Last Lecture to the Harvard Class of 2026

Robert Sitkoff’s “Last Lecture” to the Harvard Law School Class of 2026 argues that private law—contracts, property, torts, corporations, family law, and especially trusts and estates—is a quiet but essential foundation of the rule of law, every bit as vital as the more visible realms of constitutional or criminal law. He emphasizes that private law enables people to organize their personal and professional lives peacefully and predictably, offering ready‑made legal forms that facilitate marriage, business formation, inheritance, and dispute resolution “through law, rather than through baseball bat.” Sitkoff urges new lawyers to practice with empathy, tailor legal structures to client goals, and embrace their professional duty to improve outdated legal rules, noting that meaningful law reform rarely comes from politicians. Ultimately, he contends that when private law fails—when deals collapse, families are unprotected, or everyday transactions break down—the rule of law fails ordinary people, making private‑law practitioners indispensable to a functioning democratic society.

See Rachel Reed, Resolving disputes through law, not ‘baseball bat’, Harvard Law Today (Apr. 28, 2026).