
Samantha Harris
Defending students and faculty in Title IX and campus discipline cases
Samantha Harris is a nationally recognized attorney focused on protecting the rights of students and faculty in campus disciplinary proceedings. With over two decades of experience advocating for due process and free expression in higher education, she now represents individuals facing life-altering accusations under Title IX, student conduct codes, and faculty disciplinary systems.
Before entering private practice, Samantha spent more than 15 years at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), where she served as Vice President for Policy Research. In that role, she became one of the country’s leading voices on civil liberties in academia, advising students, faculty, and institutions on the legal and constitutional issues surrounding speech, academic freedom, and campus adjudications.
Her legal practice focuses on defending clients involved in allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, retaliation, and discrimination—especially under Title IX. Samantha’s experience allows her to navigate the often opaque and inconsistent disciplinary processes used by colleges and universities across the country. She regularly represents both complainants and respondents in campus hearings and appeals and consults on litigation strategies in federal court.
Samantha earned her undergraduate degree from Princeton University and her J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she served as Articles Editor of the Journal of Constitutional Law. After law school, she clerked for the Honorable Jay C. Waldman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
She works with clients nationwide and is known for her strategic clarity, steady counsel, and unwavering commitment to fairness, Samantha helps students and faculty assert their rights during some of the most challenging moments of their academic careers.
- Education Law
- Civil Rights
- Discrimination, Employment
- Free Consultation
- Credit Cards Accepted
- Pennsylvania
- Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- ID Number: 90268
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- English
- Law Clerk, Hon. Jay C. Waldman
- U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania
- Current
- Associate
- Pepper Hamilton LLP
- Current
- FIRE
- Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
- Current
- Princeton University
- J.D. (2002)
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- University of Pennsylvania
- B.A. (1999) | Politics
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- Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism (FAIR)
- Advisory Board
- Current
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- Jewish Institute for Liberal Values
- Board of Directors
- Current
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- Princetonians for Free Speech
- Board of Directors
- Current
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- Independent Womens Law Center
- Advisory Board
- Current
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