Patrick Leahy: “there is no question that 2020 has been a year of challenges, difficulty, and concern. It is in these more challenging…”

“there is no question that 2020 has been a year of challenges, difficulty, and concern. It is in these more challenging times that it is especially important to shine a light on those individuals and institutions that are doing good work, work that inspires the next generation of leaders to think bigger and create a brighter future. It is no surprise that Georgetown Law, where I earned my law degree, is doing precisely that, living up to its timeless motto: ``Law is but the means, justice is the end.'' This fall, Georgetown Law has offered a unique course entitled ``Lawyers as Leaders'' for the first time. Far from a staid black letter law class, this course is styled as a series of candid, introspective conversations between Georgetown Law Dean William M. Treanor and faculty members who have been prominent leaders in the law and public service. These conversations seek to confront law students with the pressing issues of the day--the COVID-19 pandemic, racial injustices, the fragility of our democracy's norms, to name a few--and give them a sense for what, as future attorneys, they can do to address them. In a time of unprecedented uncertainty, the course is a reminder, as one enrolled student put it, ``that there is hope.'' Lawyers as Leaders centers students in the values that inspired them to study the law and reminds them of their own agency to make measurable change.…”