Hosted by the Research Fellows of the Center for American and International Law on May 19, the event will honor two extraordinary leaders in the legal profession: Barry F. McNeil and the Hon. Charles N. Brower.
New York Times bestselling author and attorney John Grisham will discuss wrongful convictions and actual innocence during a special fundraising event and award ceremony at The Center for American and International Law on May 19, 2021.
Grisham, one of America’s best-known and prolific novelists, will be interviewed at the event by Talmage Boston, a partner in the Dallas office of Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley & Norton, LLP. Attendees will receive an autographed copy of Grisham’s just-released book, Sooley, and a copy of an earlier book, The Guardians.
“Helping defense lawyers and prosecutors safeguard the legal system to prevent wrongful convictions is a significant focus of CAIL’s Criminal Justice Programs,” said CAIL President Thomas (T.L.) Cubbage. “We are excited that Mr. Grisham will join us for this important program, which will also honor two esteemed leaders in the legal profession who are long-time friends and supporters of our Center.”
Funds raised at the event will support CAIL’s crucial continuing education work, including its actual innocence and criminal justice programs, law enforcement anti-bias and diversity education, and other educational initiatives promoting the rule of law throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Honoring two prominent leaders in the legal profession
At the event, CAIL will present its Achievement in the Pursuit of Justice for All Award to Barry F. McNeil, an attorney at Haynes and Boone, LLP and a prominent litigator who has chaired the Litigation Section of the American Bar Association. In one of his notable cases, he successfully represented and secured the release of two indigent Mexican nationals who had been wrongly convicted and sentenced to life for a murder they did not commit. Mr. McNeil has had a long association with CAIL and served on its Board of Trustees and as Chair of its Executive Committee.
A Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the Hon. Charles N. Brower, an esteemed legal expert in international arbitration whose nearly 60-year career has included service as arbitrator in scores of international arbitrations, appointments at the State Department and the White House, and service as president of the American Society of International Law. He currently serves as a Judge ad hoc of the International Court of Justice (The World Court) and has been a judge of the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal continuously since 1983.
Judge Brower’s affiliation of over 30 years with CAIL began in 1989 at the first Workshop of CAIL’s Institute for Transnational Arbitration (ITA). He went on to serve as Chair of the ITA Advisory Board from 1994-2000 and has remained an active leader in ITA ever since. He served as a member of the CAIL Board of Trustees for many years and is now a Trustee Emeritus.
Event details
The fundraising event, which runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. CDT will have both an in-person and virtual component. There will be limited, in-person seating due to social distancing requirements. Sponsorships range in price from $125 to $25,000.
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