People

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Eileen Finan

Interim Vice President and General Counsel

Ms. Finan received her B.A. degree summa cum laude from Boston College and attended Columbia Law School, where she was an editor of the Law Review. Following law school, Ms. Finan clerked for the Honorable Wilfred Feinberg of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Ms. Finan practiced for six years with the law firm of Palmer & Dodge, where she concentrated in the areas of labor and employment, with particular emphasis on representing higher education clients. Prior to law school, Ms. Finan served as Managing Editor of Rutgers University Press. She also holds a Ph.D. in English from Rutgers University.  At Harvard, Ms. Finan advises on affirmative action, disability law, labor & employment, and faculty and student affairs.

p: Assistant: Jena Holland 617-496-3010
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Javier M. Guzman

Deputy General Counsel

Mr. Guzman received his B.S. in Economics from Louisiana State University and his J.D., cum laude, from Tulane Law School, where he was a member of the Order of the Coif and the Moot Court Board. Prior to joining the Office, he was the founding Legal Director of Democracy Forward Foundation, a Washington, DC public interest law firm representing non-profit organizations and local governments in regulatory and constitutional litigation. Before then, he served nearly 20 years in the U.S. Department of Justice, receiving numerous commendations and awards for his work. He started in the Civil Rights Division, as a trial attorney and then deputy chief, litigating and supervising the Department’s enforcement work in the area of equal educational opportunities in the K-12 and university settings. He then served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Washington and Florida, litigating civil trials and appeals on behalf of the United States and a wide range of federal agencies.

In his final position in the Department, he served as Deputy Associate Attorney General, overseeing and advising the Department’s senior leadership on sensitive and complex matters arising in the areas of civil rights, environmental law, and federal programs. Before joining the Department, he worked in private practice, in the Washington office of Crowell & Moring LLP, focusing on complex civil litigation and developing a pro bono practice in educational access issues.

Mr. Guzman is a member of both the District of Columbia Bar and the Massachusetts Bar.

p: Assistant: Catherine Hammock 617-495-4778
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Bradley E. Abruzzi

University Attorney

A graduate of Princeton University (A.B. in English) and New York University (M.A. in English), Mr. Abruzzi received his J.D. cum laude from Harvard Law School, where he served as Executive Editor on the Harvard Law Review. Following law school, Mr. Abruzzi joined Boston-based Bromberg & Sunstein LLP as a litigation associate. Mr. Abruzzi left Bromberg to clerk for the Honorable Nancy Gertner in the United States District Court, District of Massachusetts, thereafter resuming private practice in the litigation department of Foley Hoag LLP in Boston. From Foley he accepted an Associate Attorney appointment in the Office of the General Counsel. During this period Mr. Abruzzi completed a two-year fellowship at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. In 2011 Mr. Abruzzi joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Office of the General Counsel, where he worked for four years before returning to Harvard as a University Attorney. At MIT Mr. Abruzzi’s practice centered on transactional matters, online learning initiatives, human subjects research compliance, data privacy and security, and contract and regulatory matters relating to funded research.  At Harvard, Brad advises clients on a wide range of legal issues, including civil rights, intellectual property, free speech, publication torts, digital accessibility, copyright, privacy, commercial disputes, and immigration law and policy.

p: Assistant: Linda Como 617-495-1499
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Nadir S. Ahmed

University Attorney

Mr. Ahmed received his B.A. from the University of Virginia, his M.B.A. from the Northeastern University Graduate School of Business, and his J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law, where he was a founding member and the Managing Editor of the Northeastern University Law Journal. Following law school, Mr. Ahmed joined the Boston office of the law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP, where he provided advice and counsel to a range of businesses on litigation and labor and employment matters and led the office's diversity and inclusion efforts. Most recently, Mr. Ahmed served as an Assistant General Counsel at Bose Corporation, where he supported and led a number of enterprise-wide initiatives, and provided legal guidance on employment, benefits, compliance, and litigation issues and matters to business and human resource leaders around the world. At Harvard, he advises on a variety of issues, with a focus on labor and employment, litigation, and faculty and student affairs.         

p: Assistant: Loreta Rufo-Andrade 617-495-9246
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Chris Bebenek

University Attorney

Mr. Bebenek received his B.A. magna cum laude from Brown University, his M.A. in International Relations from Yale University, and his J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. Following law school, he joined the San Francisco office of Covington & Burling, LLP, where his practice focused on intellectual property litigation and counseling for technology and media clients. Mr. Bebenek then served as Corporate Counsel at Oracle, advising on licensing and other strategic transactions, open source compliance and policy, and sponsored research, and, most recently, as Senior Product Counsel at Zoom, advising the company’s product and engineering leadership on intellectual property, privacy, consumer protection, and regulatory compliance in the development of productivity and artificial intelligence product lines. At Harvard, Chris advises clients on copyright and other intellectual property matters, data privacy and security, use of artificial intelligence, sponsored research, commercial contracts, and a wide range of other transactions and regulatory matters. 

p: Assistant: Linda Como 617-495-1499
Ellen Berkman

Ellen Fels Berkman

University Attorney

Ms. Berkman received her B.A. magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard College and attended Columbia Law School, where she was Notes Editor of the Law Review. Following law school, Ms. Berkman clerked for the Honorable Joyce Hens Green of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Prior to joining the Office of the General Counsel at Harvard University, Ms. Berkman was a partner with the law firms of Baker Botts L.L.P. and Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin, L.L.P., both firms located in Washington, DC. She concentrated her practice in the areas of complex civil litigation and criminal defense and represented Richard Nixon and his estate on matters relating to the seizure of the presidential papers and tapes and the opening of the presidential materials at the National Archives. At Harvard, Ms. Berkman handles investigations and litigation, faculty and student affairs, and research and regulatory issues. Ms. Berkman sits on the board of the Roxbury Latin School and chairs the Audit Committee.

p: Assistant: Jean Murphy 617-496-4168
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Amanda E. Broderick

Associate Attorney

Ms. Broderick received her B.A. from Villanova University and her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law. During law school, Amanda worked as a legal intern in the False Claims Division of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and in Boston Children’s Hospital’s Office of General Counsel. She also served as a judicial intern to Justice Mary Thomas Sullivan of the Massachusetts Appeals Court. Following law school, Ms. Broderick joined the Boston office of the law firm Ropes & Gray LLP where she concentrated her practice on complex civil litigation, government and internal investigations, and employment-related matters. While at the firm, Ms. Broderick also maintained a robust pro bono practice with a focus on family law. At Harvard, she advises on a wide range of legal issues, including faculty and student affairs, labor and employment, and litigation.

p: Assistant: Patricia Morfin 617-495-1280
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Julie Faber

University Attorney and Practice Coordinator

Ms. Faber received a B.A., summa cum laude, from Bowdoin College (Phi Beta Kappa), an M.A. with high honors in Politics from Princeton University, and a J.D. from Harvard Law School. Prior to joining the Office of the General Counsel, Ms. Faber was a University Attorney in the Vanderbilt University Office of the General Counsel. Her practice there included corporate transactions, health law, technology transfer, university governance and conflicts of interest issues. She also served as counsel to the University Conflicts Committee and to the Board of Trust Ad Hoc Committee on Corporate Governance. At Harvard, Ms. Faber advises on a wide range of business transactions and regulatory matters, including commercial contracts, sponsored research agreements, online education initiatives, academic and hospital affiliations, corporate governance, data privacy, and research involving human subjects.

p: Assistant: Catherine Hammock 617-495-4778
Ara Gershengorn

Ara Gershengorn

University Attorney

Ms. Gershengorn received her B.A. magna cum laude from Harvard College and her J.D. from Columbia Law School where she was a Notes Editor of the Columbia Law Review.  Following law school, Ms. Gershengorn clerked for the Honorable Amalya L. Kearse of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.  Following her clerkship, Ms. Gershengorn joined the Department of Justice through the Honors Program as an Appellate Attorney in the Civil Division.  Ms. Gershengorn then was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Philadelphia where she prosecuted criminal trials and appeals.  Ms. Gershengorn has briefed dozens of appellate cases and has argued appeals in nearly every federal circuit court of appeals.  Prior to joining the Office of the General Counsel, Ms. Gershengorn was a partner with the law firm of Foley Hoag, LLP in Boston, MA.  She concentrated her practice in the areas of complex civil litigation, white collar criminal defense, and data security and privacy.  At Harvard, Ms. Gershengorn advises on investigations, litigation, and law enforcement related matters.

p: Assistant: Jean Murphy 617-496-4168
Hamilton Hackney

Hamilton Hackney

University Attorney

Mr. Hackney received his B.A. from Middlebury College (cum laude) and his J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he was the Articles Editor of the Journal of Energy Law and Policy and named to the Order of the Coif. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Mr. Hackney was a shareholder in the Boston office of Greenberg Traurig and prior to that a partner at Choate Hall & Stewart in Boston, where his practice focused on environmental law and commercial real estate, including complex transactions and development projects. At Harvard, he is primarily engaged with permitting, transactional and other real estate matters involving the University’s Allston holdings, including the Enterprise Research Campus, as well as other University real estate, environmental, and health and safety matters.

p: Assistant: Loreta Rufo-Andrade 617-495-9246
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Jennifer T. Harding

University Attorney

Ms. Harding received her B.S. with honors from Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and her J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. Following law school, Jennifer clerked for the Honorable Levin H. Campbell of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. She then joined the Boston-based law firm of Ropes & Gray, where she practiced for over twenty years. As a partner at Ropes & Gray, Jennifer focused on transactional tax and structuring matters, international transactions and private fund formation. At Harvard, she advises on Charitable Giving, Contracts and Business Transactions, Information Security & Privacy issues, International Ventures and Tax matters.

p: Assistant: Loreta Rufo-Andrade 617-495-9246
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Katie Kelsh

Associate Attorney

Ms. Kelsh received her B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Southern California and her J.D. from Stanford Law School, where she served as Executive Editor of the Stanford Law Review. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Sandra S. Ikuta of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and the Honorable Christopher R. Cooper of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Ms. Kelsh practiced at the law firm of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP, where she concentrated her practice in complex civil litigation and government investigations. At Harvard, she advises on a wide range of legal issues, including faculty and student affairs, litigation, and investigations.

p: Assistant: Patricia Morfin 617-495-1280
Jennifer Kirby

Jennifer Kirby

University Attorney

A summa cum laude graduate of Bowdoin College, Ms. Kirby received her Ed.M. in Education Management and Policy from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her J.D. magna cum laude from Northwestern University School of Law. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Ms. Kirby was an Assistant General Counsel at Northeastern University, advising on a variety of matters, including faculty and student affairs, employment, and litigation. Ms. Kirby began her legal career at Foley Hoag LLP, where she practiced in the litigation department and represented higher education clients. At Harvard, she advises on faculty and student affairs, labor and employment, and litigation.

p: Assistant: Loreta Rufo-Andrade 617-495-9246
Heather Quay

Heather M. Quay

University Attorney and Administrative Coordinator

A magna cum laude graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (Phi Beta Kappa), Ms. Quay also attended the London School of Economics and received her J.D. from Yale Law School, where she served as an editor of the Yale Journal of Law and Feminism. Following graduation, she practiced for four years with the Boston law firm of Hill & Barlow and also served as a law clerk to the Honorable Reginald C. Lindsay of the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. At Harvard, she advises on a wide range of issues, with a focus on: litigation and investigations; student and faculty affairs; research compliance and management, including research misconduct and the use of human subjects and animals in research; digital accessibility; and healthcare.

p: Assistant: Catherine Hammock 617-495-4778
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Peter H. Serreze

University Attorney

Mr. Serreze received his undergraduate degree from Cornell University and attended the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was an editor of the Virginia Law Review, a member of the Order of the Coif and the recipient of the Pro Bono Award. Following law school, Mr. Serreze clerked for the Honorable Sam J. Ervin III of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit and the Honorable Paul H. Roney of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. Before joining the Office of the General Counsel, Mr. Serreze practiced with the law firms of Ropes & Gray LLP and Locke Lord LLP in the areas of tax and public finance, primarily representing higher education and other nonprofit clients. At Harvard, Mr. Serreze advises on tax, charitable giving, and general business and corporate matters.

p: Assistant: Linda Como 617-495-1499