The 2024 Burton Awards
Celebrating Our 25th Year
Event: Monday, May 20, 2024
Held in association with the Library of Congress, presented by lead sponsor Law360 and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association.
Event Specifics:
Burton Awards Event Begins: Library of Congress, Coolidge Auditorium, 3:45p.m. promptly
Cocktail Reception: Great Hall, Library of Congress, 6:00p.m.
Gala/Dinner: Great Hall, Library of Congress ,6:45p.m. to 8:15:p.m.
Performance: Idina Menzel, Coolidge Auditorium, 8:30pm to 9:15pm,
Event Venue: Great Hall, Library of Congress
Address: 101 Independence Ave SE, Washington DC 20540
Nature of Burton Awards: The awards program is designed to reward major achievements in the law, ranging from literary awards to the greatest reform in law. Past selection panels have included judges from Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, Stanford Law School and Columbia Law School, among others. The current judges of the awards include leading law school professors, members of law firms, and outstanding leaders in law who all contribute their time and talents to support the legal profession.
The Honorary and Distinguished Board of Directors of The Burton Awards Program includes: William C. Burton, Partner, Sagat | Burton LLP; former Chief Judge Richard A. Posner, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit; U.S. Senator John Cornyn; U.S. Senator Roger Wicker; U.S. Senator Mike Crapo; U.S. Senator James E. Risch; U.S. Senator Todd Young; U.S. Senator Joni Ernst; U.S. Senator Mike Rounds; U.S. Senator Tim Kaine; U.S. Senator Christopher Coons; U.S. Senator Robert P. Casey, Jr.; U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen Jr.; U.S. Senator Michael F. Bennet; U.S. Senator Bob Menendez; Justice Carol A. Corrigan, California Court of Appeals; Les Parrette, President, One Page Thinking; Yabo Lin, Partner, Sidley Austin LLP; Jane Sullivan Roberts, Managing Partner, Macrae; H. Rodgin Cohen, Senior Chairman, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP; Lisa A. Rickard, Counselor to the President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (retired); Tom Sager, Senior Counsel, Ballard Spahr LLP(retired); Betty Whelchel, Head of Public Policy & Regulatory Affairs, BNP Paribas S.A. (retired); Brad Karp, Chairman, Paul, Weiss Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP; Linda A. Klein, Senior Managing Shareholder, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, and former President, American Bar Association; Stephen R. Mysliwiec, Partner, Miller Friel, PLLC; and Bernard Nash, State Attorneys General Practice Co-Chair, Cozen O’Connor; Hubert L. Allen, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary, Abbott; Bruce Byrd, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Palo Alto Networks; Lynn Charytan, Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Comcast Cable; Lucy Fato, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Global Head of Communications and Government Affairs, AIG; Duane Holloway, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer, U. S. Steel Corporation; Mark Kesselman, Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Purdue Pharma; Jennifer Newstead, Chief Legal Officer, Meta; Anne Robinson, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary, Vanguard.
Address of Burton Awards:
100 Park Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, New York 10017
Contact Person: Jaclyn Hashim
Title: Executive Director
Telephone: (212) 672-1862
E-mail address:
jhashim@burtonawards.com
Approximate size/description of the audience: 600 guests
List of invited government officials, dignitaries, and VIPS: The list includes many of the most venerated managing partners and partners of the largest law firms in America, law school deans and professors from across the nation.
Is the event open to the press? Yes, but the press is not invited through any general outreach efforts. Therefore, members of the press have rarely been present.
What is the proper attire? Black tie.
Is this a fundraising event? No, fundraising events in the Jefferson Building are not permitted.
Who are the hosts and sponsors? The Burton Awards is held in association with the Library of Congress, presented by lead sponsor, Law360, and co-sponsored by the American Bar Association.
About the Library of Congress, Co-Host
The Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and serves as the research arm of Congress. It is also the largest library in the world, with millions of books, recordings, photographs, maps and manuscripts in its collections. The Library’s mission is to make its resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people and to sustain and preserve a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for future generations.
Law360, Lead Sponsor
Law360, a LexisNexis company, is a one-stop source for legal news and analysis, covering litigation, policy developments, corporate deals, and legal industry trends. Law360 covers 50+ practice area, industry, and state sections, and our daily newsletters reach over 700,000 professionals at top law firms, Fortune 500 companies, and key government agencies every business day.
The American Bar Association, Co-Sponsor
With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is one of the largest voluntary professional membership organizations in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.
The Burton Foundation, Co-Host
The Burton Foundation is a non-profit, cultural and academic organization devoted to further promoting the performance and stature of the legal profession.
William C. Burton, Founder and Chair
The Founder and Chair of The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement is William C. Burton, Esq., a partner in the law firm of Sagat|Burton LLP. He is a former New York State Assistant Attorney General, a former New York State Assistant Special Prosecutor, and the author of the first legal thesaurus ever written for the profession of law, Burton’s Legal Thesaurus, (6th edition), published by McGraw-Hill. He was presented the highest honor given by The Legal Writing Institute, for “significantly advancing the cause of legal writing in the profession of law.” In addition, the Friends of the Law Library of Congress presented Burton with the “Blackstone Award” for exemplifying the best objectives of the Law Library of Congress and advancing the mission and activities of the U.S. Law Library of Congress.