Allen Ferrell, a securities regulation specialist, has been named assistant professor of law at Harvard Law School (HLS).

Although he was offered the position in mid-March, Ferrell said he only accepted it a few weeks ago.

Ferrell, a 1995 graduate of HLS, said he is excited about the opportunity to give back to the school a little of what he feels the school has given him.

"I've always loved the school," he said.

Ferrell is currently an Olin Fellow in Law, Economics and Business at HLS, a position he accepted in 1997.

From 1995-1996, Ferrell clerked for Judge Lawrence H. Silberman of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. The next year, he clerked for Justice Anthony M. Kennedy of the U.S. Supreme Court. As a student at HLS, Ferrell was the recipient of the Sears Prize, awarded to the two law students with the highest grade point average in each of their first two years there.

Ferrell said he became interested in teaching during his student years after getting to know his professors.

His first teaching experience was as a teaching fellow in Moral Reasoning 22: "Justice" taught by Professor of Government Michael J. Sandel. As a fellow, Ferrell assisted in Professor of Law Jon Hanson's "Corporations" course.

Ferrell will assume his new position on July 1. Next academic year, he will teach a seminar on contracts in the fall term and a course on securities regulation in the spring term.