www .alan-dershowitz .com. Alan Morton Dershowitz ( / ˈdɜːrʃəwɪts /; born September 1, 1938) is an American lawyer known for his work in U.S. constitutional law and American criminal law. He taught at Harvard Law School from 1964 through 2013, where he was appointed as the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law in 1993.
Alan Dershowitz and Jimmy Wales at Yale University in 2009. Dershowitz attended Yeshiva University High School, an independent boys' prep school owned by Yeshiva University, in Manhattan, New York City, where he played on the basketball team. He was a rebellious student, often criticized by his teachers.
In January 2020, Dershowitz joined 45th President Donald Trump's legal team as Trump was defending against impeachment charges that had proceeded to the Senate. Dershowitz's addition to the team was notable, as commentators pointed out that Dershowitz was a supporter of Hillary Clinton and had offered occasionally controversial television defenses of Trump in the preceding two years. The statement announcing Dershowitz's joining the team said that Dershowitz was "nonpartisan when it comes to the Constitution.” Dershowitz said he would not accept any compensation, and if he was paid something, he would donate it to charity. Dershowitz defended his representation of Trump, which was controversial among critics of Trump, saying "I'm there to try to defend the integrity of the constitution – that benefits President Trump in this case." Dershowitz said that his role would be limited to presenting oral arguments before the Senate opposing impeachment.
Dershowitz is the author of several books about politics and the law, including Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case (1985), the basis of the 1990 film; Chutzpah (1991); Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case (1996); The Case for Israel (2003); and The Case for Peace (2005).
The first investigation into Epstein concluded with a controversial non-prosecution agreement which Dershowitz helped negotiate on Epstein's behalf. On June 30, 2008, after Epstein pleaded guilty to a state charge (one of two) of procuring for prostitution a girl below age 18 and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Dershowitz reportedly received a $75,000 out-of-court settlement, and the newspaper's ombudsman questioned Barnicle's credibility, according to The Boston Phoenix. Dershowitz served on the team that represented O.J. Simpson in his 1995 murder trial.
Dershowitz retired from teaching at Harvard Law in December 2013. He is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. Throughout his tenure at Harvard, Dershowitz maintained his legal practice in both criminal and civil law.