RECENT

Margarette May Macaulay

Margarette May Macaulay

Former Judge. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Former President, Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

Margarette May Macaulay is one of Jamaica’s most experienced advocates and jurists, as well as a leading human rights advocate. She has long lobbied for and assisted in the reform of the existing laws of Jamaica through the repeal of archaic provisions and for the enactment of new legislations to ensure the protection of the human rights of all persons in Jamaica. The esteemed jurist and human rights advocate has served in numerous leadership positions for the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, including judge, commissioner, vice president, and president.

Fred Rivera

Fred Rivera

Executive Vice President and General Counsel for the Seattle Mariners

Fred joined the Mariners in 2017 from the Perkins Coie law firm, where he served as the Seattle Office Managing Partner. In addition to overseeing the Mariners’ legal affairs, Fred is responsible for the team’s community impact and philanthropic efforts, government affairs, and real estate development.

Julie Anne Nordstrom '90

Julie Anne Nordstrom '90

Board Member, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation; US Trustee, Save The Children; Board Member, Fred Hutch Cancer Center; Advisory Board Member, Stanford University Dept of Health Policy

Julie Anne Nordstrom '90 is a retired attorney, having practiced law in Washington state. She has spent the past 20 years serving on governance boards and has recently completed a graduate program at Stanford Universityʼs Distinguished Careers Institute. Nordstorm is personally committed to the not-for-profit sector focusing on improving education, health equity and cancer care. She is currently Chair of the Patient Quality and Safety committee of the Fred Hutch Cancer Center, an NCI designated comprehensive cancer center providing research, education and clinical care. Nordstrom is also Chair of the Head Start Board for Save The Children, US, whose focus is on providing early child development and learning to children in rural communities of need in the southern United States.

Benes Aldana

Benes Aldana

President and CEO of The National Judicial College

Benes Aldana serves as the eleventh president and CEO of The National Judicial College. Prior to joining the NJC in 2017, he served for 22 years in the United States Coast Guard in various leadership roles, retiring as a captain (O-6) and as the first Asian Pacific American to serve as chief trial judge of a U.S. military branch. Under his visionary and transformative leadership, the college has seen unprecedented growth, innovative program development, and a record-breaking enrollment surge in 2020 through online programming responsive to contemporary challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and social justice concerns. His initiatives, such as the first-of-its-kind Judicial Academy for aspiring judges and courses addressing contemporary issues like artificial intelligence, climate science and anti-racism, highlight his dedication to evolving judicial education to meet modern challenges.

Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Abhishek Manu Singhvi

Indian Parliament member and India's leading Supreme Court litigator

Abhishek Manu Singhvi is one of India’s leading lawyers and a politician. As politician, he is a member of the Indian National Congress (INC) and a current Member of the Parliament of India representing West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha, the Upper House of the Indian Parliament. He is also a spokesperson for the INC. He is one of the senior advocates of the Supreme Court of India. He completed his school from St. Columba's School. He obtained B.A.(Hons.), M.A., PhD, PIL educated at St. Stephen's College, Trinity College, Cambridge and Harvard University.

Dahlia Lithwick

Dahlia Lithwick

Senior Editor and Legal Correspondent at Slate

Dahlia Lithwick is the senior legal correspondent at Slate and host of Amicus, Slate’s award-winning biweekly podcast about the law. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Harper’s, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The New Republic, and Commentary, among other places. Lithwick won a 2013 National Magazine Award for her columns on the Affordable Care Act. She was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in October, 2018. She is the author of “Lady Justice.”

Decorative image with text 'Luminaries in law lecture and conversation series'

This series brings to Seattle U Law nationally and internationally preeminent leaders from law practice, the judiciary, government, and the corporate world, to share their bold ideas about the future of law and the legal profession.

CONTACT

Colin Watrin
Director of Institutional Engagement & Assistant to the Dean
Sullivan Hall 200C
206-398-4327
watrinc@seattleu.edu

Chief Justice Steven C. González

Washington Supreme Court

Steven C. González has served on the Washington Supreme Court since 2012 and was sworn in as the first chief justice of color on January 11, 2021. Before joining the high court, Chief Justice González served for ten years as a superior court judge hearing criminal, civil, juvenile, and family law cases. Passionate about access to justice, he has served on several boards and commissions coordinating access to justice efforts across the state, including laying the groundwork to convene the first statewide task force to author a comprehensive report on the racial disparities in Washington’s criminal justice system.