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President and Vice-President
Lisa Lana (President) and Andrew London (Vice-President):
My name is Lisa Lana (2L) and I’m running for President of the Student Rep Board for two reasons: (1) law school can and should be fun, and (2) the HLS community deserves leadership that is transparent, supportive, and ready to advocate for the student body.
When I arrived at HLS, I was worried by the horror stories about the supposedly cutthroat, no-fun Harvard Law experience, but I took on the role of social chair of my 1L section because I wanted to build relationships with my sectionmates. In this role, I helped facilitate a range of widely attended activities, including: a J-Term ski trip; a trip to a Supreme Court argument; lunches with professors; Beer Olympics with another section; bar nights; brunch; and spirit weeks. 1L year was one of the best years of my life, and I look forward to spreading this sense of fun and unity throughout the student body.
Before law school, I completed a master’s in social work and worked as a family therapist and clinical coordinator at a treatment program for teenagers with substance abuse, mental health, family, and educational problems. I worked with people from many backgrounds and learned to respect different perspectives. I weighed competing values and worked within a team to develop ideas that best served the needs of the family while fitting within existing systems. I also became the community-leader of our organization, planning biannual staff retreats and fostering an atmosphere of collaboration and safety among the teams. I am confident that these skills will transfer into my ability to advocate forcefully and effectively for student interests.
I have had the privilege to be actively involved with a number of student groups on campus, including three student practice organizations. A primary charge of the Rep Board is overseeing such organizations. While there may be disagreement as to how student groups should be formed and funded, I am a strong supporter of these organizations and the vibrancy they bring to HLS. There should be a clear, fair, and sensible process for student organizations to gain recognition and receive resources, and the Board should generally advocate on behalf of these organizations as invaluable for cultivating lawyering skills, encouraging innovation, building relationships, and expanding our horizons.
My running mate is Andrew London (2L). Andrew is committed to building community at HLS and connecting students to the wider community in Cambridge and Greater Boston. Andrew has been involved in a student practice organization, clinical program, and is a regular presence at academic and social events around campus. Prior to HLS, Andrew served as an aide to Governor Deval Patrick. In this role, Andrew helped in developing improved methods for the public to have a voice in the state’s decision making. As an undergrad at Northwestern, he participated in multiple initiatives aimed at building campus community. These experiences will help us create an open and responsive Rep Board.
Andrew and I have a few ideas to enhance the student experience at HLS, including:
(1) Provide modest budgets for section activities during 2L and 3L years to preserve relationships and promote community;
(2) Encourage events that include other graduate schools and degree programs at Harvard to learn from and enjoy new and interesting people; and
(3) Improve and streamline the flow of information from the HLS administration to students, particularly 1Ls.
But, most importantly, we will ALWAYS be open and excited to hear from students about what you think is important.
For these reasons, we hope to earn your vote for Student Rep Board President/Vice-President!
Putting the Fun in Law School,
Lisa Lana and Andrew London
Director of Student Organizations
Valerie Duchesneau:
Student organizations are one of the best things about HLS. Don’t you wish it were less stressful to participate in their activities and events? As a 1L, I attended lunch events almost every day of the week; I know how dizzying student life gets. To make this better, we need to do two things: First, student organizations need to use better communication to improve coordination of events and activities. Right now, we have a feast or famine situation: multiple events geared toward similar interest groups often happen too close together. This creates unnecessary scheduling competition among groups. Second, event-organizing needs to be more straightforward. This could be done by improving logistics for room bookings and expense reimbursements. How can those goals be met? By electing an awesome person like me as Director of Student Organizations to act as a link between student organizations and an advocate for their interests. I believe those organizations can better serve us all if there is greater cooperation between them.
A bit about me: I am a 2L who loves student organizations and journals. I have been active in HELA, JLG, ILJ, PLAP, Harvard Drama Society, Human Rights Advocates, Law and Social Change, the IM Futsal League (indoor soccer), etc. To me, student organizations and journals are community-builders. Going forward, the best way to strengthen that community is to make sure they support each other, so that we can better enjoy all that they have to offer.
1L Section Representatives (1 From Each Section)
Section 1
Sudipta “Nila” Devanath:
Fellow Section 1-ers, you all are terrific! It’s been so much fun getting to know everyone and watch us become a close-knit bunch in just a few short weeks! Along with birthday treats and Google calendars, many of you already know I have a passion for organizing, representing and advocating for students. At the University of Pittsburgh (Pitt), I was one of 9 elected students that represented 17,000 undergrads. As a representative, I worked with administration to implement student-focused projects like a final exam policy limiting the number of exams per day and a more student-friendly call-in system for Pitt’s nighttime shuttle service. In addition to campus-life projects, I advocated for students on a national level, lobbying in D.C. as part of the Board of Directors for the United States Student Association in support of lowering interest rates on student loans. In my first year of med school at Pitt, I was elected president of the graduate student government (GPSA), representing 10,000 graduate and professional students including law students. As president, I was charged not only with advocacy but also with entertainment! Over my year-long term, I worked with Pittsburgh’s City Council on issues facing grad students like the lack of public transportation and parking. I also planned bar crawls, ski trips, boat cruises, and masquerade balls with over 300 people! As your Section 1 Rep, I want to use my experience to bring us together in new ways and connect with other sections and classes. Specifically, I want to subsidize our section budget with events planned through Rep Board and bring the voice of Section 1 to the rest of the student body! I’ll take Section 1’s insights and interests (like leopard print and wine and cheese debate watches) to the forefront of HLS! 
Thank you for your vote
Emily Cusik:
Emily Cusick- Section 1′s advocate for student interests (and not-so-secret Ancient Alien specialist)!
It would be an honor to represent our ONE-derful section on the newly formed HLS Rep Board. Throughout my undergraduate career, I served on student government and became passionate about student life and student-administration outreach. I hope to continue my tradition of accountability and activism here at HLS as Section 1’s elected representative to the Rep Board.
As your Rep Board representative, I will work to improve the information exchange between 1Ls and HLS administration. I also hope to strengthen our section’s sense of identity and community by working with Section Committee leaders to improve our section’s programming and social events. Additionally, I will also actively seek input to ensure that Section 1 is well-represented as the Rep Board becomes an important player at HLS. Our section is diverse and passionate, and I promise to ensure that our views are a driving force within Harvard Law School student life.
Please feel free to reach out to me in class or via e-mail, especially if we haven’t met personally yet. I look forward to speaking with you and making our 1L year the best it can be!
Section 2
No Declared Candidates
Section 3
No Declared Candidates
Section 4
David Dorfman
Section 5
Dahoud Askar:
There are times when I simply can’t believe it has only been six weeks. Its been a seemingly endless scramble to finish assigned reading and hand in assignments; and somewhere in the midst of all that I’ve had the time of my life and I hope that all of you have as well. I’ve met some incredible people and made some great friends and this experience has been one that I wouldn’t trade for anything.
As an undergraduate student, I held leadership positions in a few organizations and I managed a local restaurant. The responsibilities of the President of a Mock Trial team and a server at a Middle Eastern restaurant might seem very different, but one of my most important jobs was fostering a sense of community that made people excited to come into work every day. It is that same sense of community that has made these first couple of weeks at Harvard Law School absolutely brilliant, Legal Research and Writing notwithstanding. I am running for SRB because that sense of community has made the law school transition immeasurably easier for me and I want to help cultivate it for all of us in the coming year.
Thank you for your time and consideration,
Best Wishes,
Dahoud A. Askar
Harvard Law School
J.D. Candidate 2015
Section 6
No Declared Candidates
Section 7
No Declared Candidates
2L Representatives (4 Total)
Raymond Palmer:
I am running to represent the 2L class for two main reasons: (1) Given my involvement in various students groups on campus, I believe that many 2Ls will find me approachable and accessible when they wish to voice their concerns and (2) I would like to put more pressure on the Dean of Students office (DOS) in responding to student concerns. With respect to my second reason, I have heard from at least two individuals regarding their frustration with the DOS for its lack of responsiveness when addressing student requests for physical accommodation and the DOS’s cultural insensitivity when requesting the formation of student groups on campus. My main interest in running is to help create and/or participate in a system that seeks to voice the concerns of the many to the DOS. I hope you will vote for me and contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding my platform.
Ben Apple:
Hey folks. I am Ben Apple, here to advocate for you and remove as much stress from your HLS days as possible. But more broadly, I believe we, as one of the most prestigious and influential student bodies in the world, have the opportunity to discuss and debate pressing contemporary issues, work towards consensus, and then, if possible, advocate for the type of change we want to see in the world. Let’s think big.
Thanks,
Ben
3L Representatives (4 Total)
No Declared Candidates
Transfer Student Representative (1 Total)
Elizabeth Niles:
My name is Elizabeth Niles. I am originally from Jacksonville, FL and attended Georgetown for college. I transferred from GW Law School to Harvard after my 1L year. As a new member of the HLS community and a transfer student, I believe I have a unique perspective to bring to the Student Representative Board and will strive to make HLS a better place for all students.
As my platform, I propose the provision of three low-cost amenities to students. At GW and many other law schools, refrigerators are available for students so that they can bring food to school. Students concerned about keeping the already high costs of law school down and those with dietary restrictions could enjoy the ability to bring their own lunch or dinner to school. This would be of particular help to those students who do not live in immediate proximity to HLS. To further help students who live away from Cambridge, I propose the provision of cab vouchers to students who live beyond the Cambridge/Somerville area, which is the limit of the current voucher program. With so many events and meetings happening later at night, students who live outside of Cambridge may struggle to get home. A simple cab voucher system, with address checks and receipt requirements for accountability, could make sure students remain safe when travelling home. Last, I propose having laptop locks available to rent at the circulation desk in the library. This would enable students to safely leave their laptop at their study location while running to the bathroom or to get a bite to eat.
Thank you and I hope to have your vote!
LLM Representatives (2 Total)
Charlotte Emin:
Dear Students,
I am Charlotte from Paris, France. Originally trained to become a Literature teacher, I spent a year teaching French at Yale University (boooo…). There, I took my first law class—it changed my life! Three years later, I graduated from law school in France, focusing on financial consumer protection and antitrust law.
While in law school, I did crazy, fun things: tutoring high school dropouts serving time in prison; debating matters as serious as “Do smartphones make people smarter?” at the French House of Representatives.
At HLS, I spend quality-time catching up on my readings, watching “The Voice” at the gym, and getting to know wonderful people in the LL.M., J.D. and S.J.D. programs. I am a senior editor for the Harvard Business Law Review (I just love wearing pantsuits) and a fan of the Harvard Women’s Law Association. I am also involved in local politics in Maine (because there is such a thing as lobster price-fixing).
I am running for LL.M. representative to advocate for the interests of LL.M. students. Both as a former teacher and a current student, I think that there is never too much communication between students and the administration. But sometimes, it is not enough to complete a survey from the Dean of Students office or the Graduate Program.
Maybe you feel frustrated because there is limited capacity for LL.M. students in a course you really wanted to take. Maybe you feel like student journals are too J.D.-oriented. Maybe you just want your classroom to be hotter. Whatever your message is, I will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to hear it and pass it along. I am not here to make decisions for you—but simply to make sure your voice is heard.
All my best,
Charlotte
David Turner:
Hi! My name is David Turner and I’m running for one of the two LLM positions on the new Student Rep Board. I hail all the way from New Zealand (though I’m frequently mistaken for an Australian). New Zealand is a plucky little country that punches well above its weight in making its voice heard in international affairs (after all, we only have 4 million people – though we do also have about 80 million sheep) and I wish to bring the same approach to the Student Rep Board – to advocate passionately for the LLM students at HLS, and to work with all the other members of the SRB to represent and preserve the interests of the student body as a whole at HLS.
We have such an amazing body of students here from all over the US and the entire world (80+ countries in the LLM group alone), and I believe we can accomplish great things as a student body with that immense pool of talent. Now is a really important time for the SRB, as it elects its first board and takes its first steps as a brand new organization. The decisions and actions the SRB takes in the next year will be crucial for establishing how the organization operates going forward, and I want to be part of that process to make sure the SRB gets off to a great start! I love being part of student advocacy, and I will commit all my passion and energy to being a successful and active LLM representative and key member of the SRB team.
So elect a kiwi to the SRB as an LLM representative to help make sure all at HLS have a great year and an effective and dynamic student body. As my famous Flight of the Conchords countrymen once said: “It’s Business Time”.
Jennifer Chan:
Hey LLM13! It would be an honour to represent you wonderful people and to advocate for your interests in the school. You know from the Maine trip that I love to organise. Vote for me and I’ll work towards organising an amazing LLM Graduation Ball for all of us!
SJD Representative (1 Total)
No Declared Candidates
