معرفی
Richard W. Clary is a Lecturer at Harvard Law School, where he has been teaching since Fall 2011. He teaches courses including Advanced Written Advocacy (Spring 2026), Class Actions: Litigating Advanced Topics (Fall 2025), Complex Litigation: Legal Doctrines, Real World Practice (Fall 2025), and Evidence (Spring 2026). Prior to joining Harvard Law School, Mr. Clary was a partner for 35 years in the Litigation Department of Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP, retiring from the firm at the end of 2020.
Mr. Clary received his B.A. magna cum laude from Amherst College in 1975, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa, and his J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School in 1978, where he was Developments Officer of the Law Review and awarded the Sears Prize. After completing clerkships with Hon. Walter R. Mansfield of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Hon. Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court, he joined Cravath in 1980 and became a partner in 1985. He served as the Firm's Litigation Managing Partner from February 1997 to November 2005, and as Head of Litigation from November 2005 to September 2010.
Mr. Clary's expertise spans civil litigation, civil procedure, complex litigation and class actions, conflict of laws, courts and jurisdiction, evidence, and legal theory. His extensive practical experience informs his teaching approach, bringing real-world litigation perspectives to the classroom. He has particular expertise in securities defense, antitrust litigation (plaintiff and defense sides), bankruptcy litigation (debtor and creditor sides), trade secret, trademark and patent litigation, fiduciary duty, fraud, bribery, FCPA and ATA litigation, general commercial litigation, and civil rights and constitutional rights litigation.
Mr. Clary has been recognized as a leader in litigation by numerous legal publications and has received multiple awards for his work. He has spoken at multiple constitutional events at Oxford University and serves as a Fellow at the Oxford Global Society, where he focuses on constitutional governance issues.
- Five Outstanding Pro Bono Service Awards from the Legal Aid Society
- Recognized by Chambers USA as leader in multiple litigation categories
- Named to The Legal 500 Hall of Fame
- Named to the Lawdragon Hall of Fame
Mr. Clary has maintained strong connections with legal institutions throughout his career. He served as a Vice President of the Association of the Bar of The City of New York, served nine years on the Board of the Legal Aid Society (including as Vice Chair), and served on its Board of Advisors until the end of 2023. He also served for several years on the Lawyers Committee of the National Center for State Courts.
Mr. Clary is actively engaged in constitutional discourse, having spoken at multiple events at Oxford University's Centre for Socio-Legal Studies and serving as a Fellow at the Oxford Global Society, where he focuses on issues of effective constitutional governance and law, particularly federalism and the separation of powers.
