Building a Foundation for Harvard Law School

Using the tools and skills learned at Franklin & Marshall College, Mira Lerner ’20 built a sturdy foundation for her studies at Harvard Law School.

“At F&M, I learned so much more about how to think than what to think,” she said. “The opportunities that I had to engage in research at F&M allowed me to enter law school already comfortable consulting different kinds of sources and reaching across disciplines.”

Now a candidate for the juris doctorate degree, Lerner recounted being encouraged at F&M to approach problems by looking into underlying causes and motives, and to write persuasively by backing up beliefs with empirical data. 

“These skills have significantly helped me adapt to law school because strong legal arguments depend on the ability to find connections between issues and frame them to your advantage,” she said. 

Upon graduating from Harvard, Lerner sees herself at a nonprofit organization working in impact litigation — the practice of bringing lawsuits intended to affect social change — or policy advocacy. 

“I’ve felt drawn toward smaller, more communally based organizations that engage in non-legal work, as well,” Lerner said. “I’m considering some internships surrounding international LGBTQ rights and HIV/AIDS policy advocacy.”