This press release is reprinted with permission from the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security.

The American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security will honor Robert S. Mueller III, a partner at WilmerHale and former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with its Morris I. Leibman Award in Law and National Security

The award, which recognizes lawyers who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to and made exceptional contributions to the field of law and national security, will be presented at a luncheon in Mueller's honor on May 5 at the University Club, 1135 16th St. NW, in Washington, D.C. There is no charge for media covering this event. To register, please contact Jennifer Kildee at 202-662-1732 or [email protected].

“Whether serving as a Marine infantry officer in Vietnam, a line attorney in the Department of Justice, the U.S. Attorney in San Francisco, or as Director of the FBI, Bob Mueller's life of service to the country and to the Constitution has been marked by physical and moral courage,” said James E. Baker, chairman of the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security. “He exemplifies the virtues of the ideal servant-leader. Bob Mueller has never lost track of the fact that the most effective form of leadership is leadership by example and that 'Officers Eat Last' is not a matter of chow hall protocol, it is a leadership virtue. Bob's service will stand as an example to generations of public servants to come. For these reasons, and many others, it is a privilege for the Standing Committee on Law and National Security to present the Morris I. Leibman Award to Bob Mueller.”

Mueller was nominated by President George W. Bush and became director of the FBI on Sept. 6, 2001, one week prior to the attacks on Sept. 11. He is widely credited not only for leading the FBI during an extremely challenging time, but also with transforming the bureau from a traditional law enforcement agency to an intelligence-based national security organization.

Mueller was born in New York City and grew up outside of Philadelphia. He graduated from Princeton University in 1966 and earned a master's degree in international relations from New York University in 1967 and a law degree from University of Virginia School of Law in 1973.

Mueller has served as a United States Marine Corps officer (awarded the Bronze Star, two Navy Commendation Medals, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry); an assistant U.S. attorney in three different offices; the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of California; the assistant attorney general in charge of the Department of Justice's Criminal Division; and the longest-serving director of the FBI since J. Edgar Hoover.

The ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security is committed to educate the Bar and public on national security issues. For more information on ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security, go to www.americanbar.org/natsecurity.