USC Law Commencement 2007

Charles Munger will speak at May 13 ceremony

Friends and family of the USC Law Class of 2007 are invited to the law school’s commencement ceremony Sunday, May 13 at 11 a.m.

The ceremony takes place on the north side of USC’s Alumni Park, near the steps to the Von KleinSmid Center. Seating is free and available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Charles T. Munger, vice chairman of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., will present the keynote address. A graduate of Harvard Law School, Munger, 83, is the business partner of Warren E. Buffett and major contributor to Berkshire Hathaway’s legendary performance record. Forbes lists the self-made Munger as one of the 400 richest people in the United States.

Other speakers during the 90-minute ceremony include Dean Edward J. McCaffery; Ryan Oliver, J.D. candidate and president of the Class of 2007; and Rosemary M. Mwanza, LL.M. candidate and president of the LL.M. Class of 2007. Law Professor Elizabeth Garrett, university vice president for academic planning and budget, will confer degrees on behalf of the university. 

Additional information about the commencement ceremony is available on the USC Law Commencement website. Also, for those unable to attend the commencement ceremony, USC Law is providing a live webcast of the event. Click here to view.

Munger is the founding partner of the Los Angeles law firm Munger, Tolles & Olson, but left in 1965 to focus on investing. He has been Berkshire Hathaway’s vice chairman since 1979 and is also chairman and CEO of Berkshire subsidiary Wesco Financial Corp., based in Pasadena.

Munger is known for mixing advice with humor. In the book Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger, edited by Peter D. Kaufman, Munger comments on his business, the stock market, philanthropy, psychology, money management, technology and other topics. He also provides tips on finding happiness: “A lot of success in life and business comes from knowing what you want to avoid: early death, a bad marriage, etc.” The book takes its title from Poor Richard's Almanack, published by Benjamin Franklin, who has served as an inspiration to Munger.

Like Franklin, Munger has embraced philanthropy in the course of his business success. He serves on the USC Law Board of Councilors and is president of the Alfred C. Munger Foundation, named for his father. Munger and his wife, Nancy B. Munger, donated $43.5 million to Stanford Law School for a graduate student residence.