Kathleen M. Sullivan, an eminent scholar and a widely admired professor at the Law School, is leaving Harvard for Stanford Law School at the end of this school year.

In a letter to her colleagues on Friday, Sullivan said, "I have decided that it is time for a change...[and] I find that California has a strong allure." In an interview yesterday, she would not elaborate on her reasons for leaving the Law School.

Sullivan, who has been teaching at Harvard since 1984, took a leave of absence last year to teach at the University of Southern California in the fall and Stanford in the spring.

While at Stanford, "the whole law school just fell in love with her," Dean of Stanford Law School Paul Brest said in an interview yesterday. "And she reciprocated, I guess."

Students and faculty at both Harvard and Stanford praised Sullivan's top-notch scholarship and interactive method of teaching.

Some students at the law school here said her contribution on women's issues will be one of the greatest losses Harvard will suffer, especially in light of the law school's troubles last spring.

"I definitely feel more comfortable bringing up women's issues in her class," said Shannon L. Johnson, a first-year law student in Sullivan's criminal law course. "Because she's a woman we feel a connection with her that makes it comfortable to bring [women's issues] up."

Last spring, the Harvard Law Review published an in-house parody of an article by slain feminist legal scholar Mary Joe Frug. A group of Harvard law professors reacted with a strongly worded letter charging that the parody was representative of an atmosphere of misogyny at the Law School.

Charles Fried, Carter professor of general jurisprudence at Harvard, said hebelieved Sullivan's move was not connected to theevents of last spring.

"Nobody is more popular, with absolutely morefriends, absolutely more liked, absolutely morevalued [than Sullivan]," Fried said. "She justlikes the west coast."

Johnson agreed. "From talking to her, I don'tthink that it does [have to do with her decisionto leave]. She tries to engender understanding forthe school," she said.

Sullivan has said to students that thesituation for women is worse in the real worldthan at Harvard, according to Johnson

Richard H. Fallon, professor of law at Harvard,said Sullivan's presence will by missed by thefaculty.

"Sullivan pulls her weight on the faculty,"Fallon said. "She is an exceedingly able person.It will be a terrible loss."

Vernadette Ramirez, a first-year law student inSullivan's class on criminal law, was dismayed bythe news of Sullivan's imminent departure.

"She is astounding in her ability to think onher feet and interact with students and challengestudents at an incredible pace. There is a qualityabout her that I can't put into words," Ramirezsaid. "She is incredible at holding discussions."