The
Right Direction
State Bar leader points grads toward success
Seek professional success by putting aside self-doubts,
taking risks, and following an ethical compass was the challenge from
speaker Donald C. Dornan Jr. ('77) to 134 graduates at Law School graduation
May 10.
"In the legal profession, everyone has the opportunity to reach their
full potential," says Dornan of Biloxi, president of the Mississippi
Bar Association. "... Create your own success story, and let no self-doubt
hold you back."
Sherlock Grigsby of Enterprise, president of the Law School Student Body
and the first African American to hold that position, issued the charge
to his class during the commencement program. Referring to the law school's
first African-American graduate, Grigsby says, "I stand before you
today, thanks to the patriotism of a man who wore his graduation robes
at this spot 36 years ago-a man named Reuben Anderson. ... He was not
as famous as Medgar Evers or as revered as Martin Luther King, but he
was every bit as much of a patriot.
"We
can all learn from the humble eloquence of his example. We should all
endeavor to be as patriotic as Reuben Anderson and other proud American
lawyers who walked these halls. That is our charge. Let us embrace it."
Illustrating his message to the fledgling attorneys, Dornan said he would
never have dreamed on his law school graduation day in 1977 that he was
sitting among a future attorney general, Supreme Court justice, speaker
of the House of Representatives, and several state legislators.
"These extraordinary accomplishments by apparently ordinary students
are living proof that each of you is capable of reaching your full potential,"
he says.
Held in The Grove under cloudy skies, the 11 a.m. program followed UM's
overall commencement, featuring an address by former Mississippi Gov.
William Winter, held earlier that morning.
Lindy Brown of Jackson was recognized as the law graduate with the highest
grade-point average in the 2003 class. Longtime Professor Robert A. Weems
('66) was introduced as the 2003 Outstanding Law Professor, a record-setting
sixth time for him to receive the honor.
With several of his old professors in the audience, including Weems, Dornan
shared with the graduates a bit of his record as a law student. "As
someone who never wrote for the Law Journal and rarely spoke up in class,
this privilege [of delivering the commencement address] has certainly
strengthened my self-esteem, just as surely as it must have some of my
old teachers scratching their heads," he quipped.
He
challenged the graduates to "take risks and seize opportunities early
in your career because you're only young once. The wisdom and experience
you gain will only make you stronger."
Reminding the class that as professionals their actions will be constantly
on display, the attorney admonished them to "develop a strong professional
value system and let it govern the way you conduct yourself."
"A good, sound ethical compass will remind you that satisfaction
in the legal profession comes not from the amount of fees you earn or
the accumulation of material possessions, but from the satisfaction of
advocating worthwhile causes and the pride that comes from improving the
lives of deserving clients." Dornan practices in the areas of civil
litigation and alternate dispute resolution. He is board certified as
a trial advocate by the National Board of Trial Advocacy and is a member
of the Mississippi Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates.