John Leshy, The Harry D. Sunderland Distinguished Professor of Real Property Law

John Leshy came to Hastings in the fall of 2001, after serving as Solicitor (General Counsel) of the U.S. Department of the Interior throughout the Clinton Administration.  Previously he had taught at Arizona State University College of Law (1980-1992), and served in the Interior Department in the Carter Administration, with the Committee on Natural Resources, U.S. House of Representatives, and with the Natural Resources Defense Council in California. He started his legal career as a litigator with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. In 2008-2009 he co-chaired the Obama Administration transition team for the Interior Department. 

Professor Leshy is an aficionado of jazz and classical music, running rivers, hiking, and tennis with his partner Peggy Karp, a psychiatrist. His son, Alec, teaches music in the Boston public schools.

Courses Taught: Property, Constitutional Law I, Public Lands and Resources Law, Federal Indian Law, and Natural Resources Seminar

My favorite part about teaching is... helping students engage the law analytically, while enhancing their appreciation of how forces like culture, politics, science and technology impact the law's evolution.

I hope students take away from Hastings... intellectual rigor, advocacy skills, disciplined work habits, a greater capacity for empathy, and a refined sense of fairness.