The Alumnae Network is a forum for women graduates to connect with each other, current students, and the law school community.
As women graduates of Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law, we are part of a rapidly growing and dynamic group of women who have blazed trails for later generations of women and have excelled in all areas of legal expertise. Currently, there are more than 3,500 alumnae of the school with over 100 new alumnae added to that number each year!
Judge Patricia Riley, '74, Named Alumna of the Year
IU McKinney's Alumnae Network honored Indiana Court of Appeals Judge Patricia Riley, '74, as the 2019 Alumna of the Year. Judge Riley was celebrated at the 20th anniversary luncheon on August 9 at Woodstock Country Club in Indianapolis.
Mary Beth Ramey, '72, delivered the tribute to Judge Riley, and Dean Andrew R. Klein presented her with the award.
Judge Riley was named to the Indiana Court of Appeals by Governor Evan Bayh in 1994. A native of Rensselaer, Indiana, early in her career she served as a Deputy Prosecutor in Marion County, and as a public defender in Marion and Jasper counties before entering into private practice in Jasper County. She served as judge of the Jasper Superior Court from 1990 to 1993.
Judge Riley is the former chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the Indiana State Bar Association, and is a member of the ABA’s Judicial Division. She is a member of the Indiana Judges Association and the National Association of Women Judges. In 2008, she co-founded the Legal Aid Centre of Eldoret, Kenya (LACE), which provides legal access to justice for HIV/AIDS patients in the AMPATH medical center. She worked in tandem with the law school’s Program in International Human Rights Law on projects related to LACE.
In 2011, Judge Riley traveled with the Washington, D.C.-based International Judicial Academy to The Hague, Netherlands, to observe the International Criminal Court and two International Criminal Tribunals that are hearing cases from Sierra Leone and the former Yugoslavia. And in 2012 she participated in the 3rd Sino-U.S. Law Conference, which was held in Beijing at the National Judges College of the People’s Republic of China, which oversees all aspects of that country’s judicial training, placement and promotion. In 2013 Judge Riley attended the Justice Academy of Turkey where she presented her paper about Ethic Rules in the U.S.
Judge Riley is a longtime, avid supporter of IU McKinney. She has not only served on the Board of Visitors and the IU McKinney Law Alumni Association board (including serving as president), she has also participated in countless law school events including mentorships of law students in both the J.D. and LL.M. programs.
