Michael S. Greco
President, American Bar Association
California Western School of Law
Commencement Address
Monday, December 19, 2005
San Diego, California
Thank you, Dean Smith, for that kind introduction, and for your leadership as
Chair of the American Bar Association s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to
the Bar. I thank the entire faculty, staff and graduating class of California Western
School of Law for the warm welcome you have extended to me. I am proud to receive
an honorary doctor of laws degree from this fine institution, and I thank the faculty for
bestowing this distinction on me.
Please join me in acknowledging the support given to these graduates by family
members and friends, who have made countless sacrifices to help see their loved ones
through the challenges of law school.
Congratulations to all 72 students receiving degrees today. Today you embark
on the next phase of your journey in the law. Dean Smith assures me that you are all
very well-prepared to face the bar exam, so I will forego any pep talk about that minor
hurdle.
Being aware that I am standing between you and numerous receptions and
celebrations, I will keep my remarks brief. I m sure you all realize that you have chosen
a demanding, but highly rewarding profession. You will have the opportunity to do very
well for yourselves and your families. You will help to shape the development of the law
for generations to come. You will also have a great responsibility to continue the
tradition of public service and leadership that is at the heart of the legal profession.
An important aspect of that tradition is to provide as much pro bono assistance
as your practice allows. I hope that you make pro bono service a priority and a
specialty of your practice, not just something you make time for every once in awhile.
The time you spend helping those who are most in need is a priceless gift. It will make
a tremendous difference in the lives of those you represent and counsel, while greatly
enriching your experiences as lawyers.
The words of Roscoe Pound, the great legal reformer and Dean of Harvard Law
School, remind us what makes the law a profession and a calling, as opposed to merely
an occupation. Pound said:
Historically, there are three ideas involved in a profession: organization,
learning, and a spirit of public service. These are essential. The
remaining idea, that of gaining a livelihood, is incidental.
Now, I don t quote Pound out of a naïve view of the realities of the modern
practice of law or the financial pressures that new law graduates face. But I do hope
that his words will remind you of the importance of maintaining the integrity and
commitment to public service of the legal profession. Pound reminds us that being a
lawyer is not just a job. It is a noble calling, a way of life.
To know the law is to understand how to make our communities, our country and
our world better through its proper application. To practice law properly is to engage in
public service of the highest order.
One of my primary initiatives as President of the ABA, which I believe is now the
most pressing priority for our profession, particularly for the young lawyers of America,
is what I call the need for a Renaissance of Idealism in our profession. The ABA
Commission on the Renaissance of Idealism in the Legal Profession, which is
implementing this initiative, is led by two outstanding individuals who embody the ideal
of lawyer as Public Citizen: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Theodore Sorensen,
Special Counsel to President John F. Kennedy. With their guidance, the commission is
developing practical solutions that can be implemented in our law firms, businesses,
universities and law schools.
You may find several years from now, as other recent law school graduates have
found, that demands on your time and financial pressures may make it difficult for you to
perform in pro bono and public service work. If that comes to pass I want you to recall
what I say to you today: the lawyer who contributes to the public good is a fulfilled,
complete lawyer, and one who is truly a professional.
Yes, it is harder these days for lawyers to find time to engage in public service
than it was when I became a lawyer. Requirements for billable hours in law offices have
increased, and so has the debt that now heavily burdens many law school graduates.
But we all have a responsibility to ensure that the legal profession continues to live up to
the ideals we ascribe to it. Each of us has a role to play, whether new graduates or
veteran lawyers.
For instance, those of us in a position of influence such as the leaders of the
bar, of universities, law schools, and business are making the case to the
management committees of law firms throughout the country that we need to change
the way we now practice law for the greater fulfillment of lawyers, for the good of the
profession, and for the benefit of the American people.
I hope that in time you will be part of the renaissance of idealism in our
profession that I am asking the ABA and its 405,000 members, particularly the young
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lawyers, to lead. Reach out with your legal skills to those who are less fortunate. Help
them. Protect them. Never forget why you became a lawyer.
If you will permit me to offer a few closing words of advice:
Be responsive and respectful to your clients, colleagues, and especially to judges
(smile). Ours is an adversarial system, but one that relies on civility and collegiality in
order to function best.
Build on your expertise, develop new skills, and lend a hand to others by serving
as a teacher, mentor, and friend. You will learn a great deal from experienced lawyers
during your first few years of practice, and throughout your careers. Helping those who
come after you is a responsibility and great opportunity.
Remember to lead a balanced life. The demands on your time may seem
overwhelming at times. It is precisely at those points that you will need to step back
from your work even if just for a short time to reconnect with your family, friends,
and your interests outside the law. Recharging your batteries regularly will make you a
better lawyer and a happier person.
Join bar associations and become active members. The ABA provides a
complimentary one-year membership to all new lawyers who pass the bar exam and are
admitted to practice. I hope you will appreciate the value of your ABA membership and
become active in the Young Lawyers Division and practice groups that interest you.
Lawyers working together to improve the profession, the justice system, and our society
can accomplish amazing things. In my 30 years as a member and leader of the
American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, and the Boston Bar
Association, I have been privileged to work with some of the brightest and most
committed lawyers in the world. I am certain you will find the same to be true for you.
Finally and Dean Smith did not prompt me to say this give back to your law
school generously. You did not make it through the past three years alone. Those who
came before you helped with their support, and future students will rely on your
commitment to this fine institution.
As you begin the next phase of your journey, I ask you to always remember what
inspired you to pursue the law in the first place. You have acquired the skills and
knowledge you need to become lawyers, but they are only part of the equation. In the
words of Justice Benjamin Cardozo: Method is much, technique is much, but
inspiration is even more.
Be inspired . . . be just . . . be happy . . . be great lawyers.
Thank you and good luck.
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