At an award ceremony on Nov. 4, Fordham Law School presented Kenneth C. Frazier, executive chair of Merck & Co., with the 2022 Fordham-Stein Prize. At a moment of increasing social and political division in the country, Frazier used his platform to implore the audience of judges, academics, and leaders in practice to reflect on the power lawyers have to help others and to fight to make our country’s “sacred creeds” real for all Americans, no matter their background.
“No other profession has as important a role to play in enabling a brighter future as this profession,” said Frazier. “As lawyers, I think it’s really important for us to ask ourselves how are we going to support a system of representative democracy—rather than a system of hyper-partisanship—and how are we going to ensure that all our fellow citizens have the right to the words ‘equal justice under the law.’ … I believe in the vision of our democracy, as a beacon of liberty, and of freedom, and of opportunity. I think that vision compels all of us as lawyers to try to make a difference.”
In his introduction of Frazier, Dean Matthew Diller connected Frazier’s commitment to the common welfare to that of Louis Stein ’26, the namesake of the prize and of the Law School’s Stein Center for Law and Ethics. Stein, the CEO and board chair of Food Fair Stores, was prompted by the misconduct by lawyers revealed during the Watergate hearings to engage with Fordham Law to create programs that would exemplify high standards of conduct and the advancement of justice in the legal profession.
“[Stein] deeply believed that businesses had a stake in the health of our society and our legal institutions,” said Diller. “In his business leadership, he brought to bear his sense of ethics and justice that he developed as a lawyer.
“[Frazier] also brings the highest values of the legal profession to his leadership in the boardroom,” he continued. “He has compellingly made the case that corporations have a stake in the fairness of our society and the legal system.”
Ken Frazier (l), 2022 Fordham-Stein Prize awardee, with Dean Matthew Diller at a fireside chat with students
Frazier joined Merck in 1992 and held positions of increasing responsibility, including general counsel, before serving as president and CEO from 2011 to 2021. Under Frazier’s leadership, Merck delivered innovative lifesaving medicines and vaccines. A tireless advocate of “good corporate citizenship,” Frazier’s time as CEO was marked by the formation of numerous philanthropic and humanitarian initiatives at the company, as well as a robust pro bono practice.
At the event, he reflected on some of the pro bono cases he pursued. “What I’m most proud of are those cases where I had an opportunity as a partner in a law firm to represent people on death row, or to represent people who lived in substandard housing,” said Frazier. “We were able to bring affirmative litigation to get that housing to change …. Those are the cases that stay with me.”
Frazier’s contributions in the legal, business, and humanitarian fields have been widely recognized. He is co-chair of the Legal Services Corporation’s Leaders Council, where he has advocated for full funding for the federal legal services program. He is also co-founder and co-chair of OneTen, a coalition of leading organizations committed to upskilling, hiring, and promoting one million Black Americans into family-sustaining jobs.
The Fordham-Stein Prize is awarded annually to a member of the legal profession whose work exemplifies outstanding professional conduct and promotes the advancement of justice. From its inception in 1976, the winners of the prize have been leaders with distinguished careers who reflect a profound commitment to the public good. Past winners include nine Supreme Court Justices; four former U.S. attorneys general; three former secretaries of state; and leaders of the bench and bar. Frazier is the first CEO to be awarded the prize. This year marked the first in-person award dinner since 2019.
“The Stein Prize was created in understanding that Fordham lawyers could have an enormous impact to do right, that who we are and who we become matters to the world,” said President of Fordham University Tania Tetlow at the event. “This is such a wonderful night to honor [Frazier], to demonstrate, through his example, of what it means to be a person who has lived a life of integrity and made the kinds of decisions that make the world a better place and that preserve who we are as a nation.”
Ken Frazier (l), 2022 Fordham-Stein Prize Awardee, with President Tania Tetlow and Dean Matthew Diller
Before the dinner and award ceremony, a group of Fordham Law students, including participants in the Law School’s REAL Program, attended a fireside chat with Frazier and Dean Diller. There, the students had the opportunity to ask Frazier about his career arc and the deeply held principles that have guided him.
“When I was in law school, [Harvard Law Professor Derrick Bell] said to me, ‘We need Thurgood Marshalls in the boardroom, not just in the court,’” said Frazier to the group of students. “There’s more than one way to be successful. … Whether you choose to be a legal services lawyer, a public defender, a prosecutor, [or work in private practice], your values can still shape how you approach the practice of law.”
Ken Frazier greets Steven McFarland ’24, an alum of Cornerstone Christian Academy in Philadelphia, Penn. (founded by Frazier), who was inspired by Frazier’s example to attend law school.
At the end of the award ceremony, Frazier called for the audience to advocate for equity.
“This audience is replete with the best and brightest of our profession,” said Frazier, “From honorable judges … to practicing lawyers at the pinnacle of their careers, and Fordham Stein Scholars who hold enormous promise for the impact [they will make]. Together, we share the responsibility that I think Dr. Martin Luther King reminded us of best, when he said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’
“I will use this tremendous honor as a reminder of my ongoing duty to help root out injustice and to advocate for equity, not just in our legal system, but in our society as a whole,” he continued. “And I urge all of us, no matter where our legal careers have taken us, to remember that responsibility that we have as stewards of our democracy, and to put real effort toward helping our society reflect the noble ideas our founders set before us centuries ago. … I’m inspired to continue this work on behalf of all of those who still await the light of our country’s vision.”
Read more about the Fordham-Stein Prize and submit a nomination for 2022
Read Ken Frazier’s full remarks at the 2022 Fordham-Stein Prize Dinner
The 2022 Fordham-Stein Prize
