author speaks about being a lawyer and the role that law plays in contemporary fiction with a panel of the national press club in washington d.c.. this is a little over an hour. everybody got quiet so i guess we can begin. that s my cue. good afternoon. i am very pleased today to welcome all of you to the nodule celebration and preservation of the harper lee prize for fiction. nell harper lee of monroeville alabama attended our law school in the 1940s and published to kill a mockingbird in 1960. and empowered them to represent the wrongly accused. census publication to kill a mockingbird has influenced generations of college graduates, aspiring to practice law like atticus finch to go to law school. last year on vacation of the books 50th anniversary we contacted harper lee who graciously authorized this award to honor an author whose work best exemplifies the positive role of force in society and their power to effect change. the price is grounded in the character of a
it s now time for a panel discussion comparing the two books from exploring their place in medical literature in their impact have moderated by david baldacci. we ventured is panel has appeared dalia litwack, contributing editor at newsweek and senior editor at slate where she writes this supreme court dispatch and jurisprudence that has been a guest columnist for the new york times op-ed page. and also, rosenbaum, the john wellen distinguished lecturer in law and director of the four mama, culture and society in law school in himself the author of several high regard novels. i ll turn it over to david at this point. i want to add my congratulations to john. i was one of those literary minded astute judges who picked the compassion of a book that was not deserving of the word. it was a stiff competition, but the judges agreed and we went over the books in detail at john s book rose several obvious that. it was a book that was an only reasonable terrifically entertaining
it is a prized position. i have a place for it on the wall, and today i will add it next to this award here. now that i have two earlier, dean gave me another signed copy of to kill a mockingbird. i have two kids, and i love to collect old books. and they re constantly wickerring about who gets bickering about who gets what. now i have two copies thanks to you. [laughter] thank you all for this award. [applause] thank you, john. appreciate your remarks very much. it s now time for a panel discussion comparing the two books, exploring their place in legal literature and their impact. it ll be moderated by david ball catch shi baldacci. dahlia lithwick writes supreme court dispatches at slate and has been a guest columnist for the new york times op-ed page. and also thane rosenbaum, the distinguished lecture and law and director of the forum on law, culture and society, and himself the author of several highly-regarded novels, so i ll turn it over to david at this