WilmerHale announces today that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer will be the first Lloyd Cutler Distinguished Visitor at the American Academy in Berlin in December 2008. Mr. Cutler was one of the Academy’s founding trustees and the cofounder of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (a predecessor of WilmerHale). The Lloyd Cutler Distinguished Visitorship will bring to the Academy for one week each year leading American lawyers, judges, and legal scholars.

Justice Breyer, as the first recipient of the Lloyd Cutler Distinguished Visitorship, will deliver the inaugural lecture “Guardian of the Constitution: The Counter Example of Dred Scott” on December 15 at the American Academy. Dieter Grimm, former Justice of Germany’s Federal Constitutional Court, will moderate the lecture and discussion. The lecture is part of a week-long program organized by the American Academy, in which Justice Breyer will meet with German and other European judges, law scholars, and political representatives.

Because of this visitorship, "great American legal scholars and practitioners will continue to grace the Academy and honor Lloyd Cutler's legacy", said Richard Holbrooke, Chairman of the American Academy in Berlin. Lloyd Cutler was a dear friend of mine and a valued advisor. I turned to him for advice and support when we were establishing the American Academy in Berlin and he played a pivotal role in its establishment. His varied interests, both cultural and scholarly, brought a unique lens through which we all looked, when establishing the Academy. His vision in the early days, lasts until today, and will always be part of the Academy's unique fabric."

“The Academy has become one of the most visible and effective institutions of transatlantic dialogue,” said William Perlstein, Co-Managing Partner of WilmerHale. “We are proud to honor the man who was the driving force behind both our law firm and the Academy, and also help promote intellectual and cultural exchange between Germany and the United States – a goal that was close to Lloyd Cutler’s heart.”

In 1962 Lloyd Cutler co-founded Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, which became a leading international law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers with offices in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium and China. Aside from his expertise and authority in the private sector, Cutler became deeply involved in some of the most pressing issues facing the federal government during the past century. Working for six presidential administrations, he advised on matters ranging from the Iranian hostage crisis to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to the Whitewater investigation. Still other facets of Cutler’s curiosity and intellect led him to other pursuits: teaching at the Salzburg Seminar in American Studies and even serving as a director of the Metropolitan Opera.