Harvard Law Professor to Speak at UM Law School

By Christina Steube

University of Mississippi

Randall Kennedy, the Michael R. Klein Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, is slated to speak Wednesday (Feb. 1) at the University of Mississippi School of Law. His lecture is titled “The Greatest Lawyer in American Legal History: Thurgood Marshall.”

Kennedy clerked for the U.S. Supreme Court justice from 1983 to ’84, before becoming a law professor. A graduate of Princeton University, Oxford University and Yale Law School, Kennedy teaches courses on contracts, criminal law and the regulation of race relations. He has been a prolific scholar in all three areas. 

Author of nine books, Kennedy received the 1998 Robert F. Kennedy book award for “Race, Crime, and the Law” (Pantheon Books, 1997). His most recent book, “Say It Loud!: On Race, Law, History, and Culture” (Knopf Doubleday, 2021), features a collection of essays on social justice issues and civil rights leaders, including Marshall and Frederick Douglass.

“We are excited to host such a prominent legal scholar, one who continues to be at the forefront of many important national conversations,” said Will Berry, the school’s associate dean for research. “Our students, faculty and staff are looking forward to the opportunity to learn from professor Kennedy this week.”

While at Ole Miss, Kennedy also plans to visit a law school class and conduct research in the University Libraries.

The lecture, set for 12:30 p.m. in the law school’s Weems Auditorium, marks the beginning of Black History Month. Attendance is free and open to public.