Leadership Awards

Each year the Center brings together leading academics, legal practitioners, and thought leaders to honor and recognize individuals whose achievements have been impactful to the legal profession.  Each dinner is underpinned by the Center’s empirical research—research that provides the theme each year’s event. You can see our awardees below.

2024 – Complex Decision Making in a VUCA World

Award for Global Leadership
Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO, New America

2023 – Celebrating Our History—Building Our Future

Award for Global Leadership:
Dana Remus, Former White House Counsel

2022 – A Conversation with Chief Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud

Award for Global Leadership:
Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India

2021 – Event cancelled due to COVID

2020 – The Role of Courts and the Future of Justice

Award for Professional Excellence:
The Honorable Ralph Gants, Chief Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court

2019 – The Transformative Role of Lawyers

Award for Global Leadership:
Kenneth C. Frazier, Chairman of the Board and CEO, Merck & Co.

Award for Professional Excellence:
Amy Weaver, President, Legal & Corporate Affairs, General Counsel and Secretary, Salesforce
Lewis Kaden, Senior Advisor, Arcelor Mittal, SA Former Vice Chairman, Citigroup

2018 – Innovation and the Future of Work

Award for Global Leadership:
Katherine Adams, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Apple Inc.

Award for Professional Excellence:
Mark Harris, Co-Founder and Executive Chairman, Axiom Global, Inc.
Kim Rivera, Chief Legal Officer and General Counsel, HP Inc.
 
2017 – A Celebration of the History of Black Lawyers

Award for Global Leadership:
Vernon Jordan, Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co.

Award for Professional Excellence:
Kenneth I. Chenault, CEO and Chairman, American Express
Sherrilyn Ifill, President & Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
Hon. Robert Wilkins, U.S. Circuit Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit

2016 – The Changing Role of the Global General Counsel

Award for Global Leadership:
Brad Smith, President and Chief Legal Officer, Microsoft
Award for Professional Excellence:
Sabine Chalmers, Chief Legal and Corporate Affairs Officer and Company Secretary, Anheuser-Busch InBev
Bharat Vasani, Chief Legal and Group General Counsel, Tata Group
Brackett Denniston, Former SVP and General Counsel, General Electric

2015 – Women as Lawyers and as Leaders

Award for Global Leadership:
Samantha Power, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Award for Professional Excellence:
Mary Ann Hynes, Senior Counsel, Dentons
Roberta Cooper Ramo, Partner, Modrall Sperling; President, American Law Institute
Regina Pisa, Chairman Emeritus and Partner, Goodwin Procter