The University of Oregon School of Law will hold 2013 commencement exercises at 1 p.m. on Saturday (May 18) at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Eugene. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony at the Knight Law Center, 1515 Agate St.
The School of Law will welcome Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson as the 2013 keynote speaker. Abrahamson was appointed to the Wisconsin Supreme Court in 1976, and was the only woman to serve on the court. Prior to serving the Wisconsin court system, she was a professor at the University of Washington School of Law and worked in private practice for 14 years.
Adam Schulz, who will serve as the 2013 law school class speaker, is a Eugene native and graduate of South Eugene High School. He is a member of the Oregon Law Review's managing board and served as symposium editor for the recently completed and successful, "A Step Forward: Creating a Just Drug Policy for the United States." Schulz plans to pursue a career in tax, estate planning and family law, and in the future, may run for office in Oregon.
David Schuman '84, a justice the Oregon Court of Appeals, will receive the law school's 2013 Meritorious Service Award – an honor bestowed annually "to a person or persons who have made extraordinary contributions to legal education and the law." Prior to attending the UO School of Law in 1981, Schuman had a background in education, teaching college English for 13 years. Upon graduating from law school in 1984, Schuman clerked for now-retired Oregon Supreme Court Justice Hans Linde for a year before practicing law as assistant attorney general in the Appellate Division of the Oregon Department of Justice, and later as deputy attorney general within the same division. In 2001, Schuman became an appeals judge for the state, a position he has occupied for 12 years.
Professor Mohsen Manesh, an assistant professor teaching contracts, business association and corporate governance at the School of Law, is the recipient of the 2013 Orlando J. Hollis Teaching Award during commencement exercises. The Hollis Award is the law school's highest teaching honor.
This year's commencement marshal is James Mooney, the Wallace & Ellen Kaapcke Professor Emeritus of Business Law. Mooney is an authority on and has written extensively about American legal history and contract law. He has a loyal following among current and former students.
The School of Law will welcome dignitaries who will join in the commencement festivities, including Oregon Court of Appeals Judge Darleen Ortega, State Rep. Gail Whitsett, State Sen. Doug Whitsett and State Rep. Phil Barnhart.
Additional information on the UO School of Law commencement ceremony is available online.
- from the UO School of Law