"Recalibrating the Law of Official Immunity" - Carl L. Vacketta Lecture on the Role of Government and the Law

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. A reception will follow in the Peer and Sarah Pedersen Pavilion.

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
The Vacketta-DLA Piper Lecture on the Role of Government and the Law is made possible through the generosity of Carl Vacketta, ’65, and DLA Piper, which has more than 4,200 lawyers in offices in Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and the United States; and represents more clients in a broader range of geographies and practice disciplines than any other law firm in the world.

The Series is a component of The Marbury Institute, named for William L. Marbury, Jr. (1901-1988), who was instrumental in the development of the firm and devoted his career to public and community service. The Institute serves as DLA Piper’s initiative to promote the highest ideals of the legal profession.

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