2025 Event
The Twenty-Sixth Anniversary Celebration
The twenty-sixth anniversary Burton Awards took place on Monday, May 19, 2025, at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., marking another extraordinary year of honoring excellence in the legal profession.
The evening began with an address by William C. Burton, Founder and Chair of the Burton Awards, who welcomed guests and reflected on the program’s sustained impact over more than two decades. Immediately following his remarks, a live choir took the stage and performed “The Greatest Day,” an original composition written by William Burton and Nathaniel Nunziante. The uplifting performance celebrated the spirit of achievement and what it feels like to win a Burton Award.
William R. Bay, President of the American Bar Association, followed with remarks on the ABA’s commitment to excellence, ethics, and service in the legal profession.
Dinner Chair Perry Siatis, Executive Vice President, General Counsel, and Secretary of AbbVie, spoke on the critical role of volunteerism in law and its far-reaching impact across both public and private sectors.
A particularly moving segment of the evening honored this year’s Public Service Award winners. The awards were chaired and presented by Jane Sullivan Roberts, Managing Partner of Macrae, who led the segment with passion and dignity. Colonel Donald J. Riley was recognized for his extraordinary contributions to military law, with remarks by Colonel Michael Zimmerman. Richard Hipolit, former Deputy General Counsel at the Department of Veterans Affairs, received the Public Service Award in Government at the Executive Level. Patricia McKenna, Senior Trial Counsel at the Department of Justice, was honored with the Public Service Award in Government at the Management Level.
The Law Firm Leadership Award was presented to Neil Barr, Chairman of Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP. His forward-thinking leadership and dedication were highlighted in a tribute delivered by Mitchell Eitel, Partner at Sullivan & Cromwell LLP.
The prestigious Hon. Robert A. Katzmann Award for Academic Excellence was awarded to Martha Minow, the 300th Anniversary University Professor and former Dean of Harvard Law School. Dean William M. Treanor of Georgetown University Law Center presented the honor and shared a moving tribute to Minow’s profound influence in legal education and scholarship. Rodgin Cohen, Senior Chairman of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, offered praise for Dean Treanor’s own legacy and contributions to the legal academy.
The program included two dynamic panels. The first, “AI Today and Tomorrow,” was moderated by Ted Koppel and featured a conversation among Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet; Megan Ma, Executive Director of the Stanford Lab for Legal Innovation through Frontier Technology (LiftLab), Stanford Law School; Julie Chapman, Vice President and Head of Legal, LexisNexis; and Anne Urda, Editor in Chief of Law360. The discussion explored the role of AI in transforming the legal landscape and broader workforce. A special guest appearance was made by Sophia the Robot.
The second panel focused on NCAA rules and student-athlete rights. Senator Cory Booker and Congressman Andy Barr engaged in a conversation moderated by Ted Koppel. Their exchange addressed the legal and ethical challenges surrounding collegiate sports reform and the evolving rights of student-athletes.
The evening concluded with a cocktail reception and elegant dinner in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress.
A musical highlight of the evening was a live performance by David Foster and Katharine McPhee.
The 2025 program was presented in association with the Library of Congress, Lead Sponsor Law360, and Co-Sponsors the American Bar Association, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP.
