Jesse Climenko Professorship, Fund Established To Support Instruction

The Jesse Climenko Professorship has been established with support from a bequest from the late Jesse Climenko, who began practice in New York City following his graduation from the Law School in 1927. Climenko was actively engaged in the practice of law until his retirement more than 60 years later.

"Jesse Climenko has left an indelible mark on his own practice over six decades, and he has created a legacy that will impact students at Harvard Law School for many decades to come," said Dean Robert Clark.

In addition to the professorship, Climenko's bequest also provides for a special fund in conjunction with the Chair. The purpose of the Climenko Professorship and the Climenko Program Fund is to provide instruction in the practical aspects of lawyering, such as research and writing, interviewing and counseling, negotiating and drafting agreements, oral advocacy and litigation skills, and close analysis of ethical responsibilities.

"As Dean, I can testify just how important this professorship and fund will be for our program and our students," said Clark. "This is one of the most substantial and creative benefactions in the history of Harvard Law School. It will concentrate on the practical aspects of lawyering that have too long been neglected in legal education."

Before his death last year, Climenko cited his personal experience at Harvard Law School in the 1920s as motivation for his interest in supporting a chair and program in lawyering. Although Climenko did well as a student, he did not enjoy law until he began his practice following graduation. "The students should learn about the profession and legal practice while they are still in law school," he said.

Climenko wrote in his will that the bequest "is made in gratitude for the outstanding preparation that Harvard Law School gave me for a lifelong career in the practice of law . . . a profession that I loved and in which I found deep satisfaction and fulfillment."

Climenko's practice in New York was interrupted in the mid-1940s when he served in the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, D.C., with Tom Clark. Climenko became a special assistant to the U.S. attorney general when Clark was appointed to that post in 1948. Climenko's specific assignment involved the investigation and prosecution of war fraud involving individuals as well as corporations who profiteered or defrauded the government during the massive World War II production efforts in the United States.