Three USD Law Alumni Named 2026 Federal Bar Association Award Recipients
University of San Diego (USD) School of Law congratulates Law Alumni Board Member Dylan Aste ’11 (JD), Blake Currey ’14 (JD), and William Goren ’85 (JD) on being named 2026 Federal Bar Association (FBA) honorees. The awards will be presented during the FBA Annual Meeting and Convention in Richmond, Virginia, being held September 18-19.
Aste will receive the Robyn J. Spalter Outstanding Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who joined the FBA as younger attorneys and have demonstrated professionalism, leadership, and meaningful service.
A former assistant U.S. attorney, Aste is counsel in Pillsbury’s San Diego, representing corporations and individuals in commercial litigation, government investigations, and white-collar defense. His experience includes matters involving health care fraud, procurement and government contract fraud, opioid and prescription drug offenses, loan fraud, and cross-border actions. Over the course of his career, he has recovered approximately $500 million for clients. Among his previous accolades are the FBA’s Outstanding Leader Award (2023) and Younger Federal Lawyer Award (2020) as well as USD Law’s Rising Star Recent Alumni Award (2021).
At USD Law, Aste graduated cum laude, was executive editor of the Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues, and was a member of the San Diego International Law Journal.
Currey will be honored with the Younger Federal Lawyer Award, which is given to younger federal lawyers for their high standards of professional achievement and outstanding performance.
A judicial law clerk for the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California, Currey works closely with a federal district judge on complex civil and criminal cases by drafting opinions, supporting trials, and training law clerks. He was previously president of the San Diego Chapter of the FBA and sat on its Board of Directors.
While a student at USD Law, Currey served on the San Diego Law Review Editorial Board, the USD Law Appellate Moot Court National Team, and its Executive Board. He graduated summa cum laude, was named valedictorian, and was a member of both the Order of the Coif and the Order of the Barristers.
Goren will be the recipient of the Sarah T. Hughes Civil Rights Award, which is given to an attorney or judge whose career achievements have advanced civil rights, due process, and equal protection.
An attorney and consultant, Goren advises clients on compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and related laws. Through his practice, he works to minimize the risk of costly lawsuits while promoting equal access in the workplace. His FBA involvement spans the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Civil Rights Section and its Governing Board, the Civil Rights Amicus Committee, and the Disability Best Practices Working Group, which he has chaired since 2022.
About the School of Law
Each year, USD Law educates approximately 800 Juris Doctor and graduate law students from throughout the United States and around the world. The law school is best known for its offerings in the areas of business and corporate law, constitutional law, intellectual property, international and comparative law, public interest law and taxation.
USD School of Law is one of the 88 law schools elected to the Order of the Coif, a national honor society for law school graduates. The law school’s faculty is a strong group of outstanding scholars and teachers with national and international reputations. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools. Founded in 1954, the law school is part of the University of San Diego, a private, independent, Roman Catholic university chartered in 1949.