Lessig, who holds a J.D. from Yale Law School (1989), came to Stanford in 2000, after three years at Harvard Law, and prior to that, six years at the University of Chicago.  In 1990-91, he clerked for Justice Antonin Scalia in the U.S. Supreme Court.  He has been involved in numerous legal cases in which the technology of the Internet has produced clashes with the law:  the Microsoft case, Napster, the AOL-Time Warner merger (in which he argued successfully for Time Warner to open its cable system to competitors as part of the merger agreement).  His resumé lists dozens of publications in legal journals as well as op-eds in prestigious newspapers and the list of lectures and seminars he has given in the past decade goes on for pages.  His two books, The Future of Ideas: The Fate of the Commons in a Connected World (Random House, 2001) and Code, and Other Laws of Cyberspace (Basic Books, 1999), have received much critical acclaim.

This is the first in a series of Tidbits of the Week devoted to the authors whose works appear in the new edition of Technology and the Future.  In coming weeks, we will profile such other writers on technology as Bill Joy, Ziauddin Sardar, Thomas Murray, Amory and Hunter Lovins, and President George W. Bush (!).

Lawrence Lessig's home page.  Contains about as much information about Lessig's background, publications, teaching, public appearances, and other activities as you could possibly want.  Included are the full texts of many of his writings, testimony, and lectures, as well as audio and video clips.

Lawrence Lessig's listing on the Stanford Law School Faculty site.  Source of the photo above, but not much information.

The Stanford Center for Internet and Society, founded by Lessig.

"Cyberspace's Legal Visionary," interviewed by Jesse Walker, Reasononline (June 2002). 
A lengthy, revealing interview.

"Code + Law: An Interview with Lawrence Lessig," by Tim O'Reilly and Richard Koman, OpenP2P (January 29, 2001).

"Lawrence Lessig on Regulating the Net," by Aaron Zitner, Wide Open News (reprinted from The Boston Globe), March 22, 2000.  "Software writers and governments and building regulations into the apps of the Internet, overlooking privacy and freedom in the process. Lessig's suggestion: open source."

"Lawrence Lessig Answers Your Questions," Slashdot (December 21, 2001).  Geeks quiz Lessig on copyright, civil liberties, file-sharing, Microsoft, and more.

Press release from Harvard Law School announcing the appointment of Lawrence Lessig, formerly of the University of Chicago Law School (August 25, 1997).

"Luring Lessig," by Ross Hanig, Law.com (October 16, 2001).  How the dean of Stanford Law School stole Lessig from Harvard.