The 2026 Edward Ross Lecture in Litigation Change It Up: Seeking Justice Following Different Paths

with Zane Memeger

Tuesday, November 3, 2026
12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Duane Morris LLP Moot Court Room

about the event

Temple University Beasley School of Law presents the 2026 Edward Ross Lecture in Litigation, featuring remarks by Zane Memeger, executive director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project and former US Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Memeger will offer reflections on his journey from federal prosecutor to wrongful conviction advocate and his thoughts on seeking justice through government, pro bono, and public interest work.

register

Click here to register

about the speaker

Zane Memeger

Zane Memeger is the Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Innocence Project; a non-profit organization focused on exonerating those convicted of crimes they did not commit and helping the wrongfully convicted transition to freedom.

Zane served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania for nearly seven years under the Obama Administration where he led an office of 130 federal prosecutors. He was previously an Assistant United States Attorney (AUSA) in the office from 1995 to 2006. As an AUSA, Zane was a member of the Philadelphia Organized Crime Strike Force which investigated and prosecuted organized crime and public corruption cases in Philadelphia and the surrounding counties. Zane’s successes as a federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice (DOJ) include the prosecutions of the Joseph Merlino/Ralph Natale crime family, Congressman Chaka Fattah, and Imam Shamsud Din Ali. During his time as United States Attorney, Zane served on the Attorney General’s Advisory Committee where he chaired the Health Care Fraud Working Group and served on the AGAC’s Violent Crime and Organized Crime Subcommittee. Zane also made a significant effort to expand the US Attorney’s involvement in reentry and youth crime prevention programs to enhance public safety and strengthen community relations with law enforcement.

Expand

In addition to his 18 years with the US Department of Justice, Zane spent 16 years with Morgan Lewis – a US-based international law firm – as a two-time partner and associate in their government investigation and white-collar defense practice. Zane also maintained an active pro bono caseload at Morgan Lewis representing clients in affirmative litigation pursuant to the Federal Torts Claims Act.

Before becoming Executive Director for the Project, Zane served on the Project’s board for eight years, where he was heavily involved in and chaired the Project’s Litigation and Policy Committee. Zane’s interest in innocence work began when he was a law student at the University of Virginia School of Law, where he led the law school’s Post-Conviction Assistance Project (P-CAP) as Litigation Director and Special Project Director. Zane earned his bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in criminal justice from James Madison University