UR’s Sharp Viewpoint Speakers Series to conclude with UC Berkeley Law School Dean Oct. 24

Renowned constitutional law scholar and UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky will deliver the final lecture of the University of Richmond’s 2024 Sharp Viewpoint Speakers Series Oct. 24. The lecture, titled “Speaking About Speech — Dialogue, Difference, and Civil Discourse,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. at the Modlin Center for the Arts, Camp Concert Hall. The event is free and open to the public, but advance registration is required.

Chemerinsky, named the most influential person in legal education in the United States by National Jurist magazine in 2024, is the third and final speaker in this year’s series. The series, which focuses on the importance of civil discourse, previously featured legal and political scholar Robert P. George of Princeton University and human rights advocate Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America.

“This year, we have been welcoming speakers like Dean Chemerinsky to help us consider why civil discourse is both important and sometimes so difficult,” said UR President Kevin F. Hallock. “The Sharp Series provides wonderful opportunities for our campus community and the Richmond region to come together and learn and grow while hearing from thought-provoking, leading public intellectuals.”

Chemerinsky is Berkeley Law’s Jesse H. Choper Distinguished Professor of Law. His expertise lies in constitutional law and federal civil procedure. He previously served as the founding dean and Distinguished Professor of Law and Raymond Pryke Professor of First Amendment Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law. He also has held teaching positions at Duke University, University of Southern California Law School, and DePaul College of Law.

A brief reception will follow Chemerinsky’s lecture.

For details about the Sharp Viewpoint Speakers Series, which was established in 2011 in honor of entrepreneur Richard L. Sharp to facilitate discussions on key societal issues, click here.