Abram J. Chayes '43, Frankfurter professor of law emeritus, was awarded the Harvard Law School Association (HLSA) award Saturday, during a colloquium on international law held in honor of his fiftieth law school reunion.

According to a Harvard Law School (HLS) press release, the award--the highest given by the HLSA--recognizes long-term extraordinary service to the public, the legal profession and HLS.

The two-day colloquium included discussions about the United Nations, global justice, international law and Kosovo.

"It was a wonderful, wonderful event," Chayes said.

"Mainly, it was an opportunity to get together to talk about important issues in international law--and there was an incredible array of people of different ages," he said.

"We had a Supreme Court justice and students still working on their [law doctorate] dissertations on the same stage," he added.

According to the press release, Chayes has done important work over the past 50 years in private practice, with state governments, the U.S. Supreme Court, presidential administrations and the U.S. Department of State, as well as in the classroom.

Still, he said, he did not expect such an honor.

"To have that kind of event in honor of oneself is mind-blowing," Chayes said.

Past recipients of the HLSA award include Loeb University Professor, Emeritus Archibald Cox '34, a former Watergate special prosecutor, and Mary Robinson, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights and a former President of Ireland.