BERKELEY LAW — Some 50 years ago, when Erwin Chemerinsky was competing against Deborah Rhode in Chicago high school debate competitions, he never could have envisioned receiving a prestigious award in her name. Now Berkeley Law’s dean, Chemerinsky accepted the Association of American Law Schools Deborah L. Rhode Award from the organization’s Section on Pro Bono & Public Service Opportunities on January 6 — two days before she died unexpectedly at age 68. A professor at Stanford Law School, former AALS president, and founding president of the International Association of Legal Ethics, Rhode was widely recognized for helping expand public service opportunities in law schools. “It’s hard to express how much this means to me,” Chemerinsky said during the online award ceremony moderated by Berkeley Law Field Placement Director and section chair Susan Schechter. “I admire Deborah tremendously. She is truly a role model for all of us.”