About Kenneth R. Feinberg
June 21st, 2007 by Editor
Please click on UMass shield logo above to return to main page.
Kenneth R. Feinberg grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts, and received his B. A. in History from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1967. A renowned attorney and one of the nation’s leading experts in resolving legal disputes out of court, he served as special-settlement master in a number of major class-action suits involving victims of asbestos, Agent Orange, securities fraud, and the Dalkon shield. Most prominently, Feinberg served as director of the Congressional fund to assist the families of those killed or injured in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. He oversaw the distribution of almost $7,000,000,000, winning praise for his fairness and compassion. His book, What is Life Worth?: The Unprecedented Effort to Compensate the Victims of 9/11 (Perseus, 2005), grew out of that experience.
Feinberg has been the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including an honorary doctorate from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2002.
UPDATE 9/14/08: See Hamphire Gazette’s Coverage of Ken Feinberg’s Key Note Address on the anniversary of September 11.