Harvard Law Names New Dean

Harvard Gazette: “John C.P. Goldberg, Carter Professor of General Jurisprudence, has been named the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean and Professor of Law of Harvard Law School. He steps into the permanent role after serving as interim dean since March of last year.

“Throughout our search process, we sought a leader who could navigate today’s complex landscape and continue to build on the Law School’s academic strengths and impact. John is that leader,” said President Alan M. Garber. “He has an unwavering belief in excellence and inclusion, and the essential role that academic freedom plays in nurturing both of those aims. We are delighted that he will continue to lead and serve Harvard Law School.”

Known for his integrity, intellect, and effective leadership, Goldberg has held several administrative positions that have given him extensive institutional knowledge of HLS. He has been a faculty member since 2008, served as deputy dean from 2017 to 2022, and been a member and chair of HLS-specific committees, such as the Lateral Appointments Committee.

To read more, click here.

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Yale Law Dean Leaving for Ford Foundation

Yale Daily News: Heather Gerken, the dean of Yale Law School, will leave the University in August to lead one of the wealthiest charitable foundations in the world.

After eight years as the Law School’s dean and nearly two decades on its faculty, in November, Gerken will take over the Ford Foundation, a philanthropic organization focused on combating social inequality.

On Tuesday morning, University President Maurie McInnis and Provost Scott Strobel announced Gerken’s departure in an email sent to the Yale community. The University leaders congratulated Gerken and praised her leadership, recognizing her work to expand access to the law school and foster intellectual rigor.

“She was a powerful dean with brilliant organizational skills,” Robert Post LAW ’77, a Law School professor and Gerken’s immediate predecessor as dean, wrote to the News. “She kept a steady hand during tumultuous times. Her focus on financial aid has been enormously important.”

To read more, click here.

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Law Schools Where Starting Pay Is Higher Than Debt

Above the Law: “In today’s world, the vast majority of students attending law school have been saddled with seemingly insurmountable six-figure debt loads. Many law students are under the mistaken impression that they’ll be able to pay off that debt quickly; after all, they believe their starting salaries after graduation will be in line with the now-standard starting salary of up to $225,000 at Biglaw firms across the country (depending on office location). Unfortunately, these high-salary positions account for only a small percentage of entry-level jobs for recent law school graduates. The vast majority of law school graduates will be left wondering how they’ll ever be able to pay down their debt in a timely fashion, if at all. What’s a prospective law student to do?

Choose the most cost-efficient law school to which you’ve been accepted, preferably one with a high salary-to-debt ratio, and your starting salary may well meet or exceed your student debt burden. There are several law schools whose graduates are very well-compensated after graduation — in fact, they’re so well-compensated that it makes up for the costs of their education.”

To see the law schools where median pay exceeds graduate debt, click here.