A Momentous Weekend: Reunion 22
On June 10 and 11, 2022, Columbia Law School alumni from around the globe returned to Morningside Heights for class celebrations, CLE panel discussions, and a conversation with Dean Lester. More than 800 alumni and guests from over 30 countries participated in Reunion 2022. Class members with graduation years ending in 2 and 7 attended a series of inperson and virtual social and intellectual events—from a gala cocktail party on Friday night and class dinners on Saturday to a robust schedule of panels both days featuring alumni, faculty, and students. “I’m thrilled we’re all here and that we’re all together in one place, which is something that feels all the more sweet after a couple of years in which we haven’t been able to do this,” said Dean Lester. One highlight of the weekend was Dean Lester’s conversation with Julie Sweet ’92, chair and CEO of Accenture, the Fortune 500 company specializing in information technology services and consulting. Sweet has been recognized as one of Fortune’s Most Powerful Women in Business and among the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes. In 2010, after 17 years at Cravath, Swaine & Moore (10 of those years as a partner), Sweet switched careers, joining Accenture as general counsel— although the technology field was brand new to her. She said the Law School prepared her for the career pivot: “Columbia taught me how to be a disciplined learner.” Sweet rose in the ranks to become Accenture’s CEO in 2019 and added the title of chair in 2021.
1 every aspect—you can’t just miss something. And then you have to be able to process that information and make decisions.” In addition to the conversation between Sweet and Dean Lester, Reunion 2022 programming included CLE panels with Columbia Law faculty, alumni, and guest speakers; an opportunity to meet the editors in chief of Columbia Law School journals; and panel discussions on Columbia Law women in leadership and on how law and policy affect housing, race, and wealth gaps.
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1: Julie Sweet ’92, chair and CEO of Accenture, spoke with Dean Gillian Lester during Reunion 22. 2, 4, 5: Members of classes with graduation years ending in 2 and 7 attended in-person social and intellectual events over the course of the weekend. 3: Popular CLE panels included “What Can the Law Do About Climate Change?” moderated by Professor Michael B. Gerrard.
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“Whether you’re in corporate or litigation, you have to learn things rapidly,” said Sweet. “You have to be able to learn COLUMBIA LAW SCHOOL 9