Renowned Attorney Alan M. Dershowitz to Speak at School of Law May 4
April 23, 2008
Contact: University Relations
Phone: 410.837.5739
Alan M. Dershowitz, the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, will speak at the University of Baltimore School of Law on Sunday, May 4 at 3 p.m., where he will deliver the keynote address for the School of Law's symposium, "Defending Truth: Legal and Moral Imperatives of Holocaust Denial." The symposium, co-sponsored by the Baltimore Jewish Council and the College of Liberal Arts at Towson University, is free and open to the public. It will take place in the Moot Court Room adjacent to the lobby of the School of Law, at 1415 Maryland Ave.
Dershowitz is one of the nation's most recognizable attorneys. Over the course of his career, he has represented many high-profile clients, including "Queen of Mean" Leona Helmsley, boxer Mike Tyson, Claus von Bulow and O.J. Simpson. In addition to his celebrity clients, Dershowitz takes on a number of lower-profile cases, handling half of his caseload each year on a pro bono basis.
His most recent book, Is There a Right to Remain Silent? Coercive Interrogation and the Fifth Amendment after 9/11, was released last month.
Dershowitz has also been an outspoken and committed spokesperson for the state of Israel and for Jewish-American causes. In 1983, he received the William O. Douglas First Amendment Award from the Anti-Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith, recognizing him for "compassionate eloquent leadership and persistent advocacy in the struggle for civil and human rights."
He has spoken and written extensively on the state of Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the challenges in the Middle East peace process. His unwavering support of Israel has sometimes led to controversy, famously so with Noam Chomsky and former president Jimmy Carter.
Prior to his keynote address, the School of Law will host a day of scholarship, discussion and remembrance of the Holocaust. The symposium will begin at 10 a.m. with a presentation of short films about the Holocaust. A symposium featuring some of the nation's preeminent Holocaust scholars, including Radu Ioanid and Professors Marc Caplan, Devin Pendas, and Robert Shapiro, will begin at 1 p.m.
As part of its programming, the School of Law's art gallery will display an exhibit on loan from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. The exhibit, which focuses on American journalist Varian Fry and his efforts to free Jews from Vichy France during World War II, will be on display from April 28 through May 9.
The symposium and Dershowitz's keynote address are free and open to the public, although pre-registration is requested. For more information or to pre-register, visit the event's Web site or call 410.837.6797.
The University of Baltimore is a member of the University System of Maryland and comprises the School of Law, the Yale Gordon College of Liberal Arts and the Merrick School of Business.