{"id":98813,"date":"2023-03-01T06:57:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T11:57:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=98813"},"modified":"2023-03-17T16:34:56","modified_gmt":"2023-03-17T20:34:56","slug":"major-cases","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/major-cases\/","title":{"rendered":"Major Cases"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin record-block-editorial-leadin is-style-side-by-side has-media has-wider has-box has-media-focus-center-middle has-light-theme\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1700\" height=\"2000\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"A white gavel sits against a red background. A figure climbs up the inside of the gavel.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration.jpg 1700w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-541x636.jpg 541w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-870x1024.jpg 870w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-768x904.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-1306x1536.jpg 1306w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-702x826.jpg 702w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-580x682.jpg 580w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-877x1032.jpg 877w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-1123x1321.jpg 1123w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-292x344.jpg 292w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-450x529.jpg 450w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-585x688.jpg 585w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-899x1058.jpg 899w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-1159x1364.jpg 1159w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-1404x1652.jpg 1404w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Major-Cases-Illustration-850x1000.jpg 850w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1700px) 100vw, 1700px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin-caption wp-prepress-component-caption\">Illustration by the Project Twins<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">LAW150<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMajor Cases\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">Alumni whose work has set precedents and inspired legislation. <\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t\n<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar record-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">March 1, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/authors\/lauren-eckenroth\/\">Lauren Eckenroth<\/a><\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph record-block-editorial-introparagraph is-style-dropcap-dimensional has-dropcap has-dropcap-color-secondary\"><div class=\"wp-block-editorial-introparagraph-content\"><p>Since its founding in 1872, Boston University School of Law has taken considerable pride in its faculty, staff, students, and alumni. It was with our community in mind that we set out to create <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/about\/150th-anniversary\/#book\"><em>150\/150<\/em>,<\/a> a commemorative book featuring 150 profiles of people, places, and events that have shaped the school and the world.<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Throughout the school\u2019s anniversary year, <em>The Record<\/em> is publishing a selection of the profiles that appear in the book. We present here alumni who have inspired far-reaching legislation through their words and actions, prosecuted wrongdoing on a grand scale, and brought justice to the underrepresented and underserved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button wp-block-bu-button record-block-button has-secondary-theme icon-navigateright align-icon-left is-style-outline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/about\/150th-anniversary\/#book\">learn more about 150\/150: People, places, precedents<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-1\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Wilford H. Smith<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarright\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/11\/Wilford-H-Smith.jpg\" alt=\"Wilford H. Smith\" class=\"wp-image-96768\" width=\"495\" height=\"650\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/11\/Wilford-H-Smith.jpg 495w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/11\/Wilford-H-Smith-484x636.jpg 484w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/11\/Wilford-H-Smith-262x344.jpg 262w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/11\/Wilford-H-Smith-403x529.jpg 403w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Wilford H. Smith (1883) was born in a small Mississippi town in 1863, just two years before the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery. By the time he was seven, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments had been ratified, granting civil and equal rights to African Americans and giving Black men the right to vote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet by the time Smith graduated from high school, several southern states had changed their constitutions to disenfranchise Black voters. Smith would become one of several Black lawyers during the post-Reconstruction era who turned to the courts to reclaim these and other civil liberties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith graduated from BU Law in 1883, and then returned to Mississippi, where he handled Civil War pension applications for several years and became the highest-paid Black attorney in the state. One of his early civil rights cases, <em><a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/162\/592\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Smith v. Mississippi<\/a><\/em>, challenged the legality of a state law that excluded Black people from jury service based on certain educational qualifications. The case made it all the way to the US Supreme Court, yet the court ultimately ruled in favor of Jim Crow laws.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When Smith moved to Galveston, Texas, he took up the same issue of Black misrepresentation in <em><a href=\"https:\/\/supreme.justia.com\/cases\/federal\/us\/177\/442\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carter v. Texas<\/a><\/em> with BU Law alum Emanuel Hewlett (1877) as cocounsel. The case, which involved a Black man accused of murder by an all-white jury, also ended up in the US Supreme Court. This time, the justices ruled in Smith\u2019s favor, finding that the defendant was denied his constitutional rights since members of his race were excluded from the grand jury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The decision made Smith and Hewlett the first Black men to win a case before the US Supreme Court. Over time, Smith earned a reputation as an accomplished litigator skilled at selecting cases and crafting arguments that would succeed in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One person who appreciated this skill was Booker T. Washington, the prominent author, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, and advisor to several US presidents. Washington took Smith on as his personal attorney and legal strategist as he funded legal challenges to segregation and disfranchisement. And there was always work to do. Even when the duo made progress, even in the US Supreme Court, Southern states quickly responded with grandfather clauses and new laws to deprive African Americans of their rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After Washington died in 1915, Smith joined forces with civil rights activist Marcus Garvey, leader of the Pan-Africanism Movement, which strove to unite people of African descent around the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith died in 1926, yet his legacy of challenging the courts to uphold civil rights lived on. His legal strategies would inspire future Black visionaries, such as Charles H. Houston and Thurgood Marshall, to build and win their own civil and political rights cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-2\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Irving Picard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarleft\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"405\" height=\"593\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Irving-Picard-AP.jpg\" alt=\"Irving Picard ('66)\" class=\"wp-image-98818\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Irving-Picard-AP.jpg 405w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Irving-Picard-AP-235x344.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Irving-Picard-AP-361x529.jpg 361w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px\" \/><figcaption>Photo by Mary Altaffer\/ AP Photo<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s been more than a decade since Irving Picard (\u201966) took on the arduous task of recovering assets from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasaa.org\/4303\/madoff-a-21st-century-ponzi-scheme\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme<\/a>, the largest financial fraud in history that spanned decades and defrauded customers of approximately $17.5 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Picard\u2019s education and experience made him the ideal person for the job. In addition to his JD from BU Law, Picard studied economics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and received an LLM from New York University School of Law. After school, he served in various posts with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including overseeing a legal team handling bankruptcy cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-aside record-block-editorial-aside alignright has-secondary-background\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1024x768.jpg\" alt=\"Anat Maytal\" class=\"wp-image-70496\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-636x477.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1101x826.jpg 1101w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-909x682.jpg 909w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1376x1032.jpg 1376w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-459x344.jpg 459w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-705x529.jpg 705w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-917x688.jpg 917w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1411x1058.jpg 1411w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19-1333x1000.jpg 1333w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2020\/07\/Anat-Maytal-for-The-Record-S19.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption>Photo by Chris Sorensen for Boston University Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">For more than a decade, Anat Maytal (\u201909) has been part of the BakerHostetler team recovering money for victims of the Madoff scheme. \u201cShe\u2019s meticulous. She\u2019s got a tireless work ethic,\u201d Irving Picard told <em>The Record<\/em> in 2019. \u201cShe does excellent research. She writes very persuasively. She\u2019s poised and professional\u2014really a first-rate lawyer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button wp-block-bu-button record-block-button has-light-theme icon-navigateright align-icon-left is-style-outline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2019\/pushing-through\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>Picard entered private practice in 1982 and developed a reputation as a bloodhound for fraud and bankruptcy cases, which caught the eye of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sipc.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Securities Investor Protection Corporation<\/a> (SIPC), a quasi-public group that manages a fund that compensates customers of failed brokerage firms. Over the years, SIPC hired Picard to hunt for money on 10 different occasions, including the high-profile case of fraudster Todd Eberhard, who had bilked customers of his failed brokerage, Park South Securities. Picard recovered nearly all the funds\u2014$7.4 million\u2014for Park South customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In December 2008, the same year that he joined the law firm of BakerHostetler as a partner, SIPC hired Picard to recover assets from the Madoff Ponzi scheme. Since taking on the role of trustee, he has sued more than a dozen banks and had the unenviable task of pursuing former clients who had blindly profited from Madoff\u2019s scheme.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One person who didn\u2019t cooperate in the restitution process was Madoff, who died in 2021. \u201cYou don\u2019t like to see anyone die,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/bernie-madoff-fraud-investigation-295bbd961885caca88c5c7c76b7df297\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Picard told the Associated Press<\/a> shortly after his passing. \u201cBut in this case, it wasn\u2019t going to have any impact on what we\u2019re doing. Our work goes on.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Indeed, it has. As of February 2022, with the help of his BakerHostetler legal team, Picard has recovered or entered into agreements to recover $14.5 billion\u2014more than 75 percent of approved claims. All of the recovered funds have been or will be returned to defrauded customers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When asked in 2019 whether the recovery effort was winding down, Picard and his team estimated that it would continue at least another two to three years\u2014something they\u2019ve been saying for a decade. But Picard, who celebrated his 81st birthday in 2022, insisted that \u201csomeday it will come to an end.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-3\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Abby Rubenfeld<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarright\"><figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Abby-Rubenfeld.jpg\" alt=\"Abby Rubenfeld ('79)\" class=\"wp-image-98819\" width=\"405\" height=\"593\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Abby-Rubenfeld.jpg 405w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Abby-Rubenfeld-235x344.jpg 235w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/02\/Abby-Rubenfeld-361x529.jpg 361w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px\" \/><figcaption>Photo by Nathan Morgan Photography<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1971, an 18-year-old college student named Abby Rubenfeld (\u201979) made headlines when she was elected class president of Princeton University. It was the first time a woman held the title in the institution\u2019s 228-year history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The victory whetted Rubenfeld\u2019s appetite for politics, and she set her sights on becoming a legislator and eventually assuming the highest office in the country. While neither of those things has happened (at least not yet), she has played an influential role in shaping law, especially the advancement of LGBTQIA+ rights.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rubenfeld received her JD in 1979 from BU Law, where she helped form the Boston University Gay and Lesbian Law Association (now called OutLaw). Since <a href=\"http:\/\/rubenfeldlaw.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">opening her practice<\/a> in Nashville, Tennessee in the early 1980s, she has played a key role in pivotal LGBTQIA+ cases, including ones that challenged the state\u2019s sodomy laws and ban on same-sex marriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2015, she represented Tennessee plaintiffs in the precedent-making case <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oyez.org\/cases\/2014\/14-556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Obergefell v. Hodges<\/a><\/em>, in which the US Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is a constitutional right. The decision required all states to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states. \u201cI never thought we would have marriage equality in my lifetime,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nashvillescene.com\/news\/2015-nashvillians-of-the-year-how-abby-rubenfeld-and-bill-harbison-helped-to-change-history\/article_20ea0f41-9854-5691-a0eb-972b96c00e3d.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Rubenfeld said<\/a> of the Supreme Court\u2019s ruling. \u201cIt was the fastest evolution of a civil rights issue, I think, ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rubenfeld\u2019s commitment to equality and justice transcends the courtroom. She has served on the board of directors of several organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and the ACLU of Tennessee. In the early 1980s, she served on the New York Governor\u2019s Task Force on Gay Issues. She was also an adjunct professor at Vanderbilt University Law School in Nashville for seven years, where she taught a course on sexual orientation and the law.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Rubenfeld, credits her parents for her commitment to advocacy. \u201cI was raised to have a deep sense of justice and to treat all people equally and with respect, of challenging discrimination and injustice,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/styleblueprint.com\/nashville\/everyday\/abby-rubenfeld-faces-of-nashville\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">she said in a 2017 interview<\/a>. \u201cI learned from my parents to be willing to speak up if I think something is wrong or unjust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator is-style-dots\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"headline-4\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Avni Patel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image alignfarleft\"><figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-904x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Avni Patel ('10)\" class=\"wp-image-87126\" width=\"452\" height=\"512\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-904x1024.jpg 904w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-561x636.jpg 561w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-768x870.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1355x1536.jpg 1355w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-729x826.jpg 729w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-602x682.jpg 602w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-911x1032.jpg 911w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1166x1321.jpg 1166w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-304x344.jpg 304w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-467x529.jpg 467w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-607x688.jpg 607w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-934x1058.jpg 934w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1204x1364.jpg 1204w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-1458x1652.jpg 1458w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni-882x1000.jpg 882w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2022\/02\/Patel-Avni.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 452px) 100vw, 452px\" \/><figcaption>Photo by John Madere Photography\/Walden Macht &amp; Haran<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Even before pursuing her law degree, Avni Patel (\u201910) knew she wanted to be a force for positive change. She had no idea the impact her advocacy would have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2016, Patel and Jim Walden, her colleague at the firm Walden Macht &amp; Haran, began representing Dr. Grigory Rodchenkov, one of the most significant whistleblowers in sports history. Rodchenkov, who headed Russia\u2019s national anti-doping laboratory, made headlines when he revealed in a <em>New York Times<\/em> interview that he had supplied dozens of Russian athletes with banned substances at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Patel played an integral role in establishing Rodchenkov\u2019s credibility with US law enforcement and the World Anti-Doping Agency. Together with Walden, she helped draft the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act, which gives the US Justice Department the ability to investigate doping allegations in international sports competitions. The law, passed in 2020, makes it a crime to aid or enable doping at international sporting events, including the Olympics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe thank the US Congress for taking powerful legislative action to stop Russia and other institutional doping regimes and for leading the charge for fairness in sports,\u201d the two lawyers said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/wmhlaw.com\/2019\/10\/23\/statement-from-dr-grigory-rodchenkov-and-lawyers-jim-walden-and-avni-patel-on-passage-of-rodchenkov-anti-doping-act-in-the-u-s-house-of-representatives\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joint statement<\/a>. \u201cLet\u2019s hope DOJ starts putting corrupt actors in jail, where they belong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<aside class=\"wp-block-editorial-aside record-block-editorial-aside alignright has-secondary-background\">\n<h3 id=\"headline-4\" class=\"wp-block-editorial-headline record-block-editorial-headline\">Championing a Whistleblower\u2014and the Integrity of Sport<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Dig into Patel&#8217;s work to expose large-scale doping schemes in Olympic competitions and pass promising new anti-doping legislation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a class=\"wp-block-button wp-block-bu-button record-block-button has-light-theme icon-navigateright align-icon-left is-style-outline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2022\/championing-russian-whistleblower\/\">read more<\/a><\/p>\n<\/aside>\n\n\n\n<p>In January 2022, a Texas man was the first person to be charged under the Rodchenkov Anti-Doping Act after he supplied banned substances to two athletes at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic). Patel believes that the groundbreaking law will continue to have far-reaching implications in the world of sports. \u201cAs attorneys, especially in this kind of law, you\u2019re always looking for ways to make a difference, and to leave an impact on the future and to make sure that things don\u2019t happen again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"is-style-end-of-article\">In addition to her work on the Rodchenkov case, Patel has conducted internal investigations related to allegations of fraud, negligence, employment discrimination, sexual harassment, sexual assault, and defamation. In 2019, she was asked to examine corporate tax incentives in New Jersey by Governor Philip Murphy. The investigation included uncovering any possible corruption in the state\u2019s $11 billion program. She also served on the independent monitor team appointed by the Department of Justice to oversee General Motors\u2019 compliance with its recall of defective ignition switches. Patel is cofounder of the Walden Macht &amp; Haran Women\u2019s Initiative, which brings together women from various backgrounds to support gender equality and women in leadership roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<section class=\"wp-block-editorial-collection-billboard record-block-editorial-collection-billboard\">\n\n\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-intro-title\">This Series<\/h3>\n\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-article\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-media\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"collection-navigation-image\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1024\" height=\"890\" src=\"\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1024x890.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image\" alt=\"An illustration of a vintage megaphone splitting the US Capitol building in half against a red background\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1024x890.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-636x553.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-768x668.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1536x1336.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-2048x1781.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-950x826.jpg 950w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-784x682.jpg 784w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1187x1032.jpg 1187w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1519x1321.jpg 1519w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-396x344.jpg 396w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-608x529.jpg 608w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-791x688.jpg 791w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1217x1058.jpg 1217w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1569x1364.jpg 1569w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1900x1652.jpg 1900w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/files\/2023\/07\/Politics-illustration-landscape-1150x1000.jpg 1150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-media-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/alumni-politicians\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-media-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>The Politicians<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<div class=\"collection-billboard-content\">\n\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-small-title\">Also in<\/h4>\n\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"collection-billboard-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/collections\/law150\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>LAW150<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"collection-billboard-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">June 7, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/models-for-modern-law\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>Models for Modern Law<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">May 23, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/law-memories\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>LAW Memories<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"collection-billboard-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-date\">May 16, 2023<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"collection-billboard-list-item-article-title\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/articles\/2023\/the-150th-vladimir-egiyan\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-card-article-title-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t>The 150th: Vladimir Egiyan<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/record\/collections\/law150\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\tclass=\"collection-billboard-link\"\n\t\t\t\t\t>Series home<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t<\/article>\n\n\t<\/section>\n\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>BU Law alumni who have inspired far-reaching legislation through their words and actions, prosecuted wrongdoing on a grand scale, and brought justice to the underrepresented and underserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11260,"featured_media":98815,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"LAW150","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"tags":[4137],"bu-publication":[3742],"record-article-category":[3744,4135,3786],"record-topic":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/98813"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11260"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98813"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/98813\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99236,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/98813\/revisions\/99236"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/98815"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98813"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98813"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=98813"},{"taxonomy":"record-article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-article-category?post=98813"},{"taxonomy":"record-topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/record-topic?post=98813"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=98813"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/law\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=98813"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}