Columbia Law School Announces Recipients of Social Responsibility Award

New York, Nov. 8, 2011—Columbia Law School will present its annual social responsibility award today to Preet Bharara ’93, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and the Honorable Jack B. Weinstein ’48, who serves as a senior U.S. district court judge for the Eastern District of New York. The prizes will be awarded at a luncheon at The Pierre hotel in Manhattan.

 

The Lawrence A. Wien Prize for Social Responsibility recognizes individuals and corporations for their efforts on behalf of the public good. It was endowed in 1982 by the late Lawrence Wien ’27, a lawyer, realtor, and philanthropist who donated millions of dollars to support education and the arts. Wien is widely recognized as the pioneer who made it possible for individuals to invest in real estate by creating the first public real estate syndication.

 

As U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Bharara oversees more than 200 lawyers who handle high­-profile cases involving organized crime, financial fraud, public corruption, and terrorism. The office has exposed cor­rupt local officials as well as private sector frauds against the City of New York, and have been aggressive in fighting corruption in Albany. Most recently, Bharara’s team secured the conviction of Raj Rajaratnam, who received the longest jail sentence for insider trading in U.S. history.

 

Bharara worked as an assistant district attorney in the Southern District of New York from 2000 to 2005. From 2005 to 2009, he served as staff director of the U.S. Senate’s Subcommittee on Administrative Oversight and the Courts, drawing praise from both parties for his nonpartisan handling of the investigation into the Bush administration’s dismissal of eight U.S. attorneys.

 

Weinstein is a renowned legal thinker and jurist whom The National Law Review refers to as a “living legend.” He has sat on the federal bench for more than 40 years and presided over thousands of cases, while also serving on the Law School faculty from 1952 to 1998. Weinstein’s decisions have had a major influence on the law of mass tort litigation. In the 1980s, he was responsible for mandating that chemical companies compensate Vietnam veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange, an unprecedented settlement that paved the way for subsequent class­ actions involving asbestos, guns, tobacco, and breast implants.

 

Weinstein has written casebooks, articles, and legislative reports on a range of matters, including evidence, civil procedure, and mass torts. His Weinstein’s Federal Evidence is the leading modern treatise on the subject. A senior district court judge since 1993, Weinstein maintains a full caseload and an unwavering commitment to the idea that our legal system belongs to every U.S. citizen.

 

Click here for a complete bio of Bharara.

Click here for a complete bio of Weinstein.

 

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