More than 250 guests danced, vied for raffle prizes and tried their luck at Texas hold ’em, roulette and other casino games at Boalt’s Seventh Annual Barrister’s Ball on March 3. Sponsored by the Boalt Hall Women’s Association (BHWA), the event raised more than $3,000 for summer legal fellowships focused on women’s causes. The festivities took place at the Alumni House on the UC Berkeley campus.
“We’re just really pleased with how it went,” said Katherine McCormick ’07, a BHWA board member who chaired the ball. “I think it’s a really great way for Boalt students to interact outside the classroom and support people doing good work over the summer.”
Proceeds support the Herma Hill Kay Fellowships, which are awarded to several Boalt students annually. The BHWA created the fellowship in 1999 to honor Kay’s pioneering role in the field of women’s rights. A Boalt faculty member since 1960, Kay was dean from 1992 to 2000 and serves as the Barbara Nachtrieb Armstrong Professor of Law.
Last year’s fellowship recipients engaged in a variety of projects aimed at improving the lives of women in this country and abroad through legal advocacy. Carole Vigne ’07, who received the Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe Herma Hill Kay Fellowship, worked at the Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law with immigrant women who are survivors of domestic abuse. Herma Hill Kay Fellowship recipient Tabitha Lundberg ’07 advocated for greater marriage equality for same-sex couples with the National Center for Lesbian Rights. Lorri Anne Carrozza ’07, who received the Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher Herma Hill Kay Fellowship, traveled to Afghanistan to study the growing impact of female politicians on that country’s family and civil society laws.
Law firms supporting the Barrister’s Ball included Steefel, Levitt & Weiss; Reed Smith; Allen Matkins Leck Gamble & Mallory; O’Melveny & Myers; Sullivan & Cromwell; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Roisman Henel; Perkins Coie; and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati.