2024 Event
The Twenty-Fifth Anniversary Celebration
The Twenty-Fifth anniversary awards program took place on Monday, May 20th, 2024, at the historic Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.
The evening began with an introduction by Chris Wallace, American Broadcast Journalist and Master of Ceremonies for the Burton Awards. William Burton, Founder and Chair of the Burton Awards, delivered a warm welcome and was subsequently honored by Dean William Treanor and with the “Presidential Citation” by Mary Smith, President of the American Bar Association, for his outstanding contributions to the legal community.
Harold Hongju Koh, Sterling Professor of International Law at Yale Law School, received the “Hon. Robert A. Katzmann Award for Academic Excellence” from William Treanor, Dean of Georgetown University Law Center. Additional remarks about Koh’s achievements were given by Brad Karp, Chairman of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, and U.S. Senator Chris Coons. Judge Guido Calabresi of the U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, who was unable to attend in person, shared his comments via video.
Les Parrette, Deputy Chair of the Burton Awards and President of One Page Thinking, announced the recipients of the “Legends in Law” awards, while Anne Urda, Editor in Chief of Law360, presented the “Distinguished Legal Writing Awards.”
Jane Sullivan Roberts, Managing Partner of Macrae, recognized the “Public Service Award” winners. Vice Admiral Darse Crandall of the United States Navy honored Captain Michael Holifield, Judge Advocate General’s Corps, United States Navy, for his military public service. Philip Rosenfelt, Deputy General Counsel, Department of Education, received the “Public Service Award in Government at the Executive Level.”
Rodgin Cohen, Senior Chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell, presented the “Law Firm Leadership Award” to Morgan Chu, former co-managing partner of Irell & Manella.
Chris Wallace moderated a compelling panel on AI, titled “Unlocking Artificial Intelligence,” featuring Megan Ma, Fellow and Associate Director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science and Technology at Stanford Law School, and United States Representative Darrell Issa from California.
The evening concluded with an engaging interview of Justice Neil Gorsuch by Chris Wallace, discussing Gorsuch’s book, “A Republic If You Can Keep It.”
Following the awards ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail reception and dinner in the Great Hall. The celebration concluded with a spectacular performance by the “Queen of Broadway,” Idina Menzel.
The event was held in association with The Library of Congress, presented by Lead Sponsor Law360, Co-Sponsored by the American Bar Association and the program was sponsored by Latham & Watkins LLP.
As a special highlight, William Burton and Nathaniel Nunziante collaborated once again to create a musical tribute to the many individuals who have contributed to the program’s success. Enjoy the live performance by clicking the link below:
