Law scholar Dr. Lawrence Lessig to speak at Lamar University Distinguished Lecture Series

Lawrence Lessig, renowned legal scholar, activist and author, will be the featured speaker in the Lamar University Distinguished Lecture Series at Lamar University on Tuesday, April 14 at 7 p.m. in the University Theatre.

Lessig, the Roy L. Furman Professor of Law and Leadership at Harvard Law School, is widely recognized for his work on constitutional law, digital rights and democratic reform. His scholarship has shaped national conversations on the legal implications of technology and the influences that affect public trust in democratic institutions.

He has held faculty positions at Stanford Law School, where he founded the Center for Internet and Society, and the University of Chicago. Early in his career, he served as a clerk for Judge Richard Posner of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit and Justice Antonin Scalia of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lessig is the founder of Equal Citizens, a founding board member of Creative Commons, and serves on the Scientific Board of the AXA Research Fund. He has been honored with numerous awards, including a Webby, the Free Software Foundation's Freedom Award and the Scientific American 50 Award, and is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Lessig has written more than a dozen books, including "They Don't Represent Us: Reclaiming Our Democracy" and "Republic and Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress-and a Plan to Stop It." He holds degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, Cambridge University and Yale Law School.

"We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Lessig to Lamar University as part of this year's Distinguished Lecture Series," Lamar University President Jaime Taylor said. "This series allows our students to connect directly with world-class thinkers. Dr. Lessig's work at the intersection of law, technology and democracy gives students an opportunity to engage with ideas shaping national conversations on these critical issues."

The lecture is free and open to the public.