PrintLeonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence
The Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence was established to recognize exemplary attorneys in academia who have made significant and lasting contributions to improving access to justice for the less fortunate. The recipient must be an attorney employed by a Chicago area law school or law school clinic.
This award is presented by The Chicago Bar Foundation and named in honor of Professor Leonard J. Schrager, who has been a leader in the Chicago legal community for more than 30 years. Professor Schrager served as Dean of The John Marshall Law School from 1983 through 1987 and for many years after served as a distinguished Professor there. He previously was a founder and senior managing partner in the Chicago law firm of Sachnoff, Schrager, Jones, Weaver and Rubenstein, Ltd., now known as Reed Smith Sachnoff & Weaver. Among many other community activities, he has served on the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice in Cook County, serves on the boards of the Center for Conflict Resolution and CARPLS, and is a past President of both The Chicago Bar Foundation and the Chicago Bar Association. He also is an active mediator and arbitrator and participates in a number of mediation training programs.
This award is presented by The Chicago Bar Foundation and named in honor of Professor Leonard J. Schrager, who has been a leader in the Chicago legal community for more than 30 years. Professor Schrager served as Dean of The John Marshall Law School from 1983 through 1987 and for many years after served as a distinguished Professor there. He previously was a founder and senior managing partner in the Chicago law firm of Sachnoff, Schrager, Jones, Weaver and Rubenstein, Ltd., now known as Reed Smith Sachnoff & Weaver. Among many other community activities, he has served on the Special Commission on the Administration of Justice in Cook County, serves on the boards of the Center for Conflict Resolution and CARPLS, and is a past President of both The Chicago Bar Foundation and the Chicago Bar Association. He also is an active mediator and arbitrator and participates in a number of mediation training programs.
This Award has been generously endowed by the law firm of Reed Smith Sachnoff & Weaver and its partners, which allows the recipient of the award to designate a special Chicago Bar Foundation grant to the law school clinic or legal aid program of his or her choice.
2007 Award Recipient
Ralph Ruebner
For more than 35 years, Professor Ralph Ruebner has served and has inspired others to serve the legal profession, the justice system and the community. When Professor Ruebner joined the John Marshall Law School faculty in 1981, he brought with him twelve years of experience as an appellate litigator, heading the Chicago office of the State Appellate Defender and representing indigent criminal defendants at all levels of appellate review. Over time, he also developed an interest in international human rights and has represented victims of government abuse in a number of countries, including the former Soviet Union and Peru.
At John Marshall, Ruebner is the founding Director of the John Marshall’s Criminal Justice Clinic, served as Moot Court Director for 16 years, and was the Law School’s Centennial Planning Committee chair. He teaches Criminal Procedure, Evidence, and International Human Rights.
Professor Ruebner has published articles and presented papers at various international conferences on human rights topics, and has testified before Congress on human rights conditions in Peru. He has drafted legislation in Illinois and is the author of Illinois Criminal Trial Evidence and Illinois Criminal Procedure. He also has served as a faculty member of the National Academy for Judicial Education and a Reporter of judicial seminars in Illinois, and is involved in a number of other community activities. In short, Professor Ruebner has dedicated his professional life to improving the criminal justice system and promoting access to justice for those who are denied human rights, making him a most worthy recipient of this year’s Leonard Jay Schrager Award of Excellence.