Alan Dershowitz

EXCLUSIVE
  • Renowned Defense Attorney
  • Prominent Scholar on U.S. Constitutional & Criminal Law
  • Bestselling Author of 'Reversal of Fortune: Inside the von Bülow Case' and 'Reasonable Doubts: The Criminal Justice System and the O.J. Simpson Case'
  • Contributor, CNN

Civil liberties lawyer, law professor, and bestselling author Alan Dershowitz has been called one of the “most distinguished defenders of individual rights, “the best-known criminal lawyer in the world, and “the top lawyer of last resort. Dershowitz, a graduate of Brooklyn College and Yale Law School, joined the Harvard Law School faculty at age 25 – the youngest in the school’s history -- and became an Emeritus professor after 50 years of teaching and 10K students. Dershowitz continues to represent numerous defendants and takes half of his cases pro bono. In his speeches, he challenges audiences with thought-provoking perspectives on today’s foremost social, legal, and ethical issues.

Dershowitz is a vocal defender of civil liberties and the constitution. He is the author of many fiction and non-fiction books, including seven bestsellers. Dershowitz’s widely circulated column for The Hill, as well as his frequent appearances on major news outlets including the New York Times, Forbes, FOX News, and CNN, reflect his position as a leading voice on civil liberties and make him an in-demand speaker. His voice has been sought by Purdue University, Elon University, the Center of the American Experiment, the Institute for Policy Innovation, and Jewish Federations around the world, among countless others.

 



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Alan Dershowitz headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • Riverside Theatre Distinguished Lecture Series
  • Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies
  • Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
  • Tampa Jewish Federation
  • Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York
  • Center of the American Experiment
  • Moriah Congregation
  • Jewish Federation of Los Angeles
  • United Jewish Appeal of Greater Toronto
  • Munk Debates
Rave Reviews About Alan Dershowitz as a Speaker
Our evening with Alan Dershowitz last night was a great success. People had a great evening and he was very personable, engaging, and had just the right amount of controversy to keep people mesmerized.

Alan Dershowitz Weighs In On The Future Of Hamas After It's Attack On Israel | Forbes Breaking News - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Alan Dershowitz
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Global Perspectives on Justice and Civil Liberties

Professor ALAN DERSHOWITZ offers his thoughts as a scholar on constitutional law in this climate. Dershowitz shares his insights on the most pressing current events, coming to startlingly original and thought-provoking conclusions. ...

Professor ALAN DERSHOWITZ offers his thoughts as a scholar on constitutional law in this climate. Dershowitz shares his insights on the most pressing current events, coming to startlingly original and thought-provoking conclusions.

State of the Union: What’s Happening?

Globally recognized legal mind ALAN DERSHOWITZ looks at the big questions regarding globalization, human rights, freedom, democracy, the Middle East, and international affairs to make sense of the world in which we live. He analyzes current events, equipping audiences with the knowledge and understa ...

Globally recognized legal mind ALAN DERSHOWITZ looks at the big questions regarding globalization, human rights, freedom, democracy, the Middle East, and international affairs to make sense of the world in which we live. He analyzes current events, equipping audiences with the knowledge and understanding needed to make sense of our world and the future.

21st Century Antisemitism

Professor ALAN DERSHOWITZ, famous civil liberties lawyer, explains how current day antisemitism is different from the antisemitism of the past. His talks unite communities in their shared fight against antisemitism and hate, promoting democratic values of tolerance. Dershowitz provides actionable id ...

Professor ALAN DERSHOWITZ, famous civil liberties lawyer, explains how current day antisemitism is different from the antisemitism of the past. His talks unite communities in their shared fight against antisemitism and hate, promoting democratic values of tolerance. Dershowitz provides actionable ideas for audiences to try and make the world a better place by furthering and building bridges of tolerance, justice, and human rights.

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Speaker News
<p><strong>Professor Alan Dershowitz’s keynotes, debates, and Q&As engage audiences</strong></p>

Professor Alan Dershowitz’s keynotes, debates, and Q&As engage audiences

Civil liberties lawyer, law professor, and bestselling author ALAN DERSHOWITZ captures audiences nationally with exceptional programs which inform, educate, and equip audiences to engage with today’s social and political issues. Here are some of his rave reviews:

  • Canadian Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev: “Professor Dershowitz was terrific in every possible way. He was a true mensch in everything he did for the gala… extremely personable… terrific with his answers… I would gladly bring him in again.”
  • United Jewish Federation of Northeastern New York: “Last evening’s event was outstanding… Professor Dershowitz it was a wonderful choice as the keynote for this major donor event. He was attended, articulate and extremely accommodating to all of our requests.”
  • Munk Debates: "He received rave reviews and made an outstanding contribution to the debate. The video of the debate has been viewed over 100,000 times since Friday night, record for us and a testament to the passion, substance and debating savvy Allan brought to the contest."

Watch Alan Dershowitz in discussion on 92Y >>

Watch Alan Dershowitz’s remarks at the Jewish Federation of Phoenix >>

<p><strong>Professor Alan Dershowitz connects with audiences through his podcast, ‘The Dershow’</strong></p>

Professor Alan Dershowitz connects with audiences through his podcast, ‘The Dershow’

Globally renowned civil liberties lawyer and bestselling author Professor ALAN DERSHOWITZ has launched a podcast, The Dershow with Alan Dershowitz. In biweekly episodes, he discusses politics, law, the constitution, and current events with a rapt audience of over 70K. Dershowitz addresses sensitive topics as an articulate, civil, and reasonable legal professional to capture not only the letter of the law, but its spirit as well. Designed to foster dialogue about some of the most relevant issues of the day, Dershowitz encourages audiences to contribute to the intellectual vitality of our time.

Listen to The Dershow with Alan Dershowitz on iHeart Radio >>

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Books by Alan Dershowitz
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Press & Media
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Biography

Professor Alan M. Dershowitz is a Brooklyn native who has been called “the nation’s most peripatetic civil liberties lawyer” and one of its “most distinguished defenders of individual rights,” “the best-known criminal lawyer in the world,” “the top lawyer of last resort.”  He has been named America’s most “public Jewish Defender,” -- “the Jewish state’s lead attorney in the court of public opinion.” He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law, Emeritus, at Harvard Law School.  Dershowitz, a graduate of Brooklyn College and Yale Law School, joined the Harvard Law School faculty at age 25 – the youngest in the school’s history -- and became an Emeritus professor after 50 years of teaching and 10,000 students.

Dershowitz has been called the “winningest” criminal lawyer in modern history and has argued hundreds of appeals in courts throughout the nation. He has won the vast majority of his homicide cases and has never lost a client to the death penalty.  He continues to consult actively on both transnational and domestic criminal and civil liberty cases.  He continues to devote half of his practice to pro bono cases and causes.

Dershowitz has also published more than 1000 articles in magazines, newspapers, journals and blogs.  These include the New York Times, for which he has written numerous op-eds, book reviews and articles for the Week in Review, as well as for the Magazine and entertainment sections.  He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The Harvard Law Review, the Yale Law Journal, the Huffington Post, Gatestone, Newsmax, Jerusalem Post, Ha’aretz, and Algemeiner.  Professor Dershowitz is the author of 35 fiction and non-fiction works with a worldwide audience, including the New York Times #1 bestseller Chutzpah and five other national bestsellers.  His autobiography, Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law, was published in 2013 and his eBook, Electile Dysfunction:  A Guide for Unaroused Voters, was published in 2016.  In his latest books, Trumped Up (8/2017), and The Case Against BDS (1/2018), Dershowitz reinforces his long standing record of presenting the issues of the day with "trenchant legal analysis" and "Using the scalpel of scholarship."

In addition to his numerous law review articles and books about criminal and constitutional law, he has written, taught and lectured about history, philosophy, psychology, literature, mathematics, theology, music, sports – and even delicatessens.

His writing has been praised by Truman Capote, Saul Bellow, William Styron, David Mamet, Aharon Appelfeld, A.B. Yehoshua, Elie Wiesel, Richard North Patterson, Steven Pinker and Henry Louis Gates, Jr.  More than a million of his books—translated in many languages -- have been sold worldwide.

He has also been the recipient of numerous honorary doctor degrees and academic awards including a Guggenheim Fellowship for his work on human rights, a fellowship at The Center for the Advanced Study of Behavioral Sciences and several Dean’s Awards for his books.

In 1983, the Anti-Defamation League of the B’nai B’rith presented him with the William O. Douglas First Amendment Award for his “compassionate eloquent leadership and persistent advocacy in the struggle for civil and human rights.”  In presenting the award, Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel said: “If there had been a few people like Alan Dershowitz during the 1930s and 1940s, the history of European Jewry might have been different.”

He has been the subject of two New Yorker cartoons, a New York Times crossword puzzle, and a Trivial Pursuit question.  A Sandwich at Fenway Park has been named after him—pastrami, of course.

He is married to Carolyn Cohen, a Ph.D. psychologist.  He has three children, one a film producer, one a lawyer for the Women’s Basketball Association and one a professional actor.  He also has two grandchildren, one a college senior at Harvard and the other on the way to medical school.