Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession

Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession The leading research center on the evolving global legal profession

The Center on the Legal Profession (CLP) seeks to make a substantial contribution to the modern practice of law by increasing understanding of the structures, norms and dynamics of the global legal profession. To this end, we conduct, sponsor and publish world-class empirical research on the profession; innovate and implement new methods and content for teaching law students, practicing lawyers an

d related professionals about the profession; and foster broader and deeper connections bridging between the global universe of legal practitioners and the academy.

"Systematic studies of disciplinary rates among court-appointed defense attorneys are rare, but the example of Maine sug...
06/03/2026

"Systematic studies of disciplinary rates among court-appointed defense attorneys are rare, but the example of Maine suggests that appointed lawyers may be more likely than others to have checkered pasts. Maine is the only state that does not have any public defender offices—all indigent defense is provided through what amounts to an appointment system. ProPublica reported that appointed lawyers account for just 15 percent of the attorneys in the state but represent more than a quarter of the state’s attorneys who have faced major discipline in the last ten years."

Read Rebecca Haw Allensworth of Vanderbilt University Law School in The Practice:

The following is an excerpt from The Licensing Racket: How We Decide Who is Allowed to Work and Why It Goes Wrong. When [Dr. Michael] LaPaglia got the first round of discipline on his Tennessee medical license—his 2014 order placing his license on probation based on his state charges for dealing p...

If the purpose of attorney discipline is to protect the public, Bruce Green, Louis Stein Chair of Law at Fordham School ...
06/01/2026

If the purpose of attorney discipline is to protect the public, Bruce Green, Louis Stein Chair of Law at Fordham School of Law, wonders, “I’m not sure the public has enough of a perception of what’s going on in the disciplinary process to actually have an opinion.”

In 2004 the Australian state of Queensland overhauled its attorney disciplinary system, taking authority away from the bar and creating a new independent agency. Queensland is not alone; other Australian states have similar programs, as does the U.K., Scotland, and Ireland. Much of the world, howev...

“The purpose of the [disciplinary] system is to protect the public from lawyer misconduct,” says John Gleason, who led t...
05/29/2026

“The purpose of the [disciplinary] system is to protect the public from lawyer misconduct,” says John Gleason, who led the regulatory office at the Colorado Supreme Court for a couple decades. “That’s an easy phrase to say, but to actually do it is pretty complex.”

Read our story in the latest issue of The Practice, on what happens after lawyers are accused of misconduct:

In 2010, after more than a decade leading the Colorado attorney disciplinary function, John Gleason was tapped to serve as independent counsel in Arizona to investigate Maricopa County attorney Andrew Thomas, accused of using his office to target political enemies. Most such matters of this nature a...

"Ask yourself whether licensing’s promise to protect the public is fulfilled by a system that doesn’t remove the most pr...
05/28/2026

"Ask yourself whether licensing’s promise to protect the public is fulfilled by a system that doesn’t remove the most problematic providers, but rather shuffles them to the bottom of the barrel of professional practice."

In the latest issue of The Practice on attorney discipline, we excerpt a chapter of Rebecca Haw Allensworth's book, The Licensing Racket, on who gets locked out of the professions, who gets locked in, and why.

The following is an excerpt from The Licensing Racket: How We Decide Who is Allowed to Work and Why It Goes Wrong. When [Dr. Michael] LaPaglia got the first round of discipline on his Tennessee medical license—his 2014 order placing his license on probation based on his state charges for dealing p...

The Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession is proud to present Michael Sandel, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Pro...
05/26/2026

The Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession is proud to present Michael Sandel, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, with its 2026 Award for Global Leadership. The award recognizes Professor Sandel’s contributions as a brilliant scholar, teacher, and public intellectual whose work has shaped how we think about justice, markets, and ethics today.

On April 9, 2024 in Cambridge, MA, the Center on the Legal Profession presented Michael Sandel, Anne T. and Robert M. Bass Professor of Government at Harvard University, with its 2026 Award for Global Leadership. The award recognizes Professor Sandel’s contributions as a brilliant scholar, teacher...

Read the latest issue of The Practice on International arbitration before the new issue comes out 👀
05/22/2026

Read the latest issue of The Practice on International arbitration before the new issue comes out 👀

Harvard Law School

WATCH: Missed our Association of American Law Schools event on "The Profession, the Market, and the State: Professional ...
05/21/2026

WATCH: Missed our Association of American Law Schools event on "The Profession, the Market, and the State: Professional Independence in a VUCA World"? Check it out now on our site 👇

Part of the AALS Teach-In Webinar Series on Professional Independence and the Legal Profession, on April 29, 2026 the Center hosted a webinar on The Profession, the Market, and the State: Reimagining Professional Independence for a VUCA World. View the session below. Traditional ideals of profession...

Subscribe to our digital magazine, The Practice, to learn more about the changing nature of the global legal profession ...
05/20/2026

Subscribe to our digital magazine, The Practice, to learn more about the changing nature of the global legal profession 👇 for free

Harvard Law School

In the latest issue of The Practice, Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession postdoctoral fellow Tobias Traxle...
04/23/2026

In the latest issue of The Practice, Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession postdoctoral fellow Tobias Traxler examines the under explored influence of counsel on investment treaty arbitration:

This is an excerpt from a book, Counsel and Outcomes in Investment Arbitration, forthcoming from Cambridge University Press. This article explores the role of key actors in investment treaty arbitrations who are often overlooked: while many point to arbitrators as key decision-makers, I want to hig...

The latest issue of explores the hugely important field of international arbitration — from the perspective of law stu...
03/31/2026

The latest issue of explores the hugely important field of international arbitration — from the perspective of law students, arbitrators, and lawyers working in the field:

Harvard Law School

Address

1563 Massachusetts Avenue, Pound 204
Cambridge, MA
02138

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Business

Send a message to Harvard Law School Center on the Legal Profession:

Shortcuts

Share