The Jack T. Litman Program, established in 2012, is dedicated to the memory of Jack T. Litman, a renowned defense attorney who was a member of Harvard Defenders during his time at the law school. Each summer, Harvard Defenders selects three law students to serve as full-time Litman Fellows for eight weeks. Fellows have the unique opportunity to handle all their own cases, which involves interacting with clients, interviewing them in preparation for hearings, and conducting extensive investigations, which often entail meeting with witnesses and police officers. In addition, Fellows develop their own litigation strategies and ultimately present their cases to clerk magistrates in the Boston area’s criminal courts.
Fellows are also be required to perform academic research, on a topic of their choosing, related to a legal issue that they encounter during their fellowship. The papers are supervised by a Harvard Law School faculty member and will be presented at a Symposium in the fall. In the past year’s topics ranged from an academic paper exploring the moral and ethical dilemmas that defense attorneys face, to a guide on what to do when an attorney suspects child maltreatment, to the creation of a criminal immigration class, to be offered in the fall.
The Fellowship allows for flexible schedules and independence while providing a rare opportunity to advocate on behalf of actual clients. Work is supervised by John Salsberg, Harvard Defenders’ Clinical Instructor, a practicing attorney with over thirty years of trial experience.
Fellows will be awarded $1000, in addition to SPIF funding.
