In 1996, when Professor Bernard Hibbitts first established JURIST, few could have foreseen the impact the project would have. Whether measured in terms of the individual lives it has touched, its global reach, or the impressions it has left on the landscape of online legal news coverage, JURIST’s role cannot be overstated.
What began as a modest online repository for legal scholarship evolved under Professor Hibbitts’ visionary leadership into a groundbreaking service that revolutionized how legal news reaches the public. Through his innovative approach of empowering law students as reporters and editors, he created a unique educational model that has trained generations of legal professionals while delivering accessible, authoritative coverage of rule-of-law issues to millions of readers worldwide. Upon his retirement in December 2024, after nearly three decades of service, his legacy endures in JURIST’s continued commitment to bridging the gap between legal academia and public understanding, fostering transparency and justice across borders.
A festschrift is a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar, traditionally during their lifetime. This digital festschrift for Professor Hibbitts will grow organically through regular contributions published several times weekly. All entries will be permanently archived and indexed on a dedicated section of JURIST’s website, creating a living testament to his transformative vision and lasting impact on legal journalism and education. This is the sixth entry in this ongoing series.
In the Spring of 2020 when the world was battling with a pandemic, JURIST opened its doors to its first set of international editors from different backgrounds and different parts of the world. When I joined JURIST as a pre-law major, little did I know that JURIST and Prof. Bernard Hibbitts would become such a crucial part of my journey through my legal career.
Prof. Hibbitts and I connected through an introductory call which led to me reading his research and scholarly work. Both of us found common ground in our shared passion for legal history and the legal profession. Though I never had the fortune of sitting in his class, I was fortunate to take several life lessons from him that culminated in the career choices I made.
In March 2024, I received my acceptance to attend Harvard Law School for the LL.M.(Masters of Law) program, which Professor Hibbitts attended in 1988. He was the first person after my parents, with whom I shared the news of my acceptance. Getting that offer of admission meant I would take a flight from India to the United States of America and I would have the opportunity to meet JURIST staff members who groomed me into thinking about world issues from Myanmar, Afghanistan, Canada and Ukraine. I was extremely happy to fly into Pittsburgh, a week after entering the United States to meet Jaclyn and Prof Hibbitts. It was the first time I met them in person, but, it didn’t feel like that at all. It was rather a reunion just in person. Meeting Prof Hibbitts in his office was a joyous moment, to see his archives and how he works was stepping into the thought process of JURIST and its evolution. Seeing my name on the placard for ‘The Sutin Prize’ and ‘The Jeannie Shawl Prize’ made me feel even more connected to JURIST in its physical presence. Attending school in Cambridge, Massachusetts; Ingrid Burke-Friedman, Editorial Director at JURIST became my local guardian and family. For Ingrid and I, a sense of family stemmed from our time at JURIST. JURIST has offered me so much more than just legal training, it has offered me a community of people who trust each other and support each other from different parts of the world. JURIST is a legacy that I am very proud to be a part of.
I have known Prof Hibbitts for the past 4 years, and he has seen me grow as a law student, lawyer and scholar. I am constantly reminded of Prof. Hibbitts and how he took a chance on a pre-law major from Mumbai, India and mentored me into being who I am today. When I receive messages from any young law student or a lawyer, I am reminded of the duty of giving back to the community and mentoring young folks in the same way Prof Hibbitts did. It is a sense of duty that Prof Hibbitts has instilled in me to give back to the community, a sense of public service.
Thank you so much, Prof Hibbitts. It has been an honour to have been mentored by you. You mean a lot to me than words can ever express. JURIST will not be the same without you, but, your legacy will remain and I promise to upload your teachings and dedicate myself to public service, the way you did.
Vishwajeet Deshmukh is a First Amendment attorney who received a law degree from the Government Law College in Mumbai, India in 2022, and an Ll.M. from Harvard Law in 2023. He worked with JURIST from 2020-2022, rising to the ranks of Managing Editor of Multimedia.
