Dr. Thomas Saenz

Assistant Professor

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Biography

Thomas Saenz is an experienced attorney and lecturer at Harvard Law School. He has a distinguished history with the Mexican American Legal Defense Educational Fund (MALDEF), serving as President and General Counsel since August 2009. In this role, he notably contributed to civil rights litigation, having successfully challenged California’s Proposition 187 and led numerous important cases in the areas of immigrant rights, education, employment, and voting rights. His efforts include significant victories in advocating for day laborers and leading an amicus brief in support of affirmative action in the Supreme Court case, Grutter v. Bollinger. Saenz has held influential positions, including serving as Counsel for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, where he was part of an executive team that provided legal policy advice and worked on legislative efforts aimed at reforming governance within the Los Angeles Unified School District. He is a widely published author and has a history of teaching Civil Rights Litigation as an adjunct lecturer at the University of Southern California (USC) Law School for eight years. His contributions to the legal field have been recognized with multiple awards, including the Peace and Justice Award from the Instituto de Educacion Popular del Sur de California and the Ohtli Award from the Hispanic National Bar Association.

Research Interests

Experience

Lecturer

2026-01-01 — Present

Harvard Law School • Cambridge, MA

President and General Counsel

2009-08-01 — Present

Mexican American Legal Defense Educational Fund (MALDEF) •

Counsel

— Present

City of Los Angeles •

Awards

#

100 Influential Hispanics

2009-10-01
#

Peace and Justice Award

2007-01-01
#

Public Service Award

2007-01-01
#

Ohtli Award

2006-01-01
#

Professional Achievement Award

2006-01-01

Courses

Current Topics in Latino Civil Rights

Requirements for Harvard Law School

Master Program
Requirements
TOEFL
Listening
Required:25
Reading
Required:25
Writing
Required:25
Speaking
Required:25
Total
Required:100
Prerequisites
J.D. from an ABA-approved U.S. law school or a first law degree (LL.B. or equivalent) from a foreign law school
Application Checklist
  • Online application form
  • CV/Résumé
  • Personal statements (Parts A and B)
  • At least two recommendations
  • Official transcripts and diplomas
  • Official TOEFL report (if applicable)
  • Application fee ($85)
Specialization Notes

Applied for under 'Department of Law', 'Department of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law', 'Department of Constitutional Law', 'Department of Japanese Legal Studies', and 'Department of Human Rights'.