The Massachusetts Bar Association is pleased to announce that nationally renowned trial attorney, professor and DNA-evidence pioneer Barry C. Scheck will deliver the keynote address at the Annual Dinner on Thursday, May 9, at the Westin Boston Waterfront.
Scheck is a professor of law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City. In his 41 years on the Cardozo faculty, he has served as the director of Clinical Education and co-director of the Trial Advocacy Programs and the Jacob Burns Center for the Study of Law and Ethics. Scheck worked for three years as a staff attorney at the Legal Aid Society in New York City before joining the faculty at Cardozo.
Scheck and his colleague, Peter Neufeld, co-founded and are special counsel at the Innocence Project, an independent nonprofit organization closely affiliated with Cardozo, which uses DNA evidence to exonerate the wrongly convicted. The project also assists police, prosecutors and defense attorneys in trying to bring about reform in many areas of the criminal justice system, including eyewitness identification procedures, interrogation methods, crime laboratory administration and forensic science research. In its 26 years of existence, 362 individuals have been exonerated in the United States through post-conviction DNA testing. You can read about each of these cases at www.innocenceproject.org.
Scheck is also a partner in the law firm of Neufeld, Scheck & Brustin LLP (formerly Cochran Neufeld & Scheck LLP), specializing in civil rights and constitutional litigation. The firm is frequently retained by victims of police brutality, pursuing civil rights claims in the courts and institutional reform.
Scheck has done extensive trial and appellate litigation in significant civil rights and criminal defense cases. He has published extensively in these areas, including a book with Jim Dwyer and Peter Neufeld entitled, Actual Innocence: When Justice Goes Wrong and How To Make It Right. He has served in prominent positions in many bar associations, including the presidency of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (2004-05). He is a former commissioner (1994-2016) on New York State’s Forensic Science Review Board, a body that regulates all crime and forensic DNA laboratories in the state. He is currently a member of the Legal Resource Committee of the Organization of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC), run by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. From 1998-2000, he served on the National Institute of Justice's Commission on the Future of DNA Evidence. In 2005, he was a member of the American Judicature Society’s National Commission on Forensic Science and Public Policy.
Scheck received his undergraduate degree from Yale University in 1971, and he received his law degree from Boalt Hall School of Law, University of California at Berkeley, in 1974.
"We are excited to welcome such a legendary trial lawyer and professor to give the keynote address at the premier event on the Massachusetts legal calendar," said MBA President Christopher A. Kenney. "We look forward to hearing more about his trailblazing efforts with DNA evidence, as well as his work on some of the biggest and most influential cases of our time."
Consider attending this annual event as a sponsor. Click here for a sponsorship form. Opportunities include:
- Champions of Justice ($10,000)
Up to two tables for 10, full page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner and featured on MBA website, additional prominent recognition at the dinner
- Platinum Sponsor ($5,000)
Table for 10, full page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner and featured on MBA website
- Gold Sponsor ($3,500)
Table for 10, 1/2 page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner and featured on MBA website
- Silver Sponsor ($2,500)
Table for 10, 1/4 page ad in dinner program, firm name/logo projected at the dinner
Visit www.massbar.org/AD19 or call (617) 338-0543 for additional information.