Faculty and alumni of the Maurer School of Law were awarded at the Raphael M. Prevot Jr. Barrister’s Ball on Friday for their contributions to the school and the legal community.
IU’s Barrister’s Ball is a national event celebrated annually at the Henke Hall of Champions. Every law school in the country has their own Barrister’s Ball, Barrister’s Ball Chairman Elaena Harris said.
The ball is put on by the Black Law Student Association, making it one of three in the country to be put on by a student organization other than the Student Bar Association, according to the IU BLSA website. The BLSA is a national organization that uses the legal community to promote awareness of the needs of minorities.
The ball is a ceremony recognizing those who have distinguished themselves in the Maurer community.
“It’s a celebration of people’s really hard work and accomplishments,” first-year law student Morgan D’Arcy said.
The event commenced with cocktails and socializing, followed by dinner, awards and a dance.
Three awards were given to distinguished alumni and faculty of Maurer this year. The Samuel S. Dargan Outstanding Award was given to Rachel Dawson, assistant dean of the Career Services office and a 1999 Maurer graduate.
The Dean Frank Motley Outstanding Faculty and Staff Award is given to faculty members who have provided years of dedicated service to the Maurer community.
IU professor Kevin Brown received the award this year. Brown is in his 29th year of teaching at Maurer.
The Outstanding Interactive Professor Award is given to professors known for going above and beyond in the classroom. It was given to IU professor Aviva Orenstein.
Orenstein teaches courses about civil procedures and family law at Maurer. She has worked as a court-appointed special advocate for abused and neglected children. She also does pro bono work in the local family court.
Since he is only a first-year law student, D’Arcy said this is his first time at the Barrister’s Ball. He said he was very impressed with all the work put into the event, and he said he plans to continue going to it in the future.
Rapheal M. Prevot Jr. is the namesake of the Barrister’s Ball. Prevot was a 1984 graduate of Maurer. Harris said Prevot’s active involvement with Maurer makes him “special” to Maurer and the BLSA. Prevot served for 15 years as labor relations counsel for the National Football League in New York. During this period, he was inducted in the Hall of Fame for the National Bar Association’s Entertainment, Sports and Arts Law section.
Prevot also continued contributing to the IU community by serving on the Alumni Board and later the Board of Visitors. In 2004, he was honored with the Distinguished Service Award for his work for Maurer. In 2011, he was posthumously inducted into the Maurer School’s Academy of Law Alumni Fellows.
