Testimonials
“Mary Noel represents the very best we have in the American legal tradition. She has that spirit of volunteerism that sets us apart. She’s been an exceedingly successful motivator of people even in cultures far removed from her own. She will be able to look back in her life and know that the work she has done has made a difference in the world.”
JUSTICE SANDRA DAY O’CONNOR
Supreme Court of the United States
“Mary Noel Pepys’ contributions to the democratic transition and rule of law in the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are hard to over-estimate. She was literally the spear, the cutting edge of the efforts of the U.S. government, in cooperation with non-governmental organizations, to make positive change in these countries. Her on-the-ground, hands-on approach in very difficult and often hostile environments was simply the best that I have ever seen.”
AMBASSADOR WILLIAM D. MONTGOMERY
U.S. Ambassador to Bulgaria, Croatia, and Serbia
“While working in Mongolia, Mary Noel was the true driving force in enabling the government to forge a strategy for reform and upgrading of the court system, developing a rule-based legal system, and beginning a wide-range process of re-tooling the entire judicial system. I often credit Mary Noel with getting the job done with the sheer force of persuasion and personality; she is a superb practitioner of the legal arts and applies them in creative, highly personable, and direct ways. Mary Noel has the uncanny and essential ability to convey legal principles and complex legal reform requirements in a clear, understandable, and highly persuasive fashion. She works easily with audiences who are either not knowledgeable or resistant to Western legal concepts and structures. From dealing with hard-shell, old-time communist judges to young aspiring neophytes, I have observed Mary Noel’s genius and inspiration at work. She is a consummate voice of the United States and democratic legal system at work in the world.”
AMBASSADOR ALFONSE LAPORTA
U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia
“Mary Noel is a woman with a real missionary spirit. She helped us realize a significant component of our judicial system, the continuing education of judges. Today, the National Institute of Justice is a reminder to those who worked with Mary Noel of how a foreign expert can have the intellect to be a moving force in the justice system and the compassion to become a friend at the same time.”
NELLY KUTZKOVA
Former Chair of the Sofia District Court and
former President Of the Bulgarian Judges Association