Harvard Dean’s Legal Defense of Harvey Weinstein Sparks Controversy on Campus

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Bruce Green was quoted in a USA Today article about Harvard law professor Ronald Sullivan Jr.’s decision to represent Harvey Weinstein in his sexual assault case.

Harvard law professor Ronald Sullivan Jr. has built a sparkling resume of high-profile cases with clients like Michael Brown and Aaron Hernandez that’s earned him the reputation as a top mind in criminal law nationally.

But his move in January to join the legal defense team of Hollywood media mogul Harvey Weinstein, whose alleged sexual misconduct ignited the #MeToo movement, has caused a stir on the Ivy League campus.

Since Sullivan emerged as one of the attorneys representing Weinstein in the movie producer’s highly publicized sexual assault case in New York, Sullivan has faced a backlash among some students.

Bruce Green, who directs the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics at Fordham Law School in New York, said Sullivan’s involvement in the Weinstein case is “an opportunity for the Harvard students to learn a little bit more about the role of lawyers in a democratic society.

“Representing a client in a criminal case doesn’t mean that you endorse their activities — criminal activities, moral activities or other activities,” he said, adding that he doesn’t see why having a particular client would prevent Sullivan from providing guidance to students. “Understanding his role as a lawyer, students shouldn’t think that has any significance for his role as a faculty advisor.”

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