The Art Law Society hosted a talk with Anthony Amore, art theft expert and investigator, about art crimes and the law. Amore is Director of Security and Chief Investigator at Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where he heads the ongoing efforts to recover 13 works of art stolen from the museum in 1990.
Law and National Security
The National Security Law Society hosted several notable speakers, including Jennifer Goff, a senior operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency, whose career spans more than 27 years leading and executing US intelligence operations. Kevin Carroll, a retired Army Reserve Colonel, CIA officer, and senior counsel to the Secretary of Homeland Security, joined students for a discussion on the scope of presidential power over the US military. The group also featured John D. Woodward Jr., an international relations professor at Boston University, in conversation on the evolution and law of US government big data collection. The Federalist Society hosted Professor Robert F. Turner, renowned national security expert and co-founder of the Center for National Security Law at the University of Virginia, for a discussion on the constitutional allocation of war powers. Drawing on his experience as a former Senate staffer involved with the 1973 War Powers Resolution, Turner examined Operation Epic Fury through the lens of the Constitution’s original design, addressing the historical scope of executive authority and the legal principles governing the ongoing situation with Iran.
The Pursuit of Justice
The Criminal Law Society held a conversation on corporate whistleblowing and legal protections. Speakers included Truth Social whistle-blower Will Wilkerson and attorney Phil Brewster ’03.
Faculty Workshops
Harvard University history professor Sven Beckert presented his new book Capitalism: A Global History. His research focuses on the history of the United States in the nineteenth century, with an emphasis on the history of capitalism and its economic, social, political, and transnational dimensions. The series also featured Georgetown Law Dean Emeritus, William Treanor, and Oxford University international relations professor, Laura Sjoberg, among several others. For the full list of speakers, visit our Faculty Colloquia page.
Legal History Roundtable
Tomiko Brown-Nagin, Professor at Harvard Law School, discussed her most recent book, Civil Rights Queen: Constance Baker Motley and the Struggle for Equality, which focuses on the life of the trailblazing lawyer, politician, and judge. Justene Edwards, associate professor of history at the University of Virginia, spoke on her newest book, Savings and Trust: The Rise and Betrayal of the Freedman’s Bank, which discusses the rise and fall of the Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company. Edwards’ research focuses on Black economic history in America along with the history of American slavery. Yale Law School graduate and PhD Candidate in History at Harvard University Jelani Hayes discussed her dissertation, “Home & State: The Making of the Modern Family Regulation System, 1954 – 1997,” which examines the evolution of foster care and child protective services in the United States.
Tax Policy Workshops
Alice Grudd, visiting scholar at Boston University and PhD candidate in law at Uppsala University in Sweden, presented on Swedish tax avoidance rules and the roles that institutions, organizations, and other societal actors play in influencing tax policy. Joshua Blank spoke on the topic of audit guides and the administrative state. A professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, he is an expert in tax law. His presentation was also a part of the Regulation and Markets workshop series.
Regulation and Markets Workshops
Nadya Malenko, a professor in Boston College’s Carroll School of Management, spoke on the topic of custom proxy voting advice. She is the president of Finance Theory Group, a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. Boston University law professor David H. Webber presented his paper “Rebalancing Retirement: How 401(k) Plans Exacerbate Inequality and What We Can Do About It.” A critically acclaimed author, Webber was identified as one of the top 100 legal scholars by citations in 2025. Roy Shapira, a professor in the Harry Radzyner Law School at Reichman University, spoke on the topic of board overload. A director at the International Corporate Governance Society, Shapira’s scholarship focuses on reputation, regulation, and corporate oversight. Cathy Hwang, a law professor at the University of Virginia, discussed her paper “Weapons of Corporate Warfare.” With her research focusing on business law, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance, five of her articles have been voted by business law professors in the top 10 corporate articles of the year.
Where Sports Meets the Law
The Sports and Entertainment Law Society (SELS) held a conversation with Nick Macri ’14, director of compliance for the NFL, about his role in addressing compliance challenges in the global sports industry. The group also held an NHL Panel with Michael Donadio, vice president of the Deputy General Counsel at the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Adam Kleinfeld, Corporate Counsel at the Tampa Bay Lighting, who both gave insight into legal careers in professional sports.
Fighting for Animal Justice
The BC Chapter of the Animal Legal Defense Fund held a presentation on animal welfare legislation with Steph Harris, senior legislative affairs manager at ALDF. Harris discussed current legislation in Massachusetts on animal rights and offered ways that law students can help animals through the legislative process.
Out of This World
The Space Law Society hosted Adam F. Greenstone for a discussion on his career in public service and his current role at NASA in the Agency Counsel for Ethics.
Read about other events that were covered in depth in BC Law Magazine in the spring semester:
Chief Judge Barron delivered the 2026 commencement address, encouraging graduates to pursue legal work that matters to them: https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2026/05/chief-judge-barron-addresses-grads-at-commencement-2026/
A two-day conference entitled “The Rule of Law and the Common Good” drew scholars and theologians from around the world to Boston College to discuss how Catholic social teaching could heal our world: https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2026/04/hope-for-the-common-good/
The Holocaust and Human Rights Project presented a lecture on the parallels between 1930’s Nazi Germany and 21st century America, featuring Jessica Lander, 2023 Massachusetts history teacher of the year, and Dustin Tenreiro, associate program director of Facing History & Ourselves: https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2026/04/fragility-of-democracy-highlighted-in-hhrp-lecture/
Senior Fellow with the Rappaport Center for Law and Public Policy, Danielle Sered, spent several days at BC Law, discussing the role of the criminal justice system in fostering and sustaining a multiracial democracy. Sered is currently one of the most influential scholars and practitioners in restorative justice and violence intervention: https://lawmagazine.bc.edu/2026/02/fight-forward-not-back/