Distinguished Lectures
Distinguished Lecture Series
Each year, important scholars and renowned practitioners deliver distinguished lectures at Vanderbilt Law School sponsored by one of several endowed lecture series. These series include:
The Charles N. Burch Lecture Series
This lecture series recognizes the contributions of Charles N. Burch, a graduate of Vanderbilt Law School in 1889 and a Founder’s Day medalist in oratory, to Vanderbilt Law School. Burch was devoted to the interests of the school throughout his career. A founding partner of a prominent Memphis law firm, he served as a lecturer in law and a member of the University’s Board of Trust for 30 years. Burch had a distinguished career in the general practice of law and as a general solicitor of the Illinois Central Railroad Company. He was special master for the U.S. Supreme Court in New Jersey v. New York, 283 U.S. 336. His history of the Supreme Court of Tennessee can be found in 172 Tennessee 880. Harold Hongju Koh, Legal Advisor of the U.S. Department of State, delivered the 2011 Burch Lecture.
The Jonathan I. Charney Lecture in International Law
The Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law honors Professor Charney, one of the world's preeminent experts on international law, who held the Lee S. & Charles A. Speir Chair at Vanderbilt Law School until his death in 2002. The series funds academic lectures and other presentations on international law by distinguished figures in the field. David Caron, president of the American Society of International Law, delivered the 2011 Charney Lecture.
The Cooper Health Policy Lecture Series
The Cooper Health Policy Lecture brings a leading thinker on health policy issues to Vanderbilt and the Nashville community. The series honors Congressman Jim Cooper (D-TN) as well as recognizing the important health policy contributions of the late Dr. Roscoe (Ike) Robinson, who was Vanderbilt's Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs.
The Victor S. Johnson Lecture
Each year, the Victor S. Johnson Lecture features a distinguished speaker who addresses a certain aspect of the law and its relation to public policy. The lecture is endowed by Victor S. (Torry) Johnson III, Class of 1974, in honor of his grandfather.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Lecture
This annual lecture, scheduled during the which of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, addresses civil rights issues and history. Judge Roger Gregory of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit delivered the 2011 Martin Luther Kin Jr. lecture.
Leadership Law Lecture
Sponsored by the Leadership Law Program of the Tennessee Bar Association, this lecture features leading practioners and policy makers.
The Florrie Wilkes Sanders Lecture
The Florrie Wilkes Sanders Lectureship was established by the family of Sylvia Sanders Kelley (B.A. 1954) to honor her great-grandfather, Judge John Summerfield Wilkes, and her grandmother, Florrie Wilkes Sanders, who graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1925. Four Sanders lectures have been delivered to date by Justice Cornelia (Connie Clark) of the Tennessee Supreme Court (2009), Katherine M. Franke of Cornell Law School (2006), Vicki Schultz of Yale Law School (2000), and by Deborah L. Rhode of Stanford Law School (1995).
The Cecil Sims Lecture Series
This lecture series was established in 1972 to "bring to Vanderbilt Law School distinguished men and women with extensive legal experience to associate informally with faculty and students." The lecture series honors Cecil Sims, a 1914 first-honor graduate of Vanderbilt Law School and a founding member of the Nashville-based firm of Bass Berry & Sims. The 2011 Sims Lecture was delivered by Justice Stephen Breyer of the U.S. Supreme Court, and past Sims Lectures have been delivered by U.S. Attorney Generals Elliott L. Richardson, Griffin Bell, William French Smith, Edwin Meese III, and Janet Reno; and Supreme Court Justices William H. Rehnquist, Anthony M. Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Sandra Day O'Connor.
Fenwick & West Lecture in Intellectual Property
This annual lecture series was endowed by Fenwick & West founding partner Bill Fenwick '67 to support the Vanderbilt Intellectual Property Program. Estelle Derclaye, associate professor and reader in intellectual property law at the University of Nottingham, delivered the 2011 Fenwick & West Lecture.