Clark describes himself as cautiously optimistic about the prospects of a new Law School campus in Allston, and stresses that HLS must go along with whatever plan for expansion is best for the University as a whole.

The HLS faculty voted in 1999 to oppose a move, and Fried said that coming from the faculty, the next dean is likely to agree.

While this could cause problems for the University’s central administration—which is considering moving HLS as one of two possible scenarios—it would provide for smooth relations with the faculty on another front.

As for candidates, Dershowitz said talk has already begun, but not necessarily as might be expected.

Faculty want the most competent candidate but some fear an overly ideological, or overly intrusive dean.

“With people I’ve talked to, it’s not so much who we want for the job [as] who are the 10 people who should not be dean,” Dershowitz said.

Clark, 58, graduated from HLS in 1972. His career took him first to the Boston law firm of Ropes & Gray and then to Yale Law School, before he returned to Harvard in 1979.

Looking ahead, Clark said that after a one-year sabbatical he would return to teaching and his scholarly work on corporate law.

—Christopher M. Loomis contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer David H. Gellis can be reached at gellis@fas.harvard.edu.