ALI President Roberta Cooper Ramo was awarded the American Bar Association’s highest honor, the ABA Medal, at the General Assembly of the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago on August 1, 2015. The ABA Medal is given only in years when the ABA Board of Governors determines a nominee has provided exceptional and distinguished service to the law and the legal profession.
In her speech, President Ramo recounts her career path and pays tribute to the people who mentored and guided her along the way. She also acknowledged lawyers who have helped to forward the American justice system, stating, “American lawyers and our institutions – The American Bar Association, The American Law Institute – have been at the heart of forming our democracy and adapting it so that it works in the constantly and rapidly changing world.”
President Ramo is not only the first woman to serve as president of ALI, but was also the first woman to serve as ABA President in 1995. She is the only person to have led both organizations. In addition, she was elected in 2011 to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, is a member of the American College of Trust and Estate Council, and has been awarded six honorary degrees. President Ramo is also currently a shareholder at Modrall Sperling, where she concentrates her practice in the areas of mediation, arbitration, business law, real estate, probate, and estate planning.
Watch President Ramo's acceptance speech on the ABA website.