Former Harvard Official Faces Ethics Complaints Over $42 Million Paid to His Law Firm
A former top official at Harvard University, William Lee, is under scrutiny after two ethics complaints were filed against him. The complaints allege that Harvard paid his law firm, Wilmer Hale, nearly $42 million between 2011 and 2022 while he served on the school’s governing board. The complaints, sent to the Massachusetts attorney general and the Board of Bar Overseers, accuse Lee of a possible conflict of interest by having a pecuniary interest in a service provider to Harvard.
Lee, who served on Harvard’s board of directors from 2010 to 2022, was also a partner at Wilmer Hale during that time. The law firm billed Harvard over $11 million in legal fees in 2019 alone. The complaints raise questions about Harvard’s corporate governance procedures and whether there were conflicts of interest or duties involved in Lee’s role at the university.
Harvard has faced criticism for its handling of antisemitism on campus, with Wilmer Hale advising the university’s former president during a congressional hearing on the matter. Lee also served as Harvard’s outside counsel in the affirmative action case “Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard,” which culminated in a Supreme Court decision against the university in 2023.
Despite the allegations, Harvard consistently answered “No” on annual disclosures regarding trustee financial interests, despite paying Lee’s firm millions of dollars. Both Harvard and Lee have not responded to requests for comment on the matter. The Massachusetts attorney general’s office has received the complaints but has not confirmed or denied the existence of an investigation.
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