David B. Wilkins

David B. Wilkins is the Lester Kissel Professor of Law and faculty director of the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School. He is a senior research fellow of the American Bar Foundation, the Harvard Law School's vice dean for global initiatives on the legal profession, and a faculty associate of the Harvard University Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics.[1]

David B. Wilkins
Wilkins speaking at Singapore Management University in 2018
Born (1956-01-22) January 22, 1956
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
EducationHarvard University (BA)
Harvard Law School (JD)
OccupationLawyer, professor

Early life and education

Wilkins is a Chicago native, and a graduate of the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. His father, Julian Wilkins, headed one of the city's most prominent law firms: Wilkins, Wilkins & Wilkins, and became the first black partner at a major Chicago law firm in 1971.[2]

Wilkins graduated with honors from Harvard College in 1977 with a Bachelor's degree in government. He earned a law degree in 1980 from at Harvard Law School. While at Harvard Law, he served as the Supreme Court editor of the Harvard Law Review and was also a member of the Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review and the Harvard Black Law Student Association.[3]

Law career

After graduating law school, he clerked for Justice Wilfred Feinberg, a United States Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He then clerked for Justice Thurgood Marshall at the United States Supreme Court between 1981 and 1982.[4]

After clerking, in 1982, Wilkins became an associate with a specialization in civil litigation at the law firm of Nussbaum Owen & Webster in Washington, D.C.[5] Wilkins is a member of the Bar in the District of Columbia and the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Law scholar and professor

In 1986, Wilkins joined the faculty at Harvard Law School, earning tenure six years later, and he has recently been mentioned as a potential candidate to become dean of Harvard Law.[6] His research focuses primarily on the legal profession, and he is the co-author (along with his Harvard Law School colleague Andrew Kaufman) of one of the leading casebooks in the field.[5]

In 2005, graduating seniors voted him the top teacher in Harvard Law's Center for Ethics.[7]

Personal life

Wilkins and his wife Anne Marie, CEO and founder of an entertainment company, live in Cambridge, Massachusetts with their son.[4]

Wilkins instructed former First Lady Michelle Obama[8] and is friends with former U.S. president Barack Obama.[9]

Awards and distinctions

References
  1. School, Harvard Law. "David B. Wilkins | Harvard Law School". Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  2. "David B. Wilkins is Chicago-Kent's Order of the Coif Distinguished Visitor" (Press release). Chicago: Chicago-Kent College of Law. 2008-09-28. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  3. "David Wilkins | Speaker Profile and Speaking Topics". The American Program Bureau. Archived from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
  4. "David B. Wilkins's Biography". The HistoryMakers. Retrieved 2020-04-18.
  5. "Professor David Wilkins Faculty Director Harvard Law Program Legal Profession". Harvard Law School. 2012-12-01. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  6. Groll, Elias J. (2009-06-03). "HLS Dean Search Narrows to Four | News | The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  7. "Ethics at Harvard Law School". Harvard University. 2009-07-01. Archived from the original on 2013-12-06. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  8. "Profile of Michelle Obama - Michelle Obama Biography". About.com Women's Issues. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  9. Kodama, Marie C. (2007-01-19). "Obama Left Mark on HLS | News | The Harvard Crimson". The Harvard Crimson. Retrieved 2013-12-03.
  10. https://clp.law.harvard.edu/news-post/david-wilkins-awarded-the-albert-m-sacks-paul-a-freund-award-for-teaching-excellence/
  11. Wilkins, David Brian. "David Brian Wilkins resume" (PDF). Retrieved 2013-12-02.
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