For Immediate Release
October 21, 2008

Media Contact:
Kara Tershel, (202) 662-9500

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Georgetown University Law Center recently honored the achievements of five highly accomplished women at its annual Women’s Forum, which took place on October 17. This year’s focus was "Globalization 2008: Georgetown Alumnae Staying Ahead of the Curve."

Shavit Matias (class of 1991), Kathleen A. Nealon (class of 1978), Georgetown Law Professor Elizabeth Hayes Patterson, Celia Roady (class of 1978) and Lucinda Treat (class of 1996) received Law Center Alumnae Awards for their contributions to the legal profession, their communities and the Law Center. Each has enjoyed a distinguished legal career. Matias provided the event’s keynote address, and Nealon served as luncheon speaker.

 

Shavit Matias is deputy attorney general at the Israeli Ministry of Justice, where she is involved in shaping Israel’s policy on international law and international issues, including agreements, negotiations and disputes. She heads the Department for International Agreements and International Litigation and works directly with the Israeli government and the Israeli National Security Council on issues relating to the Middle East. Prior to joining the Ministry of Justice, she was a partner at the Israeli offices of Yigal Arnon & Co., where she worked on international business transactions. She also practiced in the international trade and government relations department at the law firm of Shearman & Sterling. Recently, she was a distinguished visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University, where she worked with colleagues on Middle East policy issues.

 

 

Kathleen A. Nealon spent almost 15 years in private practice at the law firms of Curtis Mallet; Graham and James; and Morrison & Foerster. She left private practice to join the New York branch of Standard Chartered Bank, where she served as U.S. Head of Legal and Compliance, and was later transferred to the London office, where she became Group Head of Legal and Compliance. She is currently on the board as a non-executive director of HBOS (Halifax Bank of Scotland), Cable & Wireless and Shire plc. A senior associate of the Judge Business School at Cambridge, she has held various regulatory roles in the UK and serves on the Finance and Planning Committee and in the music department of Westminster Cathedral in London.

 

 

Elizabeth Hayes Patterson is an associate professor at Georgetown University Law Center, where she teaches conflict of laws, contracts, race and American law, and commercial law: sales transactions. From 1993-1997, she served as associate dean for the J.D. and graduate programs at Georgetown Law. In 2001, she received the Law Center’s Frank F. Flegal Teaching Award, and she has twice received the Faculty of the Year Award. From 2005-2007, she served as the deputy director of the Association of American Law Schools. Before coming to Georgetown, she served as chair and commissioner of the D.C. Public Service (Utilities) Commission and practiced at the law firm of Hogan & Hartson. She currently serves on the boards of Emmanuel College, the National Crittendon Foundation and Our Place, D.C., and is a member of the American Law Institute.

 

 

Celia Roady is a partner in the tax practice group at Morgan Lewis. She focuses her practice on tax and governance issues affecting tax-exempt organizations, including charities, foundations, colleges and universities, museums and other non-profit organizations. She was recently named by the Legal Times as one of the Washington’s "leading lawyers" in the tax field, and she was listed in Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business (2005-2008) and The Best Lawyers in America (2007 and 2008). A fellow with the American College of Tax Counsel, she recently completed a two-year term as vice chair of communications for the ABA Section on Taxation. She is a former ABA Tax Section council member and a former chair of the ABA Tax Section’s Exempt Organizations Committee.

 

 

Lucinda Treat is executive vice president and general counsel of Madison Square Garden, where she is responsible for overseeing all aspects of legal affairs for the New York Knicks, New York Rangers, New York Liberty, MSG Media, MSG Entertainment, the Madison Square Garden arena complex, Radio City Music Hall and the Beacon Theater. Previously, she served as chief legal officer of New England Sports Ventures (NESV), the holding company for the Boston Red Sox, Fenway Park, the New England Sports Networks (NESN) and Fenway Sports Group (FSG). Before joining NESV, she was vice president and corporate counsel for the Florida Marlins. She began her legal career as an associate at Shearman & Sterling in mergers and acquisitions.

 

 

The Georgetown Law Women’s Forum, which grew out of discussions with law alumnae about the special issues, opportunities and constraints faced by women law professionals, is designed to develop networks of Law Center alumnae and to foster mentoring relationships between alumnae and students.

A Web story about the Women's Forum is available at: http://www.law.georgetown.edu/news/webstory/10.21.08.html

 

About Georgetown University Law Center 

Georgetown University Law Center is one of the world's premier law schools. It has the largest full-time faculty in the nation and is pre-eminent in several areas, including constitutional, international, tax and clinical law. Drawing on its Jesuit heritage, it has a strong tradition of public service and is dedicated to the principle that law is but a means, justice is the end. With this principle in mind, Georgetown Law has built an environment that cultivates an exchange of ideas and the pursuit of academic excellence. It brings together an extraordinarily varied group of teachers, scholars and practitioners, as well as an outstanding student body representing more than 60 countries.