Honorary Degree | Jayne Weeks Barnard LL.D. '21
Jayne Weeks Barnard, colleague and guide, yours is a career marked by passionate service. As a lawyer and scholar, you have fought tirelessly for civil rights and civil justice. That work inspired countless law students, as well as this university as a whole.
Hailing from South Euclid, Ohio, and a self-proclaimed “word person,” you chose to major in journalism at the University of Illinois. During an internship on Capitol Hill, you saw in action the incredibly smart and dedicated women who kept government working. You witnessed the invisibility of that work, as well, and carried that knowledge with you on your path to law school at the University of Chicago.
The colleagues and friends who know you best give you a triple crown: book smart, street smart and politically savvy. You have always approached the law with humanity and integrity. As a nationally-known expert in corporations, corporate governance and securities regulation law, you were the first to propose that people harmed by economic crimes should be able to present victim-impact testimony at sentencing hearings. Your work was instrumental in Congress ultimately passing the Crime Victims’ Rights Act of 2004.
In 1985, you joined the faculty of William & Mary Law School and immediately made an impact on this community. A former student says your dignity, classiness and kind personality gave her a model for how she wanted to conduct herself as a lawyer and professional woman. You take special pride in your involvement with the American Civil Liberties Union. In 2010 the ACLU of Virginia elected you as president, a culmination of a 30-year commitment to the cause.
Whether helping to found the Business Law Review or chairing countless committees with great energy, you bring your full self to all you do. After retiring from the Law School, you co-chaired the committee that coordinated a year-long celebration, commemoration and exploration to mark the 100th anniversary of women at William & Mary. You currently serve on the boards of the Hospice House & Support Care of Williamsburg and Virginians for Alternatives to the Death Penalty (VADP).
Jayne Weeks Barnard, you are a trailblazer who has made an indelible impact on the field of law, your students and this university. William & Mary is so pleased to honor you. By virtue of the authority vested in me by the Board of Visitors and the Ancient Royal Charter of The College of William & Mary in Virginia, I hereby confer upon you the degree of Doctor of Laws, Honoris Causa.
