Reunion 2018: Celebrating Big at Georgetown Law
October 22, 2018

(L-R) Paul R. Dean Alumni Awardees Kathleen Nealon (Câ75, Lâ78), Stephen F. Arcano, Kim Askew (Lâ83) and Satoru Murase (Lâ83) with Dean William M. Treanor.
Georgetown Law celebrated in a big way at Reunion 2018: more than 1700 alumni and guests registered for events during October 19-21. Five alumni were honored for their enormous contributions to the profession.
Timothy King (Fâ89, Lâ93), the founder, president and CEO of Urban Prep Academies in Chicago, was presented with the Robert F. Drinan, S.J., (Lâ49, LL.M.â51, Hâ91) Law Alumni Public Service Award. King created Urban Prep, a network of public college-preparatory

Timothy King (F’89, L’93) accepts the Drinan Public Service Award.
boysâ schools in Chicago (including the nationâs first all-male charter high school) helping African American males from mostly low income families to succeed. One hundred percent of UP graduates have been admitted to four-year colleges and universities.
âDuring his career, Tim King has made contributions of great significance that mirror the dedication to service that Father Drinan himself exemplifiedâŠâ Dean William M. Treanor said at Saturday night’s Reunion Gala â adding that on a personal level, King stepped up in an extraordinary way when one of his students became orphaned; King became his guardian. âThe once homeless young man is now a college graduate.â
The Paul R. Dean Alumni Awards, given annually to Georgetown Law graduates exhibiting leadership to their alma mater and to the legal profession, went to Stephen F. Arcano (Fâ84, Lâ88); Kim Askew (Lâ83); Satoru Murase (Lâ83); and Kathleen Nealon (Câ75, Lâ78).
Arcano, the global head of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meager & Flomâs transactions practices, is an adjunct professor at the Law Center and currently serves on its Board of Visitors. Askew, a partner with K&L Gates in Texas, has long been recognized as one of the countryâs most outstanding lawyers in commercial litigation; she also serves on the schoolâs Board of Visitors. Murase is a partner in Mayer Brownâs New York office and a member of the Corporate & Securities practice; he serves on Georgetown Lawâs Asian Law Alumni Advisory Board. Nealon, who has enjoyed a long career in international banking, particularly in the U.K., is a member of the European Law Alumni Advisory Board.
For the first time, all of the alumni awardees were selected by classmates and peers, noted David Wochner (Fâ96, Lâ02), chair of the Law Alumni Board, at the event. And in a video, all the honorees described how Georgetown Law built the foundation of their success.
âAt Georgetown, thereâs just this vibe of serviceâŠâ King said, noting that he was humbled to be honored with an award named for the late Father Drinan.
âI live in Dallas, Texas. This was the 80s. There had never been a lawyer of color, and certainly not a woman, going into a major law firm,â Askew said. âIt was the educational experience at Georgetown that allowed me to understand that I had the skills to do that.â
A Sense of Community
The Reunion Gala at the National Building Museum was the culmination of a week that showcased the Law Centerâs most notable alumni and professors. On October 17, Dean Treanor led a conversation with James Robart (Lâ73) of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington â who made headlines last year for blocking the first version of President Trumpâs travel ban. For his efforts, Robart was criticized by the president and his Twitter followers.

Judge James L. Robart (L’73).
âThe single greatest threat that my wife and I received [from the public] was âwhen you run for reelection, Iâm not going to vote for you,ââ Robart said, to laughter from the audience. âI am going to assume that most of you at this point have studied the Constitution and know I have lifetime tenureâŠwe werenât all that threatened by that one. But if he wants to call the position ridiculous, that troubles me.â
The accusation âso-called judgeâ he found perplexing. âI was confirmed by the Senate 99 to nothing.â
Robart â who worked on the Hill for both Democrats and Republicans while a student at Georgetown Law â said that âthere is a greater acknowledgment of public service these days.
âIt strikes me as particularly valuable because, believe it or not, there were people who were interested in becoming politicians in my classâŠGeorgetown was one of the places where you could come, here in Washington, D.C.â
A sense of community, and a sense of values, Robart noted, are critical for a successful career in public service. âBeing a public servant asks you the question of, how do I benefit other people â not how do you benefit yourself.â
âGeorgetown Helped Me With Thatâ

2018 Georgetown Law Reunion
Friday morning began with an international flair: a conversation with Mexican Supreme Court Justices Alfredo GutiĂ©rrez Ortiz Mena and Eduardo Medina-Mora Icaza. Professor Alvaro Santos, director of the Center for the Advancement of the Rule of Law in the Americas (CAROLA), and Visiting Professor Alicia Eli Yamin of the OâNeill Institute for National and Global Health Law guided the justices through contributions and challenges affecting the Mexican court including judicial activism, separation of powers, transparency, globalism and multiculturalism, lifetime appointments of justices (not the case in Mexico) and more.

2018 Georgetown Law Reunion
âToday, it is common sense to recognize the Courtâs significant role in monitoring government policies, overseeing the political processes, and providing a forum for [deciding] the claims of civil society,â Santos said, noting that the Mexican Court did not enjoy this position until recently. âAfter just a few years of having a politically active court, itâs easy to naturalize these functions and forget that for over 70 years, the judiciary had been relegated to a secondary position.â
Later in the day, Professors Steve Goldblatt, Irv Gornstein and Dori Bernstein of the Supreme Court Institute lent their thoughts on the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court term.
Dean Awardee Kim Askew appeared on a luncheon panel sponsored by the Womenâs Legal Alliance and led by Professor Hillary Sale, who teaches a Law Center seminar on Women and Leadership, with alumnae Angeline Chen (Lâ96) and Latham & Watkins partner Michele Johnson (Lâ98). The topic? Self-advocacy.

2018 Georgetown Law Reunion
âUnderstand that weâre talking to you today because weâve learned this the hard wayâŠâ Askew said. âWe had to work past a whole lot of stereotypesâŠladies donât ask for stuff, we wait until someone sees us â crap,â she said, to laughter. âThat is not how itâs done. I always had a very real idea of what I wanted to do as a lawyer. Georgetown helped me with thatâŠI just did not want to be a lawyer, I wanted to be a lawyer who made a difference. You have to decide how you want to make a difference.â
A Showcase of Events

2018 Georgetown Law Reunion
Along with many other events, Reunion 2018 also celebrated the arts â through Professor Paul Butlerâs conversations with HBOâs Kary Antholis (Lâ88) and author George Pelecanos (hosted by GEMALaw); the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association reception with New York Times bestselling author Min Jin Lee (Lâ93), and museum tours. The weekend concluded with a showing of the musical âBeetlejuiceâ at the National Theatre.
âTrivia question: Which graduate of Georgetown Law has won both an Oscar and an Emmy Award?â Butler asked, at the GEMALaw event. âThe answer is Kary Antholis.â

2018 Georgetown Law Reunion
Butler had high praise for âThe Night Of,ââ the HBO series tracking a young man arrested for murder; Antholis and writers of that film came to Georgetown Law in 2016. This time, a short film called âMiss Maryâs Room,â written by Pelecanos and directed by Pelecanosâs son Nick, served as the focus for a discussion of criminal justice.
âWe wanted to show people we could make a film in Washington,â Pelecanos said. âWe used local crews, actorsâŠwe had 60 students from Howard as internsâŠsome of the students are now working in the industry, because they had a credit under their beltâŠI want to make movies and television here in Washington, and we can do it.â