Anti-Defamation League To Present 2015 Jurisprudence Award To Three Outstanding Attorneys and Civil Rights Advocates

ORANGE COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, March 17, 2015 – Three outstanding attorneys and civil rights advocates will be presented with the 2015 Marcus Kaufman Jurisprudence Award by the Orange County/Long Beach region of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The dinner and awards ceremony is slated for April 16 at the Island Hotel at Fashion Island in Newport Beach, starting at 6 PM.

The honorees are Marc J. Schneider, a business and securities litigation shareholder at Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth; Aimee S. Weisner, corporate vice president and general counsel at Edwards Lifesciences; and the late Robert E. Palmer, who was a litigation partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP.

The prize is named after Justice Marcus Kaufman, the 103rd Justice of the California Supreme Court and a champion of civil rights. It is given annually to those attorneys who have made significant contributions to their communities and to the legal profession and who embody ADL’s mission to bring about a world without hate and to secure justice and fair treatment for all.

Schneider previously served as chairman of the Anti-Defamation League Orange County/Long Beach Region and is a recipient of the Daniel Ginsberg Award, presented on a nationwide basis by the ADL to leaders in the fight against anti-Semitism, racism and all forms of prejudice. He was instrumental in the founding of the Center for Corporate Legal Leadership at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and currently serves on its Advisory Board and chairs the Litigation Workshop. He also played an important role in founding the OC Tech Alliance, which fosters growth and innovation in Orange County’s technology community. He currently serves on its Executive Board, as chair of the Legal Roundtable, and on the High Tech Awards Committee. With his wife Elena, Schneider currently co-chairs the "On Golden Wings" fundraising campaign for The Pegasus School. He also serves on the Executive Committee for the Sonenshine Pro Bono Reception and the Board of Trustees for Temple Bat Yahm. In 2014, he was in trial for more than four months on three significant matters. He won all three, including a complete defense win on behalf of a significant Orange County public company in a $120 million fraud case.

Weisner has served as corporate vice president at Edwards Lifesciences since January 2011. Previously at Advanced Medical Optics, Inc. (AMO) she served as general counsel and then as executive vice president, administration, and secretary, responsible for legal, human resources, compliance and internal audit. Prior to that, she was vice president, assistant general counsel and assistant secretary at Allergan. She also practiced in the corporate and securities group at O’Melveny & Myers LLP. Weisner currently serves as a board member for Glaukos Corporation, NeuroSigma, Inc., and the Orange County branch of the American Heart Association. She is a member of the Chapman Law School Business Emphasis Advisory Group and Public Law Center General Counsel Advisory Committee. She received the Orange County Business Journal’s General Counsel Award in 2014.


Palmer, who died on Sept. 4, 2014, was a sharp litigator and beloved philanthropist. He cultivated relationships with several community organizations, which eventually led to his serving as chair of the Board of Directors for the United Way, co-chair of the Orange County Alexis de Tocqueville Society, and as a member of the Board of Directors of South Coast Repertory Theater. His community involvement also included service as a past president of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers, Orange County Chapter: the Federal Bar Association, Orange County Chapter; and the Constitutional Rights Foundation. He donated substantial time to the Public Law Center.

The guest speaker for the event will be ADL’s Director of Civil Rights Deborah Lauter. She has published numerous op-eds and articles on issues at the forefront of the American Jewish community, and has appeared on local, national and international radio and television news programs. She oversees domestic policy, programs and staff in four key ADL departments: Legal Affairs, the Center on Extremism, the Research Center, and the Library and Archives.

Mike Rubin, regional board chair of the ADL and a senior partner with Rutan & Tucker, LLP, said, “Marc, Aimee and Robert serve as role models to attorneys who care about justice and fair treatment for all. They have not only been outstanding attorneys, but have set an example for pro bono service and commitment to the community and to civil rights. We expect a large turnout to honor them at our Marcus Kaufman Jurisprudence Award Dinner on April 16, the proceeds of which will go to further ADL's many programs aimed at bringing about a world without hate."

Founded more than one hundred years ago, the ADL is the nation’s premier civil rights/human relations agency. The ADL fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals, and protects civil rights for all.

For more information, please call or email Johanna Rose, event coordinator, at 949-275-3510 or jroseadl@gmail.com. For registration and sponsorship opportunities, visit www.adl.org/ocjurisprudence.