Faculty & Staff

David Kennedy
David Kennedy, Faculty Director of the Institute, is Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. He teaches international law, international economic policy, legal theory, law and development and European law. He joined the Harvard Law faculty in 1981 after teaching in Germany. He holds a Ph.D. from the Fletcher School at Tufts University and a J.D. from Harvard. He is the author of numerous articles on international law and global governance. His research uses interdisciplinary materials from sociology and social theory, economics and history to explore issues of global governance, development policy and the nature of professional expertise. He has been particularly committed to developing new voices from the third world and among women in international affairs.

Professor Kennedy also has extensive experience as a practicing lawyer, having worked on numerous international projects, both commercial and public, including work with the United Nations, the Commission of the European Union, and with the private firm of Clearly, Gottlieb, Steen and Hamilton in Brussels, where his work combined European antitrust litigation, government relations advising and general corporate law. A member of the Council on Foreign Relations, he is currently Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Global Governance.

At Harvard, he served as Chair of the Graduate Committee and Faculty Director of International Legal Studies. He founded the European Law Research Center at Harvard in 1991 and has served continuously as Faculty Director. He has advised a number of educational institutions on their academic programs, and lectured as a Visiting Professor at numerous universities across the world. In 2008-2009, he served as Vice President for International Affairs, University Professor of Law and David and Marianna Fisher University Professor of International Relations at Brown University.

Neal O’Connor
Neal O’Connor joined European Law Research Center in 2003. In 2010, with the launch of the new Institute for Global Law and Policy, Neal was appointed Program Manager and in 2012, he became Administrative Director. He oversees the organizational and administrative functions for the Institute. Neal received a degree in history from Harvard University.

Judi Silverman
Judi Silverman joined the Institute in 2011. Judi received an MFA in poetry from the University of Iowa and a BA from Barnard College.

Melinda Peterson
Melinda Peterson joined the Institute in September of 2012. Melinda received a BA in Legal Studies and Criminal Justice from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Abigail Nasshan
Abigail Nasshan joined the Institute in September of 2012. She has a B.A in Government and Global South Development Studies from Smith College. She specializes in using social media and web development to enhance nonprofit organizations.

Harvard Law School Faculty Contributors
The Institute also draws on the expertise and experience of a wide range of Harvard Law School faculty. Numerous faculty members have mentored our Visiting Researchers over the years. Professors David Barron, Janet Halley, Allen Ferrell, Elizabeth Bartholet, Martha Field, Terry Fisher, and Mark Ramseyer have participated in our Spanish training programs co-organized with the Garrigiues law firm. Professors Lucian Bebchuck, Reinier Kraakman, Robert Clark, Guhan Subramanian, Allen Ferrell, Howell Jackson and Alan Dershowitz have all been participants in our conferences on corporate law and regulation, while Professor Einer Elhauge has joined our annual conference on European and American antitrust enforcement for several years. Professor Christine Desan contributes regularly to our program on the history of capitalism and the global economy, while Professor Duncan Kennedy is a regular participant in our work on comparative law, globalization and social theory. We have long supported Professor Haley’s work in the fields of comparative family law, social theory and the feminist legacies of global governance. Each year, we endeavor to work closely with faculty who have compatible projects concerning global law and policy. Professor Gerald Frug’s work on international local government law has sparked a number of events, and we have supported his comparative research on the city as a legal concept. We have provided assistance to clinical projects in Africa developed by Professor Lucie White in the fields of global health policy and human rights. We expect to host a series of workshops with Professor Roberto Unger in 2010-2011, as we have done with Professors Detlev Vagts, Harry Martin and Peter Murray in the past. We work closely with the graduate program at the law school, encouraging interactions among doctoral students and their faculty colleagues, and are grateful for Professor William Alford’s ongoing engagement and support.