The HLS Case Studies website publishes experiential classroom materials for many Harvard Law School courses and programs. Case studies are educational tools that engage readers in active learning by putting them squarely in the shoes of real people wrestling with real dilemmas. These experiential tools are used in undergraduate and graduate courses; continuing legal training and education; executive education; and professional development courses, workshops, and seminars. As students read a case, prepare assignments, and actively participate in class discussions and exercises, they learn how best to approach the problems described in the case. Cases are used to illustrate a particular set of learning objectives, and (as in real life) rarely are there exact answers to the dilemma at hand. The case study will provide readers with an overview of the issue, background on the setting (typically the individual, company/institution, industry, and larger environment), the people involved, and the events that led to the problem or decision at hand. Cases can be written entirely from the point of view of a single actor or protagonist and based on interviews with the people involved, while others can be developed from public sources. Still other case studies can be disguised versions of actual events or composites based on the faculty authors’ experience and knowledge of the subject.
