About the Cyberlaw Clinic

Harvard Law School‘s Cyberlaw Clinic, based at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society, provides pro bono legal services at the intersection of technology and social justice. The Cyberlaw Clinic was the first of its kind, and it continues its tradition of innovation in its areas of practice.

Technology supports most human endeavors and, as a result, offers both significant benefits and real, lasting harms. Therefore, the Cyberlaw Clinic’s work, teaching activities, and client selection decisions are animated by our core values, through which we seek to promote: 

  • a robust and inclusive online ecosystem for free expression and broad participation in public discourse;
  • awareness of power differentials and bias in technologies and socio-technical systems, mitigation of their negative impacts, and — where harm has occurred — the provision of adequate remedies;
  • equity and inclusion as necessary considerations throughout technology development and technology policy;
  • respect for and protection of privacy, vis-à-vis both private and government actors;
  • access to knowledge and information, including through open government and transparency with respect to public and private technical systems that impact citizens (and, in particular, members of vulnerable populations); and
  • the advancement of cultural production through efficient and balanced regulatory and enforcement regimes.

Participation in the Cyberlaw Clinic helps law students prepare for practice by working on real-world client counseling, advocacy, litigation, and transactional projects. The Clinic strives to center clients in our legal work, helping them to achieve success as they define it, mindful of (and in response to) existing law.

From the Blog

HLS Students: Enroll in the Cyberlaw Clinic for Fall 2023 or Spring 2024!

Attention Harvard Law School 1Ls and 2Ls:  clinical registration for the 2023-24 academic year takes place Tuesday, March 28, 2023 through and Thursday March 30, 2023! If you are interested in exploring issues at the nexus of technology, law, policy, and social justice, while gaining real-world law practice experience, we strongly encourage to you to join us in the Cyberlaw Clinic in fall 2023 or spring 2024. Detailed information about clinical registration is available through the HLS Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs.

Clinic Files Amicus Brief on Behalf of Authors and Creators in “Bad Spaniels” TM Case

On February 23, 2023, the Cyberlaw Clinic filed an amicus brief on behalf of Authors Alliance and ComicMix in the Supreme Court of the United States, in support of VIP Products, which seeks to defend its parodic use of Jack Daniel’s trademarks on a dog toy under the First Amendment. Authors Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting authors who want to serve the public good by disseminating their work broadly. ComicMix is a book publisher and digital news provider offering creation, coverage, and commentary on comic books and other popular culture.