Save the Date! Prof. Laurel E. Fletcher named 2025 Riesenfeld Awardee + BJIL Symposium, “Lawyering for Peace”

The Miller Institute for Global Challenges and the Law joins the Berkeley Journal of International Law in announcing that Professor Laurel E. Fletcher is being honored with the 2025 Riesenfeld Memorial Award in recognition of her immense contributions to international law and global human rights. As this year’s awardee, Professor Fletcher will deliver the keynote address at the annual Riesenfeld Symposium, taking place in person Monday, March 10, 2025 at Berkeley Law on the theme “Lawyering for Peace.” Please save the date and plan to join this very special occasion!

Expert panels throughout the day will feature noted scholars, policy makers, and legal practitioners, and former International Court of Justice president Judge Joan Donoghue and distinguished lawyer Professor Philippe Sands will present a capstone talk, “On War, Peace and Other ICJ Matters: A Conversation with Bench and Bar.” More details coming soon!

The Stefan A. Riesenfeld Memorial Award is presented each year by BJIL to a recipient demonstrating commitment to the values and ideas that Professor Riesenfeld espoused and advocated. Professor Fletcher was chosen because of her indisputable impact in the field of human rights and international law. She has taught and trained countless students through her pioneering work in Berkeley’s International Human Rights Law Clinic, and this Spring is launching a brand-new clinic on global rights and technology. Prof. Fletcher has advocated on behalf of victims before international courts and tribunals and has written and spoken about topics from sexual violence in armed conflict, to forced labor in California, to detainees in U.S. custody in Afghanistan and Guantanamo, and international law’s role in the Israel-Palestine conflict. In addition to serving as Miller’s Co-Faculty Director, Prof. Fletcher was named Chancellor’s Clinical Professor of Law, the highest honor campus can bestow.

A recent article in Berkeley Law’s Transcript Magazine shares additional highlights from Prof. Fletcher’s remarkable career as a scholar, mentor, and educator. Please join this celebration of her achievements on March 10!