A star-studded group of former members of the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office will explore the possibility of drawing lessons from that institution for how to approach the hardest discussions on campus. The panel will draw on the framework, ethos, and practice of the Solicitor General’s office to explore insights on how students, faculty, and staff can approach controversial issues on campus—and in particular listening, analyzing, tackling, and responding to arguments on the other side. The panel will seek to offer meaningful reflections on the lifelong process of understanding and responding to deeply controversial arguments, even those that are—to some or many—odious.

Panelists:
- Paul D. Clement, Partner, Kirkland & Ellis, and Distinguished Lecturer in Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Solicitor General, 2005-08
- Charles Fried, Beneficial Professor of Law, Harvard Law School
Solicitor General, 1985-89
- Gregory G. Garre, Partner and Chair of the Supreme Court and Appellate Practice Group, Latham & Watkins
Solicitor General, 2008-09
- Ian H. Gershengorn, Partner and Chair of the Appellate and Supreme Court Practice Group, Jenner & Block
Acting Solicitor General, 2016-17
- Nicole A. Saharsky, Partner and Co-Chair of the Appellate and Constitutional Law Practice Group, Gibson Dunn
Assistant to the Solicitor General, 2007-17

Moderated by Julian Davis Mortenson, Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School

This event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception in the Lawyers Club Lounge.