St. John’s Law Celebrates the Class of 2026 at its Centennial Commencement

For 100 years, St. John’s Law has opened doors to excellence, prominence, and impact for students whose lived experiences reflect the rich fabric of New York City and the surrounding cities, states, and nations. That proud history was resonant on Sunday, May 17, 2026, as 267 J.D. candidates and 61 LL.M. candidates processed through St. John’s Carnesecca Arena to the applause and cheers of faculty, alumni, family, and friends celebrating their achievements at the Law School’s Commencement Exercises.

Following a moving invocation led by Aisha Kanwal ’26 and inspiring remarks from St. John’s University President Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P., Ph.D., Dean Jelani Jefferson Exum addressed the graduates, who took different paths to the Law School but now share a common bond. “Whatever your varied stories of arriving at St. John’s are,” she said, “you will now have a uniting characteristic—you will be St. John’s lawyers. And that means something special.” 

• Commencement Photo Gallery
• Recorded Commencement Ceremony

Over their years of legal study, the graduates gained the knowledge and skills essential for success in a fast-changing legal profession, Dean Jefferson Exum noted, adding, “But what distinguishes a St. John’s lawyer is that you also leave with a sense of responsibility to your clients, your communities, and one another.” Looking to the future and sharing her excitement about where the graduates will lead the profession, she reminded them, “It doesn’t matter what type of law you practice. There will always be an opportunity to exhibit the values of care for humanity, integrity, and overall ethical behavior.”

The defining qualities and responsibilities of St. John’s lawyers also featured prominently in the remarks of this year’s Commencement speaker, John P. “Jack” Clarke ’55CBA, ’57L, ’24HON. An esteemed Law School alumnus and pillar of the University community for 70 years, Professor Clarke has taught, mentored, championed, and inspired generations of St. John’s students and alumni with kindness and selflessness that earned him the nickname “Mr. St. John’s.” 

Confirming his credentials as a peerless guide to the Law School’s past, present, and future, Professor Clarke told the audience, “I have known at least one or more members of every class in our 100-year history, up to and including the Class of 2026.” He then recounted some of the many ways St. John’s Law has fostered opportunity since first opening its doors to 800 eager students on September 28, 1925, on two rented floors in a downtown Brooklyn building.

Those first graduates—and the ones who followed—overcame barriers, Professor Clarke said, building successful careers and rising to positions of extraordinary influence as law firm founders, Big Law partners, heads of Fortune 500 companies, titans of industry, and dedicated public servants. Their achievements blend with the “50,000 untold stories” of St. John’s Law graduates who have dedicated their careers to the Rule of Law and forged a proud tradition that the Class of 2026 now carries forward, he shared, concluding his remarks to a standing ovation. 

After the graduates crossed the stage and officially became members of the Law School’s worldwide alumni community, St. John’s Law Alumni Association Board of Directors President James Herschlein ’85 warmly welcomed them, offering guidance on caring for one another and serving the greater good: “There are so many alumni who embody a principle-centered life focused on upholding the Rule of Law and the Constitution. Aspire to be great, aspire to lead, aspire to care, and you will sleep well at night because your decisions are based on honesty, integrity, fairness, courage, and compassion—because that’s what you learned here at St. John’s.”