Harvard Law Student Receives Prestigious Award for Winning Cases for the Underprivileged

Arjun Gananathan, a doctoral candidate at Harvard Law School, has been celebrated for earning the 2024 Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Award for his work in advancing fairness and justice.

Being a law student goes beyond studying; it involves critical thinking, dedication, and a passion for justice. Arjun Gananathan, a doctoral candidate at Harvard Law School, exemplifies these qualities, earning the 2024 Ralph D. Gants Access to Justice Award for his work in advancing fairness and justice.

Arjun, 28, expressed his gratitude for the award and acknowledged the influence of Chief Justice Gants on his view of legal advocacy.

“Chief Justice Gants shows us that standing up for the marginalized is the greatest honor in our field. I feel lucky to have done this legal work at Harvard Law School’s clinics and owe my deepest thanks to my mentors, Crisanne Hazen, Michael Gregory, Jesse Grove, and Alexis Waller,” he said.

The award, established in 2021 to honor the late Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, recognizes students dedicated to promoting social justice.

Arjun highlighted his achievements at the Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) in Massachusetts, where he represented underprivileged clients.

One notable accomplishment was securing the pre-trial release of a single mother, preventing her separation from her special-needs son.

“During my first court appearance, I successfully argued to keep my client, a single mom with a young special-needs son, out of jail. The government wanted to keep them apart for 90 days, but I helped prevent that,” Arjun shared.

In another case, just before his final exam in Criminal Procedure, Arjun received an urgent call to defend a young client in Dorchester Juvenile Court.

He successfully argued against the prosecution’s efforts to cancel bail, securing the client’s release until the trial.

“These accomplishments were special to me because they preserved someone’s freedom,” he added.

Arjun’s academic journey began at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned a degree in Psychology and Linguistics.

He also volunteered for initiatives like the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project and the Mississippi Delta Project (MDP). At MDP’s Economic Justice Project, he helped black farmers in Mississippi address past discrimination.

Mentor Jesse Grove remarked, “Arjun really shows what CJI is about: helping people, not just handling cases.”

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SOURCES: ALLSCHOOL, WORLDOFBUZZ