Law School graduates celebrate at convocation
By Owen Lubozynski
At Cornell Law School's Class of 2012 convocation May 13, Stewart J. Schwab, the Allan R. Tessler Dean, began by acknowledging Mother's Day and the mothers who had supported all those present, and he remembered a fallen son: Daniel Eduardo Ferrero, who died of a heart attack as a second-year Cornell Law student in December 2010. Had he lived, Ferrero would have been among the graduates that day.
J.D. speaker Justin Haddock illustrated some of the transformational lessons of law school by sharing a few items that had graced his Facebook page during the previous three years. He also recalled the words of Kevin Clermont, the Robert D. Ziff Professor of Law, who told the newly arrived class of 2012: "It's true that law school's a marathon, not a sprint. But at the end of a marathon, you should still be tired."
The class erupted into applause as Haddock told Clermont, "I think I speak for everyone here when I say that we're tired."
LL.M. speaker Cynthia Farid celebrated the diversity and character of the class's LL.M. graduates, who represented more than 30 countries. To the Law School's faculty and administration, she said, "[The] compassion that you've shown us in your acceptance of our diverse ideas, no matter where we're from -- I believe this is the essence of America. We thank our host country and Cornell Law School for giving us the opportunity to experience America. We are proud to be graduating from one of the best institutions in the world."
Exhorting the Class of 2012 to "commit to developing your own sense of judgment," Professor Charles Whitehead recounted an instance when, as he was working with a client on a complicated new financial product, his father had asked him whether selling this product to the public was the right thing to do. "These particular instruments worked out well, nothing like the synthetic CDOs [collateralized debt obligation] that blew up Wall Street a few years ago," said Whitehead. "But I've often thought about his question over the years as I've worked on other deals, because it's the right question to ask, and it isn't asked often enough."
John DeRosa, assistant dean for student and career services, recognized the graduates individually before convocation attendees adjourned to the Law School's Purcell Courtyard for a reception. Among the many celebrants were members of one family representing three generations of Cornell Law graduates: Brendan H. Burns '12, Douglas T. Burns '83 and Arnold I. Burns '53.
Owen Lubozynski is a freelance writer for the Law School.
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