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2012 Burton Awards – Pic of the Week

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The following is a guest post by David Mao, Law Librarian of Congress.  He has previously guest posted Shreddy: From the Office of the Law Librarian – Pic of the WeekFrom the Desk of the Law Librarian, The Law Librarian in London, and Rebellious Children and Witches.

This past Monday, Roberta Shaffer, Robert Newlen, and I had the great pleasure of attending the 2012 Burton Awards ceremony held at the Library of Congress.  Created by Williams C. Burton, the awards acknowledge, celebrate, and reward outstanding achievements in the legal field, including for legal writing, regulatory reform, and public service. This year’s attendees included U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, and Associate Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens provided opening remarks for the awards ceremony, and also shared some thoughts on his career during an interview with Master of Ceremonies, Bill Press.

Roberta I. Shaffer, Distinguished Leader in Law Award, 2012 Burton Awards (Photo by Rebecca Sahn)

Mr. Burton presented a special award, the Distinguished Leader in Law Award,  to former Law Librarian and current Associate Librarian for Library Services, Roberta I. Schaffer.

2012 Burton Awards, Great Hall, Thomas Jefferson Building, Library of Congress (Photo by Rebecca Sahn)

While the Burton Awards honor the achievements of many “legends in the law” and those with substantial practical experience, the event also celebrates the work of those that are new to or soon to be a part of the legal profession. This year fifteen law students were recognized for their legal writing. After the awards program, guests were treated to a celebratory gala in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress that finished with a fabulous performance by singer and Tony Award-winning actress Bernadette Peters.

Comments (3)

  1. Congratulations Roberta!

  2. Congratulations Roberta!

  3. One of the best ideas I ever thought of!
    -Bill Burton

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