Dartmouth Events

The World Justice Project and the Rule of Law, William "Bill" Neukom '64

Bill Neukom, Juan Carlos Botero, and Dr. Alejandro Ponce, discuss the mission of the World Justice Project, and define the "rule of law" and how their engagement happens globally.

Monday, October 28, 2013
3:00pm – 4:00pm
Class of 1930 Room, Rockefeller Center
Intended Audience(s): Public, Students-Graduate, Students-Undergraduate
Categories: Lectures & Seminars
Registration required.

Mr. William H. Neukom is founder, president, & CEO of the World Justice Project. He is in the Seattle office of the international law firm K&L Gates. He was in the ownership group of the San Francisco Giants major league baseball team (having served as its CEO from 2008 to 2011 and its chairman emeritus during 2012). He is a past president of the American Bar Association (2007-08) and trustee emeritus of Dartmouth College (Chair 2004-07). Mr. Neukom served as the lead lawyer for Microsoft Corporation from 1978 to 2002. As Executive Vice President of Law and Corporate Affairs, Mr. Neukom managed Microsoft’s legal, government affairs, and philanthropic activities. Mr. Neukom led Microsoft’s efforts to establish, distribute, and protect intellectual property rights around the world, and also led Microsoft’s defense of antitrust claims brought by the United States, the European Union and several other countries. Under Mr. Neukom, Microsoft also initiated the Microsoft Giving Campaign, the Microsoft Matching Gifts Program, the Microsoft Volunteer Program, and Libraries on Line. In 1995, Mr. Neukom and his four children founded the Neukom Family Foundation, which supports not-for-profit organizations principally in the fields of health, human services, education, justice, and the environment. Mr. Neukom earned his LL.B. from Stanford University and received his A.B. from Dartmouth College.

Mr. Juan Carlos Botero is the Executive Director and the former Director of the Rule of Law Index, where he has led the development of the Index project and co-authored the report since its inception in 2008. Mr. Botero’s previous experience as a researcher at Yale University and consultant for the World Bank focused on developing cross-country indicators and designing several indices of the World Bank’s Doing Business report. Previous experiences include service as the Director of the Colombian Government Trade Bureau in Washington D.C., Chief International Legal Counsel of the Colombian Ministry of Commerce, Deputy-Chief Negotiator of the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, member of the Advisory Board of the Colombian Antitrust and Consumer Protection Agency, and Judicial Clerk at the Colombian Constitutional Court. He has been a professor or guest lecturer in several countries, and is a member of the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on the Rule of Law. His academic publications focus on the areas of rule of law, access to justice, and labor regulation. A national of Colombia, Mr. Botero holds a law degree from Universidad de los Andes and a Master of Laws from Harvard University. He is a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) candidate at the Georgetown University Law Center.

Dr. Alejandro Ponce is chief research officer, and joined The World Justice Project as Senior Economist in 2009. He is a co-author of the WJP Rule of Law Index. Dr. Ponce has extensive experience in the development of cross-country indicators. Before joining the World Justice Project, he served as an Economist at the World Bank collaborating in the design of surveys to measure financial inclusion around the world. Earlier in his career, he worked as a consultant in the design of the index of judicial efficiency and regulation of dispute resolution as part of the Doing Business Indicators of the World Bank and served as Deputy Director for the Mexican Banking and Securities Commission (CNBV). Dr. Ponce has also conducted research on behavioral economics, financial inclusion and, more recently, on the linkage between economic development and the rule of law. A national of Mexico, Dr. Ponce holds a B.A. in Economics from ITAM in Mexico, and a M.A. and Ph.D. in Economics from Stanford University.

For more information, contact:
Joanne Needham
603-646-2207

Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.