standing room only at The 2007 K

standing room only at The 2007 Kepler Lecture “Why Lawyers Should Lead” by professor gelb

Harvey Gelb, Kepler Chair in Law and Leadership and Professor of Law, delivered the 2007 Kepler Lecture entitled “Why Lawyers Should Lead” at the College of Law on April 4^th. Among the audience of almost 100 attendees were Prof. Gelb’s wife Lois and three of their children, and Kepler Chair benefactors Charles and Ursula Kepler.

“My firsthand experience makes me proud of my profession. We are not always perfect, but who is without flaws? In any occupational group, some will act shamefully and give ammunition to those who wish to be critics. I say to you that when we are victims of bad publicity, consider the sources and their motives. But I adhere to my faith that lawyers generally are a strong force for the good in society….”

-Prof. Harvey Gelb, 2007 Kepler Lecture

Drawing upon his 46 years as a lawyer, 18 in practice and 28 as a law professor, Prof. Gelb praised the legal profession and emphasized the obligation of leadership that comes with a legal career. Prof. Gelb shared, “My firsthand experience makes me proud of my profession. We are not always perfect, but who is without flaws? In any occupational group, some will act shamefully and give ammunition to those who wish to be critics. I say to you that when we are victims of bad publicity, consider the sources and their motives. But I adhere to my faith that lawyers generally are a strong force for the good in society….” He went on to discuss the many ways that legal practice naturally lends itself to leadership as well as the personal and professional benefits of leadership.

Prof. Gelb has been a member of the University of Wyoming College of Law faculty since 1979. Selected as the Winston S. Howard Distinguished Professor of Law in 1996, he was recognized again in 2001 with the receipt of UW’s highest teaching honor, the John P. Ellbogen Meritorious Classroom Teaching Award. He teaches classes in Advanced Business Organizations; Business Organizations; Business Planning; Labor Law; and Securities Regulation. Having written extensively in business ethics and securities regulation, Gelb has also served on numerous American Bar Association committees such as Corporate Litigation, Federal Regulation of Securities, and SEC Enforcement Matters.

The Kepler Chair in Law and Leadership was established in 2002 to honor the late Courtney Kepler, a 1992 Wyoming law graduate and a former partner with Brown, Drew & Massey in Casper; Loretta Kepler, a 1981 Wyoming law graduate and an attorney for Boeing in Seattle; and Charles Kepler, a 1948 Wyoming law graduate, attorney in Cody, and past law school instructor; and their many contributions to the University of Wyoming College of Law and the practice of law. The purpose of this endowed Chair is to enhance education and learning opportunities at the College of Law by funding an additional faculty position and by attracting to the College faculty a distinguished teacher, scholar, and leader. The professor appointed to this Chair shall be a contributor and leader in development of the law on a national or international basis, and shall be a distinguished teacher and scholar. This Chair was made possible through the generosity of the Paul Stock Foundation, Charles and Ursula Kepler, and an anonymous donor.