Reception 5-6 pm
Award ceremony 6-7 pm

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The 2018 Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize will be awarded to Emily Arnold-Fernández, the Executive Director of Asylum Access, the leading global refugee human rights organization. A reception and an award ceremony will take place on March 28th from 5-7 at the Adobe Lodge.

After learning that refugees often spend more than 2 decades in camps, Emily founded Asylum Access in 2005 to create a world where refugees can live safely, move freely, work and send children to school, and rebuild their lives.

Today, Asylum Access has impacted more than two million refugees worldwide, working intensively in 6 countries as well as at the global level to dismantle barriers to refugees’ economic and civic participation and ensure all refugees have a fair chance at a new life.

Emily’s achievements have earned her numerous accolades, including the Equality and Nondiscrimination Award from Mexico’s National Council to Prevent Discrimination (2016); the prestigious Grinnell Prize (2013); a Wasserstein Fellowship at Harvard Law School (2013); California Young Lawyers Association Jack Berman Award of Achievement for Distinguished Service to the Profession and the Public (2011); and recognition by the Dalai Lama as one of 50 “Unsung Heroes of Compassion” (2009). She has been featured in the New York Times and published in Forbes, among other media.

Emily was selected as a Social Entrepreneur in Residence at Stanford University in Fall 2012, and has served on the Advisory Board of the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University. She holds a Juris Doctorate from Georgetown University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts cum laude from Pomona College.

The first Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize was presented in March 2008 and has been awarded annually thereafter. This award has been made possible through the generosity of Katharine & George Alexander to bring recognition to legal advocates who have used their legal careers to help alleviate injustice and inequity. The hope is that recognition of such individuals will improve the image of lawyers around the world.

The winner receives a substantial cash award to be used as the he or she chooses. The winner will be brought to Santa Clara University to be honored at a ceremony in March. The winner will also be invited to participate in lectures and classes and may choose to serve as a teacher, mentor and scholar for a limited period at Santa Clara Law.

Past Alexander Prize Winners

Katharine & George Alexander

Katharine Alexander practiced law for 25 years as a public defender for Santa Clara County and taught law courses for several years at San Jose State University.

The late George Alexander served as professor of law at Santa Clara University for 34 years and as dean of its School of Law for 15 years.

Both Katharine and George have dedicated their lives to instilling in students and lawyers a commitment to justice. Their service to humanity serves as a model for other lawyers.

Selection Committee

Francisco Rivera Juaristi, Chair
Associate Clinical Professor and Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Santa Clara Law

Lynette Parker
Associate Clinical Professor, Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, Santa Clara Law

Scott Maurer
Associate Clinical Professor, Katharine and George Alexander Community Law Center, Santa Clara Law

Jiri Toman
Professor of Law, Santa Clara Law

Skip Horne
Sr. Assistant Dean for External Relations, Santa Clara Law

Nominees must be lawyers who have used their skill, knowledge and abilities in the field of law to correct injustice. The nominees must be individuals who are committed in both heart and mind to alleviating injustice and inequity.

Selection criteria may include factors such as the:

• Innovative nature of the programs or other activities undertaken
• Courage and self-sacrifice required
• Sustainability of the programs the nominee has implemented
• Number of people benefited