Karl Racine, attorney general for the District of Columbia, will present the Attorney General Jon Bruning Public Service Lecture at noon Nov. 5 in the College of Law’s Hamann Auditorium.

The talk is free and open to the public. It will be available via Zoom. (Registration is required).

Racine was sworn in as D.C.’s first elected attorney general in 2015 and was re-elected in 2018. As chief legal officer for the District of Columbia, he relies on his nearly 30 years of legal and leadership experience to advise the mayor and district agencies, defend the city in court and advance the public interest.

His career has included representing indigent residents in D.C., volunteering in a clinic that supported migrant farm workers’ rights, serving as associate White House counsel in the Clinton administration, and practicing white-collar and commercial litigation with leading law firms. While in private practice, Racine was elected managing partner of his firm, Venable LLP, and became the first African American managing partner of a top-100 American law firm.

In addition to discussing his career, Racine will talk about how current and aspiring lawyers can use the law to uplift vulnerable residents.

The Attorney General Jon Burning Lecture offers students an opportunity to consider the significance of dedicating all or a portion of one’s career to public service. Bruning served as attorney general of Nebraska from 2003-2015 and as a state senator from 1997-2002. He earned a bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

Organizers expect the program to be approved for one continuing legal education credit. Attorneys wishing to receive CLE credit and those interested in joining remotely should register here.