Author Scott Turow Speaks at UC Law

The twist and turns of the law will come to life when attorney and best-selling author Scott Turow speaks at the College of Law, Friday, November 16 at 9:00 a.m.  He will discuss capital punishment. All are invited to attend.                    

Turow, the award-winning author of the #1 New York Times best-seller Presumed Innocent (1987),  brought to life the story of Rusty Sabich, Kindle County’s long-time chief deputy prosecutor. He followed that work with seven additional best-selling novels:  The Burden of Proof (1990), Pleading Guilty (1993), The Laws of Our Fathers (1996), Personal Injuries (1999), Reversible Errors (2002) and Ordinary Heroes (2005) and Limitations (2006).   He has also written two  non-fiction books: One L (1977), an autobiographical story about  his experience as a first-year Harvard Law student, and Ultimate Punishment (2003), a reflection on the death penalty. In addition, Turow is a frequent contributor of essays and op-ed pieces to numerous publications, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, Playboy and The Atlantic.

                   

Even though he is an accomplished writer, Turow still works as an attorney, concentrating on white collar criminal defense for firm Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. Prior to joining the firm, he worked as a supervisor in the United States Attorney’s Office, honing his skills by conducting federal criminal prosecutions, including grand jury matters, as both a prosecutor and as defense counsel. He was one of the prosecutors in the trial of Illinois Attorney General William J. Scott, who was convicted of tax fraud. Turow was also lead government counsel in a number of the trials connected to “Operation Greylord”, a federal investigation of corruption in the Illinois judiciary. 

                   

Today, he devotes significant time to pro bono cases, including capital cases. He is well-known for his successful representation Alejandro Hernandez in the appeal that preceded Hernandez’s release after nearly 12 years in prison—including five on death row—for a murder he did not commit.

Turow is currently Chair of the Illinois Executive Ethics Commission, and previously served as a member of the Illinois Commission on Capital Punishment, whose recommendations led to substantial reforms of the Illinois death penalty. [Mark Godsey]