Former Williams & Connolly LLP Partner, Judith A. Miller, Named Women Bar Association's 2006 Woman Lawyer of the Year
March 2006

The Women's Bar Association of the District of Columbia is honored to name Judith A. Miller, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of Bechtel Group, Inc., as the 2006 recipient of its prestigious Woman Lawyer of the Year Award. The award recognizes a woman for her exceptional achievements in the legal profession and/or for her extraordinary contributions to the advancement of women in the profession. Ms. Miller will receive her award at the Women's Bar Association of D.C. and the Women Bar Association Foundation Annual Awards Dinner, to be held on Tuesday, May 16, 2006, at the elegant National Building Museum, 401 F Street, N.W.

Ms. Miller's recent appointment to the senior executive ranks of Bechtel, a leading global engineering, construction and project management firm based in San Francisco, California, caps an illustrious career that includes a partnership at Williams & Connolly LLP, a five-year stint as General Counsel of the Department of Defense, and a clerkship on the Supreme Court of the United States. In recognition of her outstanding achievements, the National Law Journal named Ms. Miller one of the "50 Most Influential Lawyers in America" and Washingtonian magazine listed her as one of "Washington's 100 Most Powerful Women."

Ms. Miller began her exceptional legal career by clerking for Judge Harold Leventhal on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, followed by a clerkship with Associate Justice Potter Stewart on the United States Supreme Court. Thereafter, Ms. Miller joined the Department of Defense, where she served in the Office of the Special Assistant to Secretary of Defense Harold Brown (along with then-Colonel Colin Powell), before joining Williams & Connolly as an associate in 1979. In private practice, Ms. Miller developed an active trial practice in civil and criminal litigation, making partner in 1985. From 1994 to 1999, Ms. Miller returned to the Department of Defense as General Counsel, where she served as the chief legal officer with supervisory responsibility for more than 6,000 military and civilian lawyers. Ms. Miller's responsibilities at DoD included advising the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Defense and their senior leadership team on major legal and policy issues and working extensively with other government agencies, such as the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Department of State. During her tenure at DoD, Ms. Miller was awarded the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service (and later the Bronze Palm) and the Department of the Army Decoration for Distinguished Public Service. Ms. Miller returned to Williams & Connolly in 2000, after having been the longest-serving General Counsel at DoD.

An active participant in a number of national legal organizations, Ms. Miller is a member and/or fellow of the American Law Institute; the American Bar Foundation; the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security; and the Executive Council of the American Society of International Law. Ms. Miller has continued her work on national and homeland security issues, serving on the Defense Science Board; the Board of Directors of the Atlantic Counsel of the United States; the Board of Advisors to the Institute for Homeland Security created by ANSER Corporation; and the Task Force on National Security in the Information Age. Ms. Miller also has been active in the American Bar Association's Section of Litigation, serving on its Council, as co-chair of the 2002 Meeting Planning Committee; and as co-chair of its Federal Practice Task Force.

Locally, Ms. Miller has served as a member of the Judicial Conference of the District of Columbia Circuit; the Committee on Grievances for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia; and the Civil Justice Reform Act Advisory Group for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. In addition, Ms. Miller has lectured on national security law issues at Yale and Cornell Law Schools and Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Ms. Miller received her undergraduate degree summa cum laude from Beloit College and her law degree from Yale Law School.

A long-time member and supporter of the WBA, Ms. Miller has been the featured speaker at several WBA programs and was honored as one of the "Stars of the Bar" at the WBA's 2002 Networking Reception. Ever mindful of the need to promote and advance qualified women into positions of leadership in the legal profession, Ms. Miller has been a mentor and role model to young women throughout her career in public service and private practice. The WBA is delighted to honor Ms. Miller as its 2006 Woman Lawyer of the Year.