Grads urged to advocate for rights and privileges for all
-Story by Maria Iacobo and Lori Craig
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| Justice Carlos R. Moreno |
With a personal story about how difficult it can be to obtain access to a public education and healthcare and social services in the United States, retired California Supreme Court Justice Carlos R. Moreno urged USC Law’s new graduates to use their “hard-earned education and skills” and “reflect on all the work that must still be done if you are to level the playing field for everyone in our justice system, our educational system and our social and economic systems.”
Justice Moreno’s story of his struggle to navigate the maze of state and federal agencies after adopting an autistic child illustrated the obstacles an individual has to manage in order to obtain services that he or she is entitled to by law. Even as a federal judge, Justice Moreno confided, he was stymied a number of times over the course of several years.
“What I concluded from my experience is that we as a nation must make a concerted effort to make a philosophical sea change to make access to medical and legal and educational services uppermost in our minds,” said Moreno, who stepped down from the bench earlier this year and is Of Counsel at Irell & Manella.
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| Amit Makker '11 |
Moreno’s words resonated with the Class of 2011. During their three years at USC Law, they collectively spent hundreds of hours in a number of public service projects around the country, from bringing 100 at-risk local teenagers to the law school for a mentoring program to spending their spring break in New Orleans working with residents who still feel the scars of Hurricane Katrina.
USC Gould School of Law’s 2011 commencement ceremonies were conducted by Dean Robert K. Rasmussen with family, friends and law school faculty cheering them on. Diplomas were handed out to 220 J.D. candidates, 125 LL.M. candidates and 5 M.C.L. candidates.
Amit Makker, USC Law 2011 class president, spoke on behalf of the graduating J.D. candidates; Gary Reichman, an LL.M. candidate from Great Britain, spoke on behalf of the international program candidates.
Rasmussen congratulated the graduates and asked them to commit to being rigorous, courageous and a trusted ally throughout their careers.
“Crafting a successful and meaningful career after you leave here requires, in addition to intellectual rigor and the courage to speak your mind, the ability to find innovative solutions in a way that engenders the trust of your clients and your colleagues,” Rasmussen said. “Lawyers often say ‘we work for others,’ but it’s actually better to say ‘we work with others.’ Clients will value the lawyer who understands their problem, takes ownership of their projects, and finds creative solutions, all the while maintaining a good and humble humor.
“This ability to be a valued team player is a trait that no other law school imparts better than ours.”
Makker, an engineer who will join Kirkland and Ellis LLP in the patent litigation division, celebrated his classmates for finishing the journey of law school side by side.
“Take care of each other out there,” Makker said. “We didn’t throw sand in the sandbox for the last three years, and I urge you all to keep that sentiment as you move forward into the real world.
“Look for opportunities to help each other. Look for opportunities to recommend each other. And look for opportunities to work together. I expect great things from all of you. … And you should all expect great things from yourselves because you’ve all shown that you are more than capable of them.
Reichman, a University of Leicester graduate, recounted some of the highlights from the past year of the Graduate and International Programs, including the J.D./LL.M. partnership program, the law school softball tournament and fundraisers for Japanese tsunami aid and the Public Interest Law Foundation.
“Going forward, I hope that we have paved the way for future classes and that they continue to be as involved, knowing that they, too, have the ability to make a meaningful contribution during their time at USC, both inside and out of the classroom,” Reichman said.
“To my colleagues who are going on to take the bar exam, I wish you the best of luck. To my colleagues who are heading home, I wish you a safe journey. I have no doubt that, no matter where any of you go from here, you’ll always continue to excel in all that you do.”
-Photos by Maria Iacobo and Ziva Santop/Steve Cohn Photography
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