous year. The decline follows the Supreme Court's decision which found race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina violated the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, effectively ending affirmative action in college admissions. The ruling has prompted widespread changes in how colleges and universities, including law schools, approach diversity in admissions. It's worth noting that while Harvard Law experienced steep declines, other top law schools, such as Stanford, reported increases in Black and Latino enrollment, suggesting varied impacts across institutions. "We want diversity, we know it's valuable, we know it works. But as the US moves towards majority-minority status, and the younger American generations are already diverse by definition, we will ultimately embrace a more comprehensive view of diversity", says Annalisa Nash Fernandez, Intercultural Strategist at Because Culture. Read more: https://lnkd.in/er8abyPk #HarvardLaw #Harvard #Lawschool #AffirmativeAction

Explore insightful, peer-reviewed legal scholarship with The African Law Review, proudly published by the Black Lawyers Association-Legal Education Centre. Dive into the latest issues and stay informed on key legal developments: https://lnkd.in/dzRM3YTj