Homer Moyer ’67 Receives 2016 Harry LeRoy Jones Award

Washington, DC, November 16, 2016 — Homer E. Moyer, Jr. '67 has been honored with the 2016 Harry LeRoy Jones Award by the Washington Foreign Law Society (WFLS). The award annually recognizes a distinguished individual associated with the Washington professional community whose efforts and involvement in the development of international law exemplify the spirit of Harry LeRoy Jones, who founded the WFLS in 1952. He received the award at the WFLS Fall Gala last evening at the St. Regis Hotel. Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat served as Honorary Chair of the Gala, and Dr. Mark S. Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association and former Executive Director of CEELI, introduced Moyer.

In particular, Moyer received the accolade for his work co-founding and leading the ABA's Central and Eastern European Law Initiative (CEELI) and the CEELI Institute in Prague. "The ripple that Homer Moyer sent forth 27 years ago, with the creation of CEELI, still reverberates today and he continues to cast new ripples of hope, creativity, and vision across the world," Dr. Ellis said in his introductory remarks. 

Noting that the phrase, "the rule of law," is shorthand for a "multi-faceted, challenging ideal," Moyer pointed out that all members of the legal profession are "custodians of the rule of law" who, if the rule of law were ever put at risk, must be the "first responders" in defending and protecting the values that the rule of law reflects. "The magic of CEELI and similar projects," he said, is that "they tap into a spirit that inhabits our profession — an instinct for public service and a desire to make the world a better place."

"On behalf of the firm I congratulate Homer on receiving this award," said Anthony F. Shelley, Chair of Miller & Chevalier's Executive Committee. "His recognition is remarkable in that Homer is the first recipient to be honored for work undertaken while in private practice to advance the rule of law." Prior distinguished recipients include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Secretary of State James Baker, late Ambassador Jeane Kirkpatrick, and Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund.

This award marks the fourth time Moyer has been recognized for his contributions to the legal community. In 2015, he received the Global Investigations Review (GIR) Lifetime Achievement Award for the scope of his international practice, his work helping others throughout the duration of his career, and his reputation as a thought leader the profession universally respects. In 2010, he received the prestigious American Bar Association (ABA) Founders' Award for his role in the creation of ABA CEELI, a project described by late Attorney General Janet Reno as "the worthiest pro bono project that American lawyers have ever undertaken." In 2008, he received the ABA's Section of International Law Lifetime Achievement Award.