Distinguished faculty, proud families and friends, and most importantly the graduating class at Western State College of Law, congratulations. Today is an important, no, a monumental day of celebration, reflection and anticipation. It is an honor to address you as I stand here before you at the commencement of your lives as lawyers, and others trained in the law. To the families, friends and loved ones who supported them, who listened to their moot court arguments at the dinner table, who survived their stress during finals, who believed in them even when they doubted themselves, thank you. This is your day too. And to the faculty and staff who challenged these former law students, taught them, and inspired them, believed in them, thank you for shaping the next generation of legal minds. 

If you permit, I take a moment of personal privilege to tell you how very proud I am to see and be with my granddaughter, Briana Heiting, as she also graduates with the class of 2025 from Western State College of Law. I am proud of you beyond words.

So I know that we all want to get on with this, but I have a few words to say to the graduates. Today, we gather to celebrate not only your achievements, but also your resilience, as you have heard, your dedication and your promise to the future of justice. You stand as embryos of the profession that is as demanding as it is noble, as challenging as it is rewarding.

Western State College of Law has always been a place where diversity is celebrated, and where access to the legal profession and legal rights and justice is a core value. You are part of a tradition of values now with experience and real world impact and a commitment to public service. You have learned in the courtroom, in clinics, in the classroom and through service to your community. These experiences have prepared you to make your mark in the world. You graduate today from an institution with a proud history, one that has weathered changes, adapted and continues to thrive. Western State College of Law has prepared you not just to pass the bar, to lead, innovate, to serve. Let your minds remain open, your curiosity insatiable, your commitment to justice unwavering. 

Speaking of the bar exam, today you become law school graduates. Most of you will be taking the bar exam. I really don't know if I should be thanking the dean for asking me to give this address, because I haven't had a nightmare about the bar exam for years, until I started to prepare this address—and then, last week, I had a doozy. But addressing the looming bar exam may carry some confusion and trepidation, maybe even more than usual, due to the dramatic failures of the State Bar in preparing and conducting the last examination in February. The results of that February 2025 examination are a testament to resilience in the face of adversity, to the ability to adapt when circumstances change, and to the enduring value of perseverance. The exam takers, like all of us at certain points in our lives, faced obstacles, yet they pressed forward, achieving extraordinary results. 

President Calvin Coolidge observed that persistence and determination are omnipotent. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. My career, my personal career, is an example of that. Let the example of the February 2025, bar exam, though, not create fear in you, but inspire you. Prepare for the bar exam with great respect, certainly, but be confident. Be confident that you, as did those that took the examination and received the highest pass rate for the winter exam in 60 years, have received the necessary education. You have the talent, you have the tools that, with persistence and dedication. will prove successful.

I will share with you a very simple but magical formula that is the foundation of success. I believe in most of our lives, that is: persistence plus preparation equals success. It's very simple, it is as simple as that. But whatever your decisions may be regarding the bar examination and the practice of law, you have spent years immersed in the study of law, its principles, its precedents, the power to both constrain and deliberate. You have studied into the night. You have argued both sides and learned sometimes the hard way, the law is as much about people as it is about rules. Come to know without doubt that the law is not a static monument. It is not a static monument. It is a river, sometimes swift, sometimes meandering, but always moving. It is a living, breathing entity that evolves with the values of society. Think of Dred Scott or Plessy v. Ferguson, or more modernly and still controversial, Roe v. Wade. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said real change, enduring change, happens one step at a time. You've seen profound changes in just the short time you've been in law school, and when you use what you've learned and as you evolve with the law in serving others, you will find that your work will matter. You've learned how lawyers can be innovators, using their skill and education not just to adapt, but to lead.

When we first start out, when we first embark on this grand journey, we all feel inadequate, if we're honest about it, but don't despair. We now hold the keys to unlock the secrets and serve our clients and fellow humans to the very best of our abilities. Evidenced by our legal education, our compassion, our empathy, they are augmented by lawyers and judges and reasoning that we can call upon for direction and suggestion and limited only, limited only, by our imagination of what can and should be. 

Today, you join the ranks of those entrusted, not only with great knowledge but with great responsibility. Today is not just a graduation or a celebration. This is a commencement ceremony, a ceremony to set you on your course as you commence your careers in the law. It is as much a challenge as it is a celebration. Training has given you a unique ability to see both the complexity and the humanity in every situation. There are human stakes in every legal question. Sam Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, quipped in a statement that is seemingly especially true for lawyers: “always do right, and if you do, this will gratify some people, astonish the rest.” 

Surround yourself with people of integrity, intelligence and kindness, they will make you better, and you will make them better as well. Consider the grandeur and the power of the law. Martin Luther King Jr. declared from a Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Wrap yourselves in the ideals of justice, truth and compassion. With your education and training, you will always carry that weight now. You will remember and know that the law is not just a set of rules, a living promise. A promise of fairness, equality, equity, and hope. You've been trained not only to know the law, but to know of championing justice, standing for the voiceless, defending the rule of law, even when it is unpopular or difficult. 

Today, you are poised to move in many directions for careers in advocacy, public service, business—or perhaps it has not yet even been imagined. And as the law is always evolving, always reshaping itself, the law is not always clear. Much of your work will be to find and bring clarity where there is confusion, and to find substance where others see only shadows. You will be called upon not just to interpret it, but to breathe life into the law. I hope you now realize the law is not just a profession. It is a calling. It is the backbone of a just society. It is the safeguard of our freedoms. It is the instrument through which we right wrongs and give voice to the voiceless. You are the guardians of justice and fairness in a society that often struggles to live up to its ideals. No matter your role, after today, you will carry a responsibility to demonstrate that justice is not just a word. As Dr. King noted, the time is always right to do what is right. 

You now hold the keys to immense power, the loom to weave the threads that combine to form the fabric and order of our society, the foundation of how we live each and every day. Let today be not just a celebration, but a call to action. Carry with you the lessons you've learned here: the value of hard work and persistence, the importance of integrity and of service. I urge you to carry forward also the spirit of mentorship that defines this Western State community. Call on those who have gone before you. They will look forward to helping. Support those who follow in your footsteps. Use your skills not just to advance your own interests, but to lift up others. Today is a day of commencement. It is a remarkable day. It is a day of commencement, of changes that will affect, without a doubt, all of our lives. I pray that each of you lives a life of truth, honesty, honor and compassion. You are the future of the legal profession. You are the stewards of justice. Go forth with courage, with humility, and with integrity and with dreams. God bless you as you do make your mark, not just as lawyers, but as champions of integrity, fairness and truth. I believe in you. I must believe in you. You are the future, and the world awaits your leadership. Let's go out and do some good. Congratulations, Western State College, Class of 2025.

Share this article
The link has been copied!