"Recalibrating the Law of Official Immunity" - Carl L. Vacketta Lecture on the Role of Government and the Law
- Sponsor
- University of Illinois College of Law
- Contact
- Carolyn Turner, Executive Assistant Dean for Administration
- carolynt@illinois.edu
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- Originating Calendar
- College of Law - Lectures Calendar
2026 Carl L. Vacketta Lecture on the Role of Government and the Law
Presented by The Honorable Diane P. Wood“Recalibrating the Law of Official Immunity”
An official talk description will be provided closer to the event.
The lecture is free and open to the public.
Lunch will be provided to attendees (on a first-come basis).About the Speaker
Diane P. Wood is the Director of The American Law Institute and a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of Chicago Law School, where she teaches in the areas of federal civil procedure, antitrust law, and international trade and business. Previously she served on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Seventh Circuit, serving as Chief Judge from 2013 to 2020.About the Lecture Series
This series was made possible through the generosity of Carl Vacketta, ’65. Mr. Vacketta, a double Illini, graduated from the University of Illinois with honors in 1963 and earned his JD from the College of Law in 1965. He later served in the U.S. Army as a Captain of the Judge Advocate General Corps, teaching government contract law.For more than four decades, Mr. Vacketta worked in Washington, D.C. and rose to the top of the legal profession specializing in the area of government contracts. He became a Senior Partner of the law firm DLA Piper LLP (U.S.), where he was formerly the Chair of the Government Contracts Practice Group. His accomplished career has been recognized with multiple accolades, including a Distinguished Alumni Award from the College of Law. In addition to his extensive legal practice, Mr. Vacketta has taught as an Adjunct Professor at the College of Law and other institutions. He is a president-emeritus of the College of Law’s Board of Visitors and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the University of Illinois Foundation, the Capital Area Food Bank (for the Washington, D.C. metro area), and the Foggy Bottom West End Village.
Previous speakers include:
The Honorable John Paul Stevens, October 2002
Former U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey, October 2003
General Joseph W. Ralston, USAF (Ret), October 2004
Senator George J. Mitchell, October 2005
Governor James Blanchard, October 2006
U.S. Ambassador Marc Grossman, October 2007
Admiral James Loy, October 2008
Senator William Cohen, October 2009
U.S. Ambassador Craig Kelley, October 2010
U.S. Ambassador Nicholas Burns, September 2011
U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Davidow, October 2012
Senator Thomas Daschle, October 2013
Commissioner (EEOC) Chai R. Feldblum, October 2014
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation & Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood, October 2015
Former Legal Adviser of the U.S. Department of State Harold Hongju Koh, October 2016
Governor Jim Edgar, October 2017
Former Solicitor General of the United States Paul Clement, October 2018
Obama Foundation Executive Vice President Michael Strautmanis, March 2023
Professor Lori Ringhand, October 2023
Byung J. "BJay" Pak, ALSTON & BIRD LLC, October 2024
Scott L. Kafker, Associate Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, September 2025