WASHINGTON, July 11, 2018, — The American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section will honor Kathleen Dillon Narko, professor at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, with its 2018 Liberty Achievement Award, which recognizes lawyers and judges who take a leadership role by demonstrating, through choices made in their careers and work done in private- or public-sector positions, that they have actively promoted diversity in the legal profession.
The award, sponsored by TIPS Section Sponsor Thomson Reuters, will be presented at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago during the Welcome & Liberty Achievement Award Reception on Friday, Aug. 3, from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Loews Hotel, Streeterville Terrace, 455 North Park Drive.
“We honor Professor Narko for a truly exemplary and engaged legal career that is deeply embedded in community service and is a steadfast commitment to defend the rights of underrepresented populations,” said Sharon Sayles Belton, Thomson Reuters vice president of Government Affairs and Community Relations. “She has shown the utmost in strength by channeling her own life experiences and challenges to raise awareness and create positive change within the legal and larger community.”
Narko received her J.D. from Cornell Law School and her B.A. in history, cum laude, from Yale University. Following her undergraduate degree, she attended Salzburg College in Salzburg, Austria. Prior to teaching law Narko practiced with a large law firm, concentrating in the areas of commercial litigation and environmental, safety and health law. She was a member of the firm’s hiring committee for seven years. She worked extensively with corporate clients in all aspects of litigation, including trials and appeals. She was also active in pro bono litigation, including lending discrimination and political asylum matters.
Narko currently teaches Communication and Legal Reasoning at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law. Her focus is teaching legal analysis through the vehicle of writing. She is a frequent presenter at national and regional Legal Writing Institute conferences and has written and spoken on a variety of topics related to communication and legal analysis. Narko was the J.D. Article Editor for the Cornell International Law Journal.
Narko is a prominent member of the Chicago Bar Association, where she currently serves on the Editorial Board of the CBA Record. She authors a regular column on legal writing, Nota Bene, which is widely used by both attorneys and law professors. For several years, Narko has presented a program on Advanced Legal Writing to sold-out audiences of practicing attorneys. She is a past member of the CBA Board of Managers, a current member of the Membership Committee and a recipient of the David Hilliard Award for Outstanding Committee Service. She serves on the Board of Advisors of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she is a member of the Legal Advisory Committee. In addition, Narko is a member of the Leadership Council of the National Immigrant Justice Center.
Click here for a photo of Narko.
There is no charge for media covering this event. To register, please contact Robert Robinson at 202-662-1097 or Robert.Robinson@americanbar.org.
The ABA Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section unites plaintiff, defense, insurance and corporate counsel to advance the civil justice system. TIPS is a national source of expertise in tort, trial and insurance practice and brings lawyers together to share information and speak out on issues of importance. The section has over 20,000 members and more than 30 general committees that focus on substantive and procedural matters in areas across the broad spectrum of civil law and practice. For more information about the Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section visit the TIPS website, www.americanbar.org/tips.
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