Graduates of Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus were honored during a commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22.
Forty-four juris degrees and master of laws degrees were presented to members of Cooley Law School’s Justice Antonin Scalia class.
Chosen by his peers, Adam Kimball gave the class farewell remarks. Professor and Associate Dean Tonya Krause-Phelan delivered the keynote speech.
“We’re all so fortunate to have the competitive, yet inclusive and community-centered atmosphere that we nourished at Cooley,” Kimball said in his farewell address. “By the end, I think we all would agree, we, through the instruction we received and through our collective efforts, learned to be skilled and passionate lawyers. My classmates and I are going to exhibit integrity in everything we do. We’re going to be compassionate lawyers in our communities, wherever we may roam. We’re going to be seekers of justice and professionals who overcome the impossible for the people we care about. And we are always going to carry the memories from Cooley – the place that encouraged us to work together, stay true to ourselves, and create whatever reality we want in our legal pursuits.”
In his welcome address, Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath told the gradates: “It’s fitting on this day, your graduation day, to recognize that we’re not just graduates of law, but we’re stewards of justice and advocates for change. As future lawyers, you have the unique opportunity and a profound duty to leverage your skills and knowledge to advocate for justice. You can use your legal skills in many ways to create a better world. The legal profession is more than just a career. It’s a calling. A calling to serve as a guardian of justice, a champion of equality, and advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. As you embark on your journey as legal professionals, I urge you to embrace this calling with a deep sense of purpose and commitment.”
During the commencement address, Cooley Law School Professor and Associate Dean Tonya Krause-Phelan shared how the students are graduating at a time when the legal profession is evolving at a daily pace, which will present them with great opportunities and challenges.
“You are not just students, but you are the torchbearers of this noble legal profession,” she told the graduates. “Today, as you step in the world with your degree, we pass the torch to each of you. We entrust you with the responsibility to uphold the values and principles of our beloved legal profession. It’s been an honor to witness your growth and your accomplishments and we look forward to seeing the great things that you will achieve in the future. Now go out there and make history.”
Each Cooley Law School class is named for a distinguished member of the legal profession. The commencement ceremony for Cooley’s spring graduating class honors U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Antonin Scalia, who graduated valedictorian three times (high school, Georgetown University, and Harvard Law School), worked as a commercial law attorney for six years before becoming an administrative law professor at the University of Virginia in 1967. Four years later, he was appointed as general counsel for the Office of Telecommunications Policy by President Richard Nixon, where he served as chairman for the U.S. Administration Conference from 1972-1974. Nixon then nominated Scalia for assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.
Following Nixon’s resignation, President Gerald Ford sustained the nomination and Scalia was confirmed by Senate vote in August 1974. Three years later, Scalia returned to teaching and joined the faculty at University of Chicago Law School. He taught at Chicago until 1982 when President Ronald Reagan nominated him for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where he served from 1982-1986. Scalia joined the U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 26, 1986, filling a vacancy left by Justice William Rehnquist, and served for 30 years.
Forty-four juris degrees and master of laws degrees were presented to members of Cooley Law School’s Justice Antonin Scalia class.
Chosen by his peers, Adam Kimball gave the class farewell remarks. Professor and Associate Dean Tonya Krause-Phelan delivered the keynote speech.
“We’re all so fortunate to have the competitive, yet inclusive and community-centered atmosphere that we nourished at Cooley,” Kimball said in his farewell address. “By the end, I think we all would agree, we, through the instruction we received and through our collective efforts, learned to be skilled and passionate lawyers. My classmates and I are going to exhibit integrity in everything we do. We’re going to be compassionate lawyers in our communities, wherever we may roam. We’re going to be seekers of justice and professionals who overcome the impossible for the people we care about. And we are always going to carry the memories from Cooley – the place that encouraged us to work together, stay true to ourselves, and create whatever reality we want in our legal pursuits.”
In his welcome address, Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath told the gradates: “It’s fitting on this day, your graduation day, to recognize that we’re not just graduates of law, but we’re stewards of justice and advocates for change. As future lawyers, you have the unique opportunity and a profound duty to leverage your skills and knowledge to advocate for justice. You can use your legal skills in many ways to create a better world. The legal profession is more than just a career. It’s a calling. A calling to serve as a guardian of justice, a champion of equality, and advocate for those who cannot speak for themselves. As you embark on your journey as legal professionals, I urge you to embrace this calling with a deep sense of purpose and commitment.”
During the commencement address, Cooley Law School Professor and Associate Dean Tonya Krause-Phelan shared how the students are graduating at a time when the legal profession is evolving at a daily pace, which will present them with great opportunities and challenges.
“You are not just students, but you are the torchbearers of this noble legal profession,” she told the graduates. “Today, as you step in the world with your degree, we pass the torch to each of you. We entrust you with the responsibility to uphold the values and principles of our beloved legal profession. It’s been an honor to witness your growth and your accomplishments and we look forward to seeing the great things that you will achieve in the future. Now go out there and make history.”
Each Cooley Law School class is named for a distinguished member of the legal profession. The commencement ceremony for Cooley’s spring graduating class honors U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.
Antonin Scalia, who graduated valedictorian three times (high school, Georgetown University, and Harvard Law School), worked as a commercial law attorney for six years before becoming an administrative law professor at the University of Virginia in 1967. Four years later, he was appointed as general counsel for the Office of Telecommunications Policy by President Richard Nixon, where he served as chairman for the U.S. Administration Conference from 1972-1974. Nixon then nominated Scalia for assistant attorney general for the Office of Legal Counsel.
Following Nixon’s resignation, President Gerald Ford sustained the nomination and Scalia was confirmed by Senate vote in August 1974. Three years later, Scalia returned to teaching and joined the faculty at University of Chicago Law School. He taught at Chicago until 1982 when President Ronald Reagan nominated him for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, where he served from 1982-1986. Scalia joined the U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 26, 1986, filling a vacancy left by Justice William Rehnquist, and served for 30 years.
Graduates of Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus were honored during a commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22.
Graduates of Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus were honored during a commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22. Pictured are (left to right) Cooley Professor and Associate Dean Tonya Krause-Phelan, graduate Adam Kimball, and Cooley President and Dean James McGrath.
Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath provides the welcome address during the university’s Lansing campus commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22.
Cooley Law School President and Dean James McGrath provides the welcome address during the university’s Lansing campus commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22.
Cooley Professor and Associate Dean Tonya Krause-Phelan delivers the commencement address during the university’s Lansing campus commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22.
Chosen by his peers, Adam Kimball gives the class farewell remarks during Cooley Law School’s Lansing campus commencement ceremony at the Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing on April 22.
Photos courtesy of Cooley
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