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Oregon Attorney General John Kroger to Deliver Pope & John Lecture on Professionalism

September 29, 2009

John Kroger, attorney general of Oregon, will deliver a speech, titled “Prosecutorial Ethics: Challenges From the Front Lines,” as part of Northwestern University School of Law’s Pope & John Lecture Series on Professionalism. The event takes place 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, October 7 at the Law School.

Kroger has devoted his entire life to public service as a United States Marine, federal prosecutor, public policy expert, and teacher. Kroger was elected in November 2008 after winning the nominations of both the Democratic and Republican parties. He won every county in the state, accruing more votes than any other candidate on the ballot.
As a federal criminal prosecutor, Kroger won major cases against mafia killers, drug kingpins, and corrupt government officials. He helped prosecute Enron executives and served on the emergency response team to the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. In recognition of his work, Kroger won awards and commendations from the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the State Department. In 1999, he received the Director’s Award for Outstanding Performance as an Assistant United States Attorney from Attorney General Janet Reno for convicting two mafia captains for committing multiple murders. Kroger wrote about his experiences as a prosecutor in his book Convictions, published in 2008.

Kroger received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in philosophy from Yale University and his law degree with honors from Harvard Law School. Prior to his election, he served as a law professor at Portland’s Lewis & Clark Law School.

Legal professionals can receive one hour of Illinois professionalism credit for attending the lecture. To receive credit, attendees sign up onsite during the event.

In 1991, the Chicago firm Pope & John Ltd. established a lecture series at Northwestern Law. Each year, the Pope & John Lecture on Professionalism focuses on the many dimensions of a lawyer's professional responsibility, including legal ethics, public service, professional civility, pro bono representation, and standards of conduct. The series is part of the Law School's Program on Advocacy and Professionalism, which is directed by Professor Steven Lubet.

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