Daniel Nagin, Clinical Professor of Law
Dan Nagin, Clinical Professor of Law and director of the WilmerHale Legal Services Center, will serve as Harvard Law School’s first Vice Dean for Experiential and Clinical Programs. In this position, Nagin will work to build the school’s experiential offerings and foster new opportunities for hands-on learning.
Nagin, who joined HLS in 2012, founded the Legal Services Center’s Veterans Legal Clinic. He brings experience in legal advocacy and social service for homeless HIV/AIDS patients living in New York, and previously taught at the University of Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis.
In announcing his appointment, HLS Dean Martha Minow said, “With national ongoing discussions about how legal education can best prepare students for professional careers and some changes made recently by the ABA with regard to educational requirements in this area, this is a time of opportunity and responsibility, and I am confident Dan will execute his new role with the grace, insight, and wisdom for which he is already known.” Nagin will build on proposals from Minow’s Ad Hoc Committee on Experiential Learning.
HLS recently increased its requirement for student pro bono service from 40 to 50 hours. To fulfill this experience quota, students may participate in student practice organizations, spring break pro bono trips, clinics, government or NGO work, or student-initiated projects.
The Problem Solving Workshop, a case-based simulation course on lawyering for 1Ls, is one of HLS’s signature classroom experiential initiatives. The Negotiation Workshop also makes use of experiential role plays. Materials for these courses can be found on the HLS Case Studies website.