On Thursday, Sept. 18, Husch Blackwell Partner Cynthia L. Cordes received a 2014 Distinguished Alumni Award from Boston University’s College of Communications. The award was presented to Cordes for her career achievements at a ceremony on campus in Boston during alumni weekend.
Boston University President Robert Brown also selected Cordes for the newly launched Women’s Leadership Coalition, and on Saturday, Sept. 20, she participated in the inaugural event for the Coalition, “The President’s Panel: A Conversation with BU Women.” Cordes was also invited to serve as a featured speaker at the College of Communication 100 year anniversary celebration where Cordes spoke on the role of the media in the law.
A 2001 Boston University alumna, Cordes graduated magna cum laude with a degree in Journalism. Cordes is a nationally recognized former federal prosecutor and leader in complex criminal litigation. During her years of service with the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Cordes spearheaded and led a multiagency task force on human trafficking consisting of more than 20 federal and state law enforcement agencies and 60 nonprofit agencies and healthcare providers. She has prosecuted more human trafficking cases than any assistant U.S. attorney in the country and her pioneering work involved some of the most complex human trafficking cases in the history of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Cordes has continued her innovative work by spearheading Husch Blackwell’s human trafficking clinic; the first of its kind in the country. Through the clinic, the firm represents all types of human trafficking victims in commercial sex and forced labor trafficking cases referred by law enforcement, prosecutors and partnering non-profit agencies across the country. In addition to leading the clinic, Cordes advises companies and executives on government issues, leads internal investigations and provides tailored compliance policies, training and audits for companies, educational institutions and healthcare providers.