Jonathan F. Harris

Jonathan F. Harris is a Professor at the Temple University School of Law, where he specializes in labor and employment law, contracts, and consumer law. He is a nationally recognized legal scholar whose work intersects public interest, workforce development, and poverty law. He previously served as an associate professor at Loyola Law School Los Angeles and an acting assistant professor at NYU School of Law.

His research focuses on the legal and ethical dimensions of employment contracts, particularly those affecting low-income and vulnerable workers. He has extensively analyzed Training Repayment Agreement Provisions (TRAPs) and their role as substitutes for non-compete clauses. His scholarship advocates for greater consumer and worker protections in contractual relationships, influencing both academic discourse and public policy.

Professor Harris’s recent publications appear in top law journals such as the California Law Review, Georgetown Law Journal, and Northwestern University Law Review Online. His work shows a strong trend toward interdisciplinary legal analysis, combining insights from labor policy, consumer protection, and regulatory law to address systemic inequities in the modern workforce.

Scientific Awards and Honors:

• Selected for Harvard/Stanford/Yale Junior Faculty Forum (2024)
• Skadden Fellow
• Past grantee, University of California Student Loan Law Initiative
• Senior Fellow, Student Borrower Protection Center

Professor Harris has served as a peer-review referee for the Yale Law Journal and has been cited by federal agencies including the FTC, CFPB, and Senate Banking Committee. He is the immediate past chair of the AALS Section on Labor Relations and Employment Law and serves on the executive committee of the AALS Section on Employment Discrimination Law. He co-organized the Michael A. Olivas Writing Institute and is a member of the Mexican American Bar Association. His grants and fellowships reflect sustained support for public interest legal scholarship.

Professor Harris clerked for Judge James E. Graves, Jr. of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. His prior experience includes working as a labor and community organizer before entering legal academia. He remains actively engaged in policy advocacy and legal reform efforts, particularly in the areas of worker classification and fair contract practices.