Judge George Herbert King, a 1974 graduate, returned to the USC Gould School of Law to counsel 213 juris doctor graduates and 64 master of laws graduates at the 2006 commencement ceremony held Sunday, May 14.
“You are now ambassadors of the law,” Judge King said in his keynote address. “In the next half-century or longer, you will influence, if not direct, the course of the law.”
Judge King told the graduates they will bear that responsibility from the first day in their new careers and in doing so will be faced with constant ethical challenges.
Such “insidious dangers lurk in everyday practice,” he said. “Recognize the perils, confront them and do everything in your power to avoid them.”
Lawyers must learn to balance conflicting interests and stand up for what they know is right, he said. Don’t use “Rambo” litigation tactics, but don’t be timid, either. Stand up to clients and challenge colleagues to revisit the propriety of their own actions. The answers to many ethical dilemmas begin with one’s self and will ultimately reflect upon the USC Law community, he said.
“Judgment is the most important aspect you have as lawyers,” Judge King said. “Talk to people you trust and get their analysis and advice.”
Dean Matthew L. Spitzer recognized the graduates’ “day of triumph,” and, along with the graduates and other speakers, thanked in particular the mothers who attended the commencement ceremony, held on Mother’s Day.
Rose Yoo, 3L Class president, also addressed the graduates and family members gathered in Alumni Park. The Class of 2006 was comprised of law students who saw and cared about each other as people first, she said, learning some of the most important lessons from each other.
“We are the class that not only met our expectations, but exceeded them,” Yoo said. “We are aware that we have the power of a law school education fortified by our own integrity and faith.”
LL.M. recipient Louise Lien presented remarks on behalf of the 64 foreign graduate students who spent their time at USC Law learning as much about American culture as they did about the American common law system. She addressed the J.D. graduates and thanked them for befriending the foreign students and making them feel at home.
“Look around the crowd and realize you have friends in (18) countries, and they will some day be the movers and shakers in their own countries – if they are not already,” Lien said. “They are your friends and they are only a phone call away.”
While posing for photographs following the ceremony, J.D. recipient Oscar Medellin said he still feels some disbelief when he looks back on his life leading up to his legal education.
“You never can tell what’s going to happen,” Medellin said. “This is definitely bigger than anything I ever expected.”
Medellin, who was a leader of the La Raza Law Students Association and this year received a Shattuck Award, was the first in his family to graduate from college when he earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Now he plans to become the first lawyer in the family, once he passes the bar examination.
“I’m most proud because I have all my family here,” said Medellin, who was granted a fellowship with Public Counsel’s consumer law division. “They came all the way from Texas.”
Other students, such as LL.M. graduate Waraporn Maktanarung, prepared to say good-bye to not only USC Law, but the country they called home for the past year. A native of Bangkok, Thailand, Maktanarung said she plans to take a judge’s examination when she returns to her country.
The commencement celebration also included a brunch for graduates and their families at Town & Gown. Yoo and 3L Vice President Sam Yebri presented the 2006 Class Gift to Dean Spitzer. This year’s graduates far surpassed the participation rate of any previous class, with a record 84 percent of graduates supporting the Class Gift.
The Class Gift is more about signaling alumni participation than fundraising, Dean Spitzer said.
“It demonstrates to those who pay attention to ranking, to potential employers, and to the legal community here in L.A., in this country and the world, that USC Law has the strong support of its alumni and should never be underestimated as a top-notch law school,” he said.
Among the programs supported by the 2006 Class Gift:
The Class of 2006 Scholarship Fund will receive $17,050
Student organizations under the Student Bar Association will receive $7,862
The Law Library will receive $3,275
The Public Interest Law Foundation will receive $25,277
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