As part of a national effort to commemorate the founding of the first permanent English settlement in Jamestown, Virginia, 400 years ago, the University of Richmond School of Law is hosting the Rule of Law Conference on April 11-14, 2007.

Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of Great Britain are Honorary Chairs of the Democracy Council Series. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor (Ret.) is Honorary Chair of the America's 400th Anniversary commemoration, and she will also be a keynote speaker at events associated with the Conference.

The University of Richmond School of Law is co-sponsoring the Conference with the Federal Jamestown Commission, the American Inns of Court, the British Inns of Court, the American Arbitration Association, the Virginia Bar Association, the John Marshall Foundation and others to bring together prominent British and American jurists, legal scholars and practitioners to address the complex issues of the rule of law as it applies to religious freedom, due process, free speech, international dispute resolution and cultural differences.

The Conference is part of a statewide effort by Virginia-based colleges and universities to host a year-long series of conferences entitled, Foundations and Future of Democracy, that will illuminate the elements of successful democratic systems in America and abroad, and explore how democracies can survive and flourish in the years ahead.

Co-Chairmen
Justice Donald W. Lemons, Supreme Court of Virginia
Rodney A. Smolla, Dean, University of Richmond School of Law

Media Contact
Roberta Oster Sachs, Associate Dean for External Relations
Phone 804-289-8184; Email: rsachs@richmond.edu

Travel and Logistics Contact
Kristine Henderson, Associate Dean for Administration
Phone 804-289-8186; Email: khender3@richmond.edu