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It's the season for transitions at Harvard Law - in the last few weeks, both the Legal Aid Bureau and the Harvard Law Review have elected new leadership. Over at Gannett House, the Law Review's 122nd president was 2L Robert "Bob" Allen, a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Emory University and a Sears Prize winner. No surprise there, as the journal's 120th and 121st presidents, Brian Fletcher and Aileen McGrath, were also Sears winners. The Record had a few questions for the new president.
Record: How's the transition been? What's involved in taking the reins of the law review?
Allen: The transition has been very smooth. Luckily, I have some great mentors in Andrew Crespo, Adam Jed, and Andrea Paul, the President, Vice-President, and Managing Editor of Volume 121.
Last year when I came in to interview then-new-president Andrew Crespo, there were bumper stickers in Gannett House that said "Obama was already president. Harvard Law Review." Is it Obama-mania right now in Gannett, and are you a fan, or more of a Hillary or McCain guy?
There are still some "Obama was already President" stickers strewn around Gannett, but those were meant more for laughs than votes. I wouldn't classify the Review as biased towards any particular political candidate or even party. I'm not yet sure which candidate I support, and I'm sure some other editors are in the same position.
There's been some controversy over a case comment on Philip Morris v. Williams in the November issue that had some strong, politicized language about class and poverty. ("The history of the Fourteenth Amendment is one of hierarchy and capitalism.") Is there an effort to have a uniform tone in comments, and is there any instance where a student piece would be rejected?
All student pieces receive the same editing process, which includes technical and substantive revision. Some uniformity in tone may be a byproduct of our system, but it is by no means a requirement.
It's been a tradition for law review student writing to carry no name, and when I look at the masthead there's no listing of who is articles editor, comment editor, etc. Yet students list comments or book reviews, etc. on their resumes, and obviously you have differentiated jobs. Why not just put names with efforts like every other journal on campus?
You are correct that our student writing is anonymous and that our masthead does not list editors' positions. We do this not to be different but simply to reflect the fact that the Review is a collaborative enterprise, and one that could not function without the intense dedication of every one of our editors.
Is there anything new you're planning in terms of outreach, the law review competition, or the general future direction of the journal?
I can't say I have any radical changes in mind; the Review has been incredibly successful over the past few years, and my goal is simply to continue its 122-year tradition of excellence by producing the best publication possible.
Why did you want to join the law review as a 1L? What would you like 1Ls to know about HLR as they consider doing the competition or not?
I joined the Review because I wanted to challenge myself, and also because I wanted to be a part of the community. My only advice to 1Ls is to take the competition - it's worth it.
My wife's father is hessaby as in www.hessaby.com (they stole his cash and put it there) and my mother-in-law family is related by marriage tot the Pakravans., who headed the SAVAKPan Am was nicknamed PanIran as the Shah's family was the largest shareholder. I have extreme amount of details of exactly was going on
from the Iranians wanting him to return their assets to other coup attempts to 6 months before the Shah son pretended he was bankrupt in a public trial, to my wifes relative coming to our house talking about the coup and we did not know they were in Washington DC, to the Iran Contra hearings trial that was going to start Feb 20 th, 1989 to the tipping of the coup to the Iranian govt, ,to something in writing I can prove the coup to the Salamon Rushtie Feb 14th insult to islam to get the people on the street to avoid the coup to the Iranian govt announcement of a coup by 'dissent mullahs' announced at the time to the negiotations between the Bush people involved pretending they were going to make a deal to the 'nice' stories plant in US newspapers at the time (including the Post) as part of the negotation to the fact the bomb had to placed out of London based on the flight path as I worked at USAir at the time creating the flight plans for the 'planes to fly themselves' to overt CIA agents around me at the time to the fact that Bollier, the guy who made the timer for the bomb's wide was IRANIAN and the Libyans told me and said they were not allowed to say... there were 3 witness only.. the main one was trashed.. Bollier and a guy whom said he soldm the Libyan a suitcase in Malta.. hence, one the suitcase guy would be left.. the Libyans did not put up a defence in exchange for evidence to trash the main witness on the stand to what an overt CIA agent told me in the US 4 years later.. etc. etc and the details of several coups to the new World bank (my wie's cousin involved who used to work at the work bank)and US loans starting May 1990 to Iran to the fact that PANAm was shut down 18 months later as they thought it would be targeted again because of the Shah connection (the US airlines go in and out of bankruptcy all the time - this was the one of the first US airlines - an ICON) etc
I also know where the Iranian govt officials have money in the US, Canada and UK; the back door dealing etccall me for details.. Barry Lanza 00 44 1786831554.. My father-in-law was a convicted spy given amnesty