About Us

Pound Institute is a legal think tank dedicated to the cause of promoting access to the civil justice system through its programs, publications, and research grants. The Institute was established in 1956 to build upon the work of Roscoe Pound, Dean of Harvard Law School from 1916 to 1936 and one of the law's greatest educators.

Vision

The Pound Institute shares Dean Roscoe Pound's philosophy of sociological jurisprudence - an interdisciplinary approach to the development of practical, relevant legal concepts embracing both the public arena and legal associations. The law is a dynamic system that is influenced by social conditions and that, in turn, influences society. This philosophy is the driving force of the Roscoe Pound Institute.

Mission

The Pound Institute promotes open, ongoing dialogue with the academic and judicial communities, and the public, on issues critical to protecting and ensuring the right to civil justice.

At symposiums, regional and annual Judges Forums, publications, and through grants and educational awards, the Pound Institute initiates and guides the debate that brings wide-ranging positive changes to American jurisprudence and solidifies the achievements that guarantee access to justice.