About
Lawrence Lessig is the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School. He previously taught at Stanford Law School (founding the Center for Internet and Society) and the University of Chicago. A respected legal scholar, Lessig is also the founder of Equal Citizens and a founding board member of Creative Commons. He serves on the Scientific Board of the AXA Research Fund and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
- Education:
- BA in Economics and BS in Management, University of Pennsylvania
- MA in Philosophy, Cambridge University
- JD, Yale Law School
Lessig's research bridges law and technology, focusing on intellectual property and internet governance, with recent work on institutional corruption—legal relationships that erode public trust, particularly in democratic systems. His scholarship includes critiques of campaign finance laws and proposals for constitutional reform.
Recent publications include The Buckley Overreach (2025), analyzing campaign finance under originalism, and Conversation Networks (2025), exploring digital communication's impact on democracy. Earlier works like The End of End-to-End (2001) established him as a foundational thinker on internet architecture.
Scientific awards and honors:
- Webby Award
- Free Software Foundation's Freedom Award
- Scientific American 50 Award
- Fastcase 50 Award
- Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Member, American Philosophical Society
He has advised on constitutional law, notably Republic, Lost (2011) and They Don't Represent Us (2019), and has contributed to debates on digital rights, free culture, and AI ethics.
