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Law scholar Geoffrey C. Hazard to speak at NIU

October 10, 2011
Geoffrey C. Hazard

Geoffrey C. Hazard

Northern Illinois University’s College of Law will continue its professionalism series, “Introduction to the Legal Profession: History, Culture, and Values,” with a lecture from professor Geoffrey C. Hazard of the Hastings School of Law at the University of California.

Hazard’s presentation, “Competence, Conflicts of Interest and Conscience in Law Practice” will be held in the Capitol Room of the Holmes Student Center from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 13.

A leading scholar is the fields of civil procedure and legal ethics in the United States, Hazard was the principal draftsman of the American Bar Association’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct – the rules governing the conduct of U.S. lawyers in most states.

In his presentation, Professor Hazard will use the case of Spaulding v. Zimmerman – a classic ethics case studied by law students and lawyers – to illuminate some of the core ethical concepts at work in the practice of law.

Hazard is the Thomas E. Miller Distinguished Professor of Law at the Hastings School. He has previously served as a Trustee Professor of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Sterling Professor of Law at Yale University and as director of the American Law Institute.

He has taught law classes for 58 years in the fields of civil procedure, federal jurisdiction and professional ethics. He has been a member of the California State Bar since 1960 and is also a member of the Pennsylvania bar. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Swarthmore College and an LL.B. from Columbia University.

The “Introduction to the Legal Profession” program is a new and innovative initiative being funded through the generosity of Cherilyn (’78) and Michael Murer, whose dedication to professionalism is infused throughout the series.

The program further integrates professionalism into the law school curriculum, in response to the growing recognition that law students (and lawyers) need more guidance in professionalism to further the highest values of the profession. The series consists of five lectures featuring nationally recognized legal practitioners and scholars discussing cutting-edge issues.

For more information on Hazard’s lecture, contact Melody Mitchell at (815) 753-9655 or mmitchell@niu.edu.