Law School Offers Jobs to Tax Lawyers

Harvard Law School has offered tenure-track positions to two prominent tax attorneys, one of whom is a woman, according to Law School Dean Robert C. Clark.

Reuven Avi-Yonah, a New York tax specialist, and Diane Ring, who works with the firm of Kaplan & Risedale, have both been offered assistant professorships. The offers have been approved by the faculty of the Law School and by the Corporation.

"Our tax group has been very finicky about who they've thought is good enough to join," Clark said, adding that the Law School has been trying to bolster its tax faculty for four years.

Non-traditional Backgrounds

Avi-Yonah has already indicated that he will likely assume the post until early next year and will continue to practice law until then.

Although Ring remains undecided, Clark said he hopes that too she will accept the offer.

"I think it's great that they're trying to recruit people from non-traditional, non-academic backgrounds," said Law School Council President Enu Mainigi. "We have a lot of world-famous academics here at Harvard, but it's important to get people with real world experience in the field as well."

Positions have also been offered to Yale law school professor Carol Rose and to visiting law professor Elizabeth Warren.

Rose has already indicated that she will not accept the offer, Clark said. He said it is still unclear whether Warren will accept.

In a letter sent to law school students Monday, Clark said the appointment process for the year was "still active" and promised significant developments over the next two months.

High-profile feminist scholar and University of Michigan law professor Catharine A. MacKinnon, who was recently under consideration for a tenured position, did not get the required two-thirds majority vote from the faculty.