Adriaan Lanni

Adriaan Lanni serves as the Touroff-Glueck Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, where she has taught since 2005. She teaches Criminal Law, Criminal Adjudication, Restorative Justice, the Criminal Justice Workshop, and Ancient Law. Her academic journey includes being a junior fellow at the Harvard Society of Fellows and clerking for Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and Justice Dana Fabe of the Alaska Supreme Court.

• B.A., summa cum laude, Yale University
• M.Phil. in Classics, Cambridge University (Marshall Scholar)
• J.D., Yale Law School
• Ph.D. in History, University of Michigan

Lanni's research bridges ancient law and society with modern criminal justice reform, with particular emphasis on restorative justice. She explores what community-centered justice might look like, its limits, and how far contemporary systems have moved from democratic adjudication methods. Her work examines both ancient Athenian legal systems and contemporary approaches to criminal justice, seeking connections between historical practices and modern reform possibilities. She has served as a volunteer facilitator and case coordinator with Communities for Restorative Justice from 2018-2023.

Lanni's publications demonstrate a consistent focus on the intersection of historical legal systems and contemporary justice reform. Her recent work increasingly emphasizes practical applications of restorative justice within the American criminal justice system, while maintaining her scholarly expertise in ancient Athenian law. The trend shows a growing emphasis on actionable reform proposals alongside rigorous historical analysis, reflecting her commitment to using historical insights to inform present-day justice challenges.

• Guggenheim Fellowship (2017)
• Fellowship from the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
• Fellowship from the Loeb Classical Library Foundation
• Marshall Scholar

Lanni has been instrumental in developing restorative justice initiatives at Harvard Law School and in the broader community. She co-authored the White Paper of Democratic Criminal Justice, proposing reforms to democratize the criminal justice system. Her work with Communities for Restorative Justice demonstrates her commitment to practical implementation of theoretical frameworks. She has received significant grant support for her research from prestigious institutions, reflecting the importance of her interdisciplinary approach that bridges law, history, and social justice.

Lanni directs the Criminal Justice Workshop at Harvard Law School and has established herself as a leading voice in both ancient legal history and contemporary criminal justice reform. Her work connects historical scholarship with practical justice initiatives, creating a unique bridge between academic research and real-world application. She has built collaborative relationships with community organizations focused on restorative justice, creating spaces for dialogue between legal scholars, practitioners, and community members affected by the justice system.