There’s a new can’t-miss event series in the College of Business.
The Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Series welcomes attorney and business alumnus Ray Boucher to its inaugural event on Feb. 21 at 11 am in Rockwell West’s Bohemian Auditorium, christening a series to engage business leaders, alumni and students. The signature series will host influential speakers who have positively impacted business. Boucher’s presentation, “Using the Scales of Justice to Create Business for a Better World,” encapsulates the vision that College of Business Dean Beth Walker had when framing the series.
“We started this series to connect and engage our community with all the incredible alumni making a difference through business,” Walker stated. “I have had the pleasure of meeting Ray last year and we are honored to have him as our first speaker. He has championed individuals and causes around the world that otherwise would not have had a voice or representation. Through his dedication and leadership, he has truly changed the lives of so many to create a better world.”
Boucher, an ’81 alumnus of the Masters of Management program, is a successful trial attorney who built his career around protecting human rights and the environment. Over a career that spans three decades, he has represented Cesar Chavez, the family of a poisoned farmworker, filed antitrust actions against wholesale electricity traders in California’s deregulated energy market and successfully argued to protect consumers of organic produce in the California Supreme Court. He has tried more than 50 cases and helped obtain verdicts and settlements totaling more than $3 billion, including two landmark settlements for child victims of sexual abuse by Catholic priests in 2007.
Beyond the Courtroom
Boucher’s quest for justice has extended beyond the courtroom. In 2010, he traveled to Uganda to provide pro-bono legal services to teenagers in the remote town of Masindi, where dozens of minors were imprisoned, many for several years, awaiting arraignment. As part of a team of five attorneys, Boucher worked to move cases to trial, while interviewing witnesses and developing defenses for teens falsely accused of murder.
Boucher’s successes have earned him significant honors, including Trial Lawyer of the Decade 2001-2010 from Los Angeles Daily Journal, California Attorney of the Year by California Lawyer magazine, and Consumer Attorney of the Year from Consumer Attorneys of California. A noted speaker, he has lectured about the power of the judiciary as a means for social justice at Stanford, Pepperdine and Loyola. Closer to home, he serves as a strategic advisor to many state and local political campaigns.
Attend the Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Series
Attendance at the Dean’s Distinguished Leadership Series is free, but requires an RSVP. Ticketing is general admission, and seating is on a first come, first served basis.
