A Harvard Law School student, Apsara Iyer, has become the first Indian-American woman to be elected as the President of the Harvard Law Review, one of the most prestigious law journals in the world. The 29-year-old student has dedicated herself to the investigation of art and antiquities theft and has been working in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, where she has been involved in the investigation of art crime and repatriation of more than 1,100 stolen works of art to 15 countries.

Iyer, born in Chicago and raised in Indiana, developed an interest in archaeology while attending a boarding school in Massachusetts and became aware of the harm art trafficking causes to indigenous communities. After graduating from Yale in 2016, she joined the Manhattan DA’s office in 2018 as an investigative analyst.

During her time at the DA’s office, Iyer worked on several high-profile cases, including the case of Michael Steinhardt, a hedge fund billionaire who agreed to surrender $70 million in stolen antiquities and accept a lifetime ban on acquiring antiquities. Iyer continued working part-time at the DA’s office during her first year at Harvard Law School in 2020 and took a year off school to work as the chief of staff of her unit at the DA’s office and focus on the case against Steinhardt.

As the new President of the Harvard Law Review, Iyer intends to ensure that the publication amplifies a wide range of voices and is mindful of the articles that it includes. Law reviews are staffed by top students from U.S. law schools and are often used as a platform for the brightest legal minds to showcase their work. Notable alums of the Harvard Law Review include President Barack Obama, the first Black person to be elected as its President, and three serving members of the U.S. Supreme Court who have served as editors.

Iyer’s election as the President of the Harvard Law Review is a testament to her dedication to fighting art crime and her commitment to using the law to address the growing problem of antiquities trafficking. She succeeds Priscila Coronado, the first Latina to lead the Harvard Law Review, and represents a step forward for diversity and representation in the legal profession.

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Harvard Law Review picks antiquities theft sleuth as new president