The Harvard Law Review's board of trustees yesterday chose a prominent Boston lawyer to investigate recent charges of racism, sexism and power abuse at the Review.

Ralph D. Gants '76, a former editor of the Review and former assistant U.S. attorney, will begin his probe of charges against Review President Emily R. Schulman '85 after the Law School's week-long break next week.

Gants, currently counsel with the Boston firm Palmer and Dodge, yesterday called his job a "fact-finding investigation."

"My charge is to find the facts as fairly and impartially possible," he said.

But he said his first task is "to learn and articulate the allegations" to be investigated.

While most of the allegations concern the conduct of Schulman, Gants indicated that the investigation will be concerned with the "reported events," nothing that "it's not targeted at any individual."

President Neil L. Rudenstine said yesterday that the administration has carefully considered its response to the complaints.

"If what they were saying were true then it seemed to me to be very serious," Rudenstine said. "These are intelligent, thoughtful people who were obviously very upset."

The accusations that are most controversial--because Schulman has flatly denied them--involve racist and sexist comments she allegedly made.

According to third-year Review editors speaking on the condition of anonymity, Schulman said that allowing a Black woman to edit an article written by Assistant Professor of Law Charles J. Ogletree Jr., who is Black,"would be a disaster."

Schulman allegedy said that "this 3-L editorwould be the Black editor on the piece and youknow how complicated that would get."

Editors also charged that Schulman discourageda female classmate from seeking to advance in theReview hierarchy, because to do so would place"too many women in leadership positions."

The Review's board of trustees includes LawSchool Dean Robert C. Clark, Graduate TreasurerErnest J. Sargeant, Goldston Professor of LawWilliam D. Andrews and Professor of Law RichardParker as well as Schulman and Treasurer SamHirsch. Schulman and Hirsch chose not toparticipate in the selection of Gants.

In a prepared statement, the four Black womeneditors who initially raised thecharges--third-years Rhonda Adams, Renee M. Jones,Shelley Simms and Stephanie Sowell--yesterdaypraised the decision to investigate the Review.

"We welcome the board of trustees' appointmentof a special investigator to examine allegationsof race and gender discrimination and abuse ofpower by the Law Reviews' President EmilySchulman," they said.

They also expressed optimism that the issuewould be resolved.

"We are confident that a full and conclusivedetermination of fact will allow the Law Review totake appropriate action and to move beyond thesetroubling events," they said.

Gants has extensive experience as aninvestigator, having served as assistant U.S.attorney for Massachusetts from 1983 to 1991,including three years as chief of the publiccorruption division.

Parker, who participated in the selectionprocess, lauded Gants' "experience ininvestigative matters, which is unusual, and hispersonal integrity and sense of fairness."

Schulman could not be reached for comment.

Ira E. Stoll and Erica L. Werner contributedto the reporting of this story.