Conferences & Lectures

In addition to our usual array of academic and experiential offerings, RWU Law offers students, alumni, and the wider community a steady flow of expert workshops, roundtables, and presentations by leaders in their fields.

Examples from 2019 included Boston District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Congressman David Cicilline; in 2018, U.S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg became the eighth U.S. Supreme Court justice to travel to Rhode Island and address RWU Law students. In Spring 2021, the Second Annual RWU Law Women in Law Leadership Lecture featured Debra Katz, Esq. in a “fireside chat” with RWU Law Professor Emily J. Sack. Katz is a noted civil rights and employment lawyer in Washington, D.C. She made headlines representing Dr. Christine Blasey Ford at the Brett Kavanaugh Senate hearings in 2018. This event was sponsored by Cervenka Green & Ducharme LLC, and by First Women honoree Louise Durfee (1966).

Sen. Whitehouse, Rep. David Cicilline, Professor Michael Gerhardt, and Professor David Logan during the “Second Trump Impeachment Trial” presentation. Connecticut Chief Justice Richard A. Robinson and Dean Bowman at the MLK keynote lecture.

In a virtual “fireside chat” with his longtime friend Dean Bowman, the Honorable Richard A. Robinson, Chief Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, delivered the 16th Annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Keynote Address. “I recognize that as a country, we are facing significant challenges to the rule of law,” he said. “Too many people have lost trust and competence in the government, and hateful and violent words are more readily digested and acted upon. [But] just as Dr. King called upon us to do, we must be inspired. Be persistent. Keep the faith. The task is mighty, but so is our commitment.” The event was sponsored by Nixon Peabody LLP.

RWU Law’s Fourth Annual Stonewall Lecture was delivered by Bendita Cynthia Malakia, Esq., Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion for Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., in a virtual “fireside chat” with Ralph Tavares, RWU Law’s Director of Diversity & Outreach. “2020 was a mind-blowing year from the perspective of equity,” she said. “As LGBT+ people, we’ve experienced glorious wins and gutwrenching setbacks. Contemporaneously, there was a racial reckoning, which followed on racially fraught policies hanging in the balance, such as immigration.” In such troubled times, Malakia encouraged her RWU Law audience to ask, “How can we leverage our privilege and extend our hands to other communities?”

JANA (LEMANSKI) SIMMONS L’98

Jana (Lemanski) Simmons L’98—an expert on Indian and Tribal Law and Senior Counsel at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP in Detroit —returned (virtually) to her alma mater to speak about “Civil Litigation in Indian Country” and careers in Indian law. With nearly 20 years of experience representing tribal and local governments, companies, and individuals— and a deep familiarity with tribal constitutions and laws, tribal-state compacts, federal Indian law, jurisdiction, and sovereignty—Simmons is a knowledgeable guide indeed. “I help tribal governments and businesses navigate complex governmental and commercial dealings,” she explained. Her goal? “To reduce potential liability, limit risk, and bolster successful, longterm intertribal and off-reservation business relationships that empower tribes and their members.”

INCITEMENT, INSURRECTION, AND IMPEACHMENT: INSIDE THE SECOND TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

Held early in the Spring 2021 semester, just days after the end of President Donald J. Trump’s second impeachment trial, this compelling discussion featured expert commentary on the trial itself, as well as a discussion of its ramifications for the future of the Senate, impeachment, the presidency, the Constitution, and the rule of law in the United States. The discussion featured Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Representative David Cicilline (D-R.I.), and Professor Michael Gerhardt, special counsel to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), presiding officer of the impeachment trial. RWU Law’s own Professor David Logan moderated. The event was co-sponsored by RWU Law, Emory University School of Law, and Wake Forest University School of Law. More than 500 registrants attended the online event.