Produced by: Office of Media Relations
June 3, 2013
On Sunday, June 2, 2013, St. John's School of Law’s 310 J.D. candidates and 42 LL.M. candidates convened at Carnesecca Arena for its annual Commencement Exercises. Associate Academic Dean and Professor of Law Margaret V. Turano ‘77L served as Director of Proceedings for the ceremony that included some 3300 family, friends, faculty, administrators, staff and alumni in the Law School community.
The ceremony opened with a stirring invocation delivered by Lawrence Brown ’13L, an ordained minister, who said of himself and his classmates: “We have a responsibility to be our brother’s and sister’s keeper. May we make a difference.” Welcoming the students and guests, Dean Michael A. Simons noted “this is a day of transitions ― a day of firsts and of lasts.” The firsts included the first class of graduates from the Law School’s new LL.M. programs in International and Comparative Sports Law and Transnational Legal Practice. The day also marked the last time Professor Turano would preside over the commencement exercises as Associate Academic Dean, as she will return to her “first loves of teaching and writing” with the 2013-14 academic year. And, in July, Rev. Donald J. Harrington, C.M., President of St. John’s University for the past 24 years, will retire.
As they transition into their professional lives, Dean Simons said, the Class of 2013 can be very proud of the over 65,000 hours it devoted to helping the poor and needy through the Law School’s clinics and service initiatives ― selfless service embodying St. John’s Vincentian heritage and mission. He also shared that, as they continue to make their path to the profession and to a rewarding career, the graduates will have many opportunities and will face many challenges, the most important of which will be the challenge and opportunity to use their law degree as a license to do good and to serve justice. “If you meet that challenge and take that opportunity,” he shared, “you will have made for yourself not just a career, but a life of which you can be truly proud.”
The ceremony next turned to honor two jurists dedicated to serving justice and doing good. The Honorable Jonathan Lippman, Chief Judge of the State of New York, was presented with an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. With a career in the New York court system spanning four decades, Chief Judge Lippman has helped shape Court of Appeals jurisprudence, with notable decisions addressing legal services for the poor, juvenile justice, indigent criminal defense services, wrongful convictions, and the rise in foreclosure cases in the courts. Recognizing the national shortage of legal services for the poor and disenfranchised, Chief Judge Lippman crafted the country’s first state rule mandating that law students perform 50 hours of uncompensated pro bono work in service to New York’s needy as a prerequisite to their admission to the bar. The rule goes into effect this year.
Addressing the students, Chief Judge Lippman said he was deeply honored to be the commencement speaker at a great law school, whose mission of service to the poor he so greatly values and admires. “There is a deeper meaning and a broader purpose associated with the noble tradition of lawyering, regardless of the exact path you take,” he said. It is the same meaning and purpose that animated the work of St. Vincent de Paul and that St. John’s now animates through its Vincentian mission ― pursuing justice and serving others. “Pursuing justice is our very reason for being as lawyers. I’m not talking about pursuing justice in just the conceptual sense, but rather making it part of our day-to-day reality and identity as lawyers.” Noting that New York’s courthouses are filled with vulnerable, frightened litigants, Chief Judge Lippman said that the need for civil legal services in New York for the poor and for people of limited means has never been greater. “The entire legal community has an ethical, professional, and moral obligation to respond to this crisis and law schools and law students have a critical role to play.”
Acknowledging that St. John’s Law “has rallied to the cause,” Chief Judge Lippman noted that programs from the first-year orientation’s Day of Service and Reflection to Public Interest Center initiatives, to opportunities offered through the Law School’s clinics and externships show that “public service is part of your DNA at St. John’s.” Citing the life’s work of his colleagues on the bench ― Carmen Beauchamp Ciparick ’67L, ‘03HON, Theodore T. Jones, Jr. ‘72L, ‘07HON, and Joseph W. Bellacosa ’61L, ’87 HON ― Chief Judge Lippman observed that St. John’s Law students and graduates make a difference in so many ways. “Graduates, whatever you choose to do in the law, heed the call to serve and you will be a force for equal justice and proud to call yourself a lawyer today and every day.”
The ceremony also included a moving tribute to the Honorable Theodore T. Jones, Jr., who served as Associate Judge on the New York State Court of Appeals until his untimely death in 2012. Judge Jones was remembered as a dedicated, thoughtful, and insightful jurist who had a reputation for compassion and courage. He was also a loyal son of St. John’s, serving on the Law School’s Alumni Board of Directors and on the University’s Board of Trustees. A champion of social justice, Judge Jones was integral in creating The Ronald H. Brown Center for Civil Rights and Economic Development at St. John’s Law. Judge Jones’ wife, Joan, and sons, T.J. and Wesley, graciously accepted the University’s Medal of Honor on his behalf.
After the ceremony, Alyssa Zuckerman ’13L shared: “This was a very special day for me and my family. I found Chief Judge Lippman’s remarks inspiring and true to the heart and soul of St. John’s Law. I will carry them with me and act on them as I embark on my professional life.”
The 2013 Commencement Exercises were dedicated to the memory of Adjunct Professor of Law Joseph R. Gagliano, Jr. ‘82C, ‘85L, a devoted teacher, mentor, and St. John’s alumnus who passed away in May.