Resources at Harvard Law School

HLS has seven programs of study which host events and provide career and course guidance. The Law & Government Program of Study’s website has some good resources for those interested in working for cities, and the Program often hosts events relating to local government.

Particularly for students interested in cities, the HELIOS job search database and OPIA’s “who worked where” lists can be very helpful ways to explore your options and use your classmates as a resource.
OPIA’s guide to careers in state and local government provides an introduction to government lawyering at the state and local level. Note though, that this guide was last updated in 2009 and reflects only a narrow range of career options.

Courses and professors

Local Government Law is taught at least once each year. In the past, the class was taught by HLS’s long-time local government law scholar Gerald Frug. More recently, newly tenured Niko Bowie, has taught Local Government Law as both a full semester and winter session class.
Susan Crawford is the faculty sponsor for the HLS Urbanists and teaches City Use of Technology and the Responsive Communities Lab.
Molly Brady teaches Land Use Law and acts as the faculty chair for the joint JD/Masters of Urban Planning program with the Harvard Graduate School of Design.
Other courses that may be of specific interest to Urbanists are Housing Law and Policy and State Constitutional Law, taught every winter term by Judge Jeffrey Sutton. Additionally, Judge David Barron, formerly a local government law scholar and professor at HLS, still teaches some courses at the Law School.
Of course, because almost all issues are, in some sense, urban issues, there are many other courses for those interested in cities, from Environmental Law to Criminal Procedure to Education Law and Policy.

Many Clinics, including but not limited to the Emmett Environmental Law and Policy Clinic, Cyberlaw Clinic, Housing Law Clinic, and Education Law Clinic, have opportunities for work, on and off campus, relating to urban issues. You can also arrange an independent clinic in the area or away from campus during the winter term.
Student Practice Organizations like the Tenant Advocacy Project and Project No One Leaves also have opportunities for work, on and off campus, relating to urban issues.