Shapiro Lecture -- "Ground Zero for Justice: Guantanamo Military Commissions and the Future of our Legal Rights”

BU School of Law is pleased to announce that Naval Commander Suzanne Lachelier (’92) will be this year's Shapiro lecturer. CDR Lachelier serves as a member of the JAG Corps as a defense attorney who is representing Guantanamo Bay prisoners. CDR Lachelier currently represents Ramzi bin al Shibh, one of the five men accused in the planning of the 9/11 attacks, and Ibrahim al Qosi, who faces charges on conspiracy and material support for terrorism. Both men are detained at Guantanamo Bay. Notably, CDR Lachelier petitioned for and won access to Guantanamo Bay’s Camp 7, the secret prison site where Ramzi bin al Shibh is held. She has worked as a defense counsel on active duty for nearly seven years. In her lecture, CDR Lachelier will address how the military commissions system works and how the decisions made at the military level can filter down and affect the entire United States system. CDR Lachelier will draw on her experiences with other agencies, specifically intelligence agencies, and will highlight the implications their interference has on other cases, paying particular attention to the 9/11 trials. About the Shapiro Lecture: Max M. Shapiro graduated from Boston University School of Law in 1933 and quickly made a name for himself as an outstanding trial lawyer, practicing in New London, Connecticut. A recognized leader of the profession, he was chosen by his peers to serve as president of the Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association. Throughout his 60 year legal career, he embraced the role of mentor, inspiring younger attorney’s through the strength of his character. Max Shapiro never stopped thinking about a lawyer’s duty and he never stopped caring about Boston University School of Law. When Mr. Shapiro died, his son, Andrew Shapiro (‘77), his daughter, Suellen Kadis and his son-in-law, Larry Kadis, established a fund for an annual lecture in their father’s name at the School. The Max M. Shaprio Lecture is the School’s principle endowed lectureship and a fitting tribute to the memory of a lawyer who was devoted to examining the place of legal ethics in trial advocacy.