Rock Star! - 9/28/13

The second day of Celebration 60 is mostly a blur. I forgot to take pictures or notes, so it's a little hard to reconstruct this 6 weeks later, but here goes.

In the morning, classmate Jamie Gorelick was part of a panel discussion called National Security, Counter-terrorism and the Rule of Law. 

Lunch in the Big Tent featured Prof. David Wilkins '80 sharing with us the preliminary results from the Harvard Law Career Study. Detailed surveys have been collected from graduates (male and female) from multiple JD classes across several decades including the JD classes of 1975, 1985, 1995, and 2000. The surveys cover a broad range of topics about the careers of HLS graduates and enable researchers to:

1. Develop a coherent body of empirical data on the professional trajectories of HLS graduates at different stages of their legal careers, together with comparative information on how career paths differ (or not) for graduates with different racial, gender, and personal characteristics;
2. Compare and identify the critical factors that account for career success, upward mobility, and economic progress within the legal profession; and
3. Ascertain the extent to which careers are impacted by institutional biases that deny equal opportunities to compete and excel, versus being the product of freely-made personal decisions to pursue other lifestyle goals or professional ends.

As might be expected, things have gotten better for women since the 70's, but the gender gap is still alive and well. Having children clearly impacts the legal careers of women in a way that is not experienced by men.

The women of '75 decided to ditch the afternoon sessions in favor of going back to our hotel and relaxing on the sunny deck. 

In the evening we headed back to Wasserstein Hall for another cocktail reception, followed by another dinner in the Big Tent and the chance to hear Martha Minow interview Senator Elizabeth Warren. A former HLS professor, Sen. Warren won the Massachusetts Senate race in 2012.

 

Elizabeth Warren is a ROCK STAR! She is smart, she is articulate, she is passionate, she has star quality. She had the attention of everyone in the room . . . er, tent.  I am certain we will see a lot more of her in the future. To see more of her right now, follow the links below.

Senator Warren

 Sen. Warren's Remarks on the Senate Floor on September 30, 2013

You Didn't Build That

 

Ten Baddest Elizabeth Warren Clips