Retired Federal Judge Nancy Gertner to Deliver Keynote Address at Northeastern Law’s Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference

The Hon. Nancy Gertner — retired federal judge — will headline Northeastern University School of Law’s 19th annual Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference as its keynote speaker.

    Retired Federal Judge Nancy Gertner to Deliver Keynote Address at Northeastern Law’s Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference

    9.18.26 — The Hon. Nancy Gertner — retired federal judge, Harvard Law professor and CNN legal commentator who served on President Biden’s Supreme Court Commission and authored the memoir In Defense of Women: Memoirs of an Unrepentant Advocate — will headline Northeastern University School of Law’s 19th annual Brown Forum for Women in the Law Conference as its keynote speaker. The conference, themed Architects of Justice: Women Shaping the Future of Law, takes place Friday, May 14, 2027.

    Appointed to the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts by President Bill Clinton in 1994, Judge Gertner served on the federal bench until her retirement in 2011, when she joined the Harvard Law School faculty. She now serves as managing director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Law, Brain & Behavior. Her honors include the American Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award and recognition as one of “The Most Influential Lawyers of the Past 25 Years” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly. She is a regular commentator for CNN, MS NOW and GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.”

    Published in 2011, In Defense of Women chronicles Judge Gertner’s decades fighting for women’s rights and civil liberties in the courtroom — a career, and a story, that make her an ideal voice for a conference dedicated to women shaping the future of law.

    In addition to her keynote, Judge Gertner will moderate a panel, “In Their Own Words: Former US Attorneys on Leadership and Legacy,” featuring former U.S. Attorneys Barbara McQuade, Carmen Ortiz, Emily Gray Rice ’84 and Joyce Vance.

    Now in its 19th year, the conference is a signature program of Northeastern Law, supported by the Judith Olans Brown Forum for Women in the Law. For more information, visit law.northeastern.edu/wil.

    About Northeastern University School of Law

    The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country. Northeastern provides its students with unparalleled practical legal work experiences through its signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. More than 1,000 employers worldwide in a wide range of legal, government, nonprofit and business organizations participate in the program. With a focus on social justice and innovation, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experiences to successfully practice law.

    For more information, contact [email protected].