The Marian Archer “Trailblazer” Award

Born on November 14, 1910, Marian Archer was the daughter of Gleason L. Archer—founder of Suffolk Law School and Suffolk University—and Elizabeth Snyder Archer. In 1937, she had the distinction of becoming the first woman to graduate from Suffolk Law. In her name, we recognize exceptional alumnae who, through their own work and contributions to the profession, have captured Marian’s pioneering spirit and elevated the status of women in the law.

The Honorable Marianne B. Bowler

Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Judge Bowler received her Bachelor’s degree from Regis College in pre-med and her JD degree cum laude from Suffolk Law School. Prior to attending law school, Judge Bowler was a research assistant in biochemistry at Harvard Medical School and a medical and scientific journalist. Her articles appeared in numerous newspapers and magazines. Following a distinguished career in the Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, where she earned her reputation handling vaccine litigation and toxic torts, and at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., Marianne B. Bowler was appointed to the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts as a Magistrate Judge, a position which she has held since 1990. Since 2002, her additional judicial duties include serving as a mediator as part of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program of the United States District Court. Judge Bowler has conducted over 600 mediations in the districts of Massachusetts, Puerto Rico and Rhode Island involving a wide range of subject areas including complex business litigation, all types of intellectual property disputes, discrimination and civil rights, admiralty, personal injury, environmental matters and products liability cases resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements with an average annual settlement rate in excess of 80 percent. Between 2009 and 2012 she resolved all of the fertility cases brought by DES daughters in Massachusetts through mediation. Following this outcome, counsel by agreement transferred the next generation of DES cases alleging increased risk of breast cancer pending in the nation to Massachusetts to be heard by Judge Bowler, who resolved them through trial and mediation.

Judge Bowler served as Chief Magistrate Judge from 2002 to 2005, an Observer Member to the Judicial Council of the First Circuit, and recently concluded two terms as a member of the International Judicial Relations Committee of the Judicial Conference of the United States. She has traveled to Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Kuwait, Nepal and the United Arab Emirates to teach judges mediation techniques and lecture on intellectual property issues, money laundering and high profile criminal cases including terrorism. Active in the intellectual property community, Judge Bowler is President of the Boston Intellectual Property Inn of Court and was a co-founding President of Boston College Inn of Court for Intellectual Property in 1997. She was also the first woman president of the Suffolk Law School Alumni Board of Directors and the first woman to chair the board of the New England Baptist Hospital. Judge Bowler is married to Dr. Marc Pfeffer, the Dzau Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Together, in 2011, they published an article in the New England Journal of Medicine comparing the levels of evidence required in clinical trials versus legal trials. She enjoys extensive international traveling, is conversant in French, German and Italian, and is an accomplished artist specializing in faux finishes and trompe l’oeil painting.

The Catherine T. Judge Teaching and Service Award

Catherine T. Judge JD’57, LLM’60 served as Suffolk University Law School’s registrar from 1955–1967. In 1967, she became the first woman to join the Law School’s faculty; in 1974, she was the first woman to earn tenure. Professor Judge taught generations of students contract law and served our community for over five decades. She was a brilliant scholar, an exceptional law professor, a role model, and an empathetic adviser who enthusiastically mentored and counseled thousands of law students. In her name, we recognize distinguished women who exemplify Professor Judge’s commitment to student mentorship and thoughtful pedagogy.

Victoria Dodd, Professor Emerita of Law (Posthumously)

Victoria Dodd was born in Los Angeles in 1948 and joined the Law School faculty in 1981. She was a dedicated teacher and scholar. Her professional and personal life embodied many of the same traits that made Catherine Judge so special.

Victoria was an honors graduate of Radcliffe College. After pursuing graduate studies in education at the University of Southern California she ultimately enrolled in and graduated from that University’s Law School with the Order of the Coif. Following a stint in private practice, she commenced her teaching career at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and Pepperdine Law School, ultimately finding her professional home at Suffolk University Law School. She remained at Suffolk for the rest of her career, interrupted only by various sabbaticals and a year as a Visiting Professor at the University of San Diego Law School.

Victoria actually started “teaching” at the Law School prior to teaching her first class. Reflecting her passion for teaching and education, she authored an article on first year study techniques that was published in The Advocate in 1981.

Victoria taught a wide range of courses during her Suffolk career, including Civil Procedure, Criminal Law, Federal Courts and her real passion, Education Law. Like Catherine Judge, Victoria was known as a passionate teacher and settled for nothing less than excellence from her students. Everyone was expected to be prepared and ready to contribute in every class. She was vigorous advocate for the advancement of women in the legal profession.

Also like Catherine Judge, Victoria cared deeply about her students and was invested in their professional success and their personal growth and happiness. Many of her students sought and received her thoughtful and caring advice about their personal and professional careers.

Victoria was a recognized legal scholar in the field of Education Law. She published a well-known book, Practical Education Law for the Twenty-First Century, in 2003 and numerous book chapters and law review articles. The professional respect in which she was held by her colleagues was evidenced by her election to serve multiple terms as Chair of the Education Law Section of the Association of American Law Schools. She had a deep seated concern about our judicial system and was actively involved in a court accreditation project undertaken by the Massachusetts Bar Association.

Victoria also shared another trait with Catherine Judge – courage and grace in the face of adversity. Following her retirement from the Law School, Victoria commenced a brave struggle against a disease that ultimately took her life this past March. She is remembered by all who knew her as a “Devoted Friend; Passionate Teacher; and Adventurous Traveler.”