Dean Hiram Chodosh earned a round of applause from the audience when he noted that the College of Law faculty is not only involved in doctrinal developments in areas ranging from the environment to privacy and family, crime, justice, victims’ rights, new ventures, and technology, but was also engaging students in these real world issues. “Uniquely, our faculty is involving students in their work, and their invaluable contributions to the world beyond.”

Chodosh also reminded students about the record levels of service they had provided the community. “Our 400 students this past year provided 47,335 hours of formal public service through our think tanks, clinics and Pro Bono Initiative. Over 90% of this class has completed at least one clinic.  No other school in the country comes close to this level of voluntary service.”

“We congratulate you all on this beautiful day,” he concluded.

Student speaker Erika Skougard reminded students of how far they had traveled in the past three years. “We read 3,755 pages the first semester,” she recalled. “For a time, we were unfit company for anyone except each other, but we knew each other’s best and worst.”

Skougard’s fellow graduate Blake Anthony Klinker began his remarks by confessing that he had a “bone to pick with attorneys.” Revealing that one practitioner had advised him to ‘Enjoy law school, because law school will be the best time in your life,’ Klinkard continued, “Law school has been a great time, but it’s a journey not the destination. I wish everyone in this audience great things,” he continued. “Buck the trends [and] ignore what we’ve been told by those naysayers.” 

Garreth Long, the final student speaker, advised his colleagues not to “lose sight of what made us go to law school…. As I look out, I see very capable attorneys and even better people. What we do is what defines is.”

“We’re proud,” he continued, “but we’ll be prouder in 10 years [about] the differences we’ve made” in the world.

Commencement speaker and Alumna of the Year Deborah Dugan, a 1984 graduate of the College of Law, emphasized her connection to the assembled graduates. “Only years ago, I sat where you are,” she recalled. 

Dugan described the “personal, intangible connection” she developed with the College of Law, her faculty mentors and Utah’s natural beauty.  For her first few months of last school, the New York native was so homesick that she studied at bus stop in order to be breath the bus fumes that reminded her of home.  After a while, though, she began taking taking her books and exploring of the canyons surrounding Salt Lake City. “Law itself began to seem like a breath of fresh air, and less like carbon monoxide poisoning,” she quipped.

More seriously, Dugan, currently the CEO of (RED), a company created to engage the private sector in the fight against AIDS, shared her personal experiences of starting as a mergers and acquisitions associate at a large Wall Street firm, of her growing dissatisfaction with corporate law, and her eventual decision to “get off the beaten path.” She encouraged students to “think differently.” “What you have is a brain skilled in critical reasoning, problem solving and clarity of thought.  When those skills are combined with pursuing your passion, you are in a place to thrive.”

“Ignore all the noise and take the time to find your path,” she continued. ‘While you can’t predict the future, you are well poised to invent it.”

In his Concluding Remarks, Chodosh urged students to “Remember what you each taught us about—values, sacrifice, talent and service.”

“Remember the Biblical story of David vs. Goliath,” he said. “Your experience is your slingshot. Honor the commitment that [brought] you here, and the investments in your future. And slay the beast that stands between you and your bright future.” 

“Our new facility will transform the way in which architecture supports innovation and impact both within and through legal education,” said Dean Hiram Chodosh.  After extensive architectural planning , consultation with community leaders and the college board of trustees, as well as extensive input from students, alumni, faculty, and university officials, the plan envisions what the Dean anticipates as “the most innovative law school facility in the country—one that will embody the College of Law’s commitment to collaborative research, student-centric learning, innovative programming, and direct public service all in a single, multifaceted facility.” 

The College’s current building, which comprises approximately 98,000 gross square feet, has housed the College of Law since 1963, and is no longer adequate to meet programmatic and student needs, according to Chodosh. “Even as we have continued to make tremendous advances in our programs by admitting highly qualified candidates, providing extraordinary support for students, hiring world-class faculty, contributing record levels of student service learning, and turning in superior performances in national competitions, our physical facility has lagged far behind.  All of our recent internal and external observations, including a recent evaluation by the American Bar Association, praise the excellence of the College’s programming, but note that we are severely constrained by the current building’s lack of useful classroom and student space, poor energy efficiency, and other functional inadequacies,” he said. 

Although architectural plans have yet to be finalized, Chodosh revealed that the building’s current plans call for the inclusion of a 450-seat conference center that will allow the College of Law to host mid-sized conferences and lectures, and attract outside events to the U campus, which currently lacks a similar-sized venue.  “We’re dedicated to bringing the actual costs of the building down by virtue of energy efficiency, the use of smart materials to reduce the costs of repair and replacement over time, and to bring funds in through research grants and other sources,” Chodosh explained. 

Chodosh said the College has already embarked on a capital campaign with the goal of raising the projected $60.5 million total cost of the new facility. He described the LDS Church’s pledge of $4 million to the building campaign as  “exceptionally generous and meaningful.”

“The donation from the LDS Church will support the College’s efforts to construct a building that will produce incalculable reputational benefits and substantial economic value for the state and community,” Chodosh said.  “The LDS Church and the College of Law recognize our shared interest in increasing education’s global impact in a number of critical areas, including the development of democracy and the rule of law globally, new developments in health science, adaptations to emerging economic challenges, and stewardship of the environment. This gift will be invaluable in supporting our core commitments to student engagement and success, innovative teaching methodologies, and conducting research to address critical issues in society.”

 “We are pleased to make this contribution to the building of a new law school at the University of Utah,” said Presiding Bishop Gary E. Stevenson. “The Church’s involvement with the university goes back to its founding. The new, state-of-the-art law school building and those who will graduate from there will benefit the university and the community.”

Having received Operation and Maintenance (O&M) authorization and bonding authority in the 2012 legislative session, the College now enters its final architectural design phase, according to Chodosh. Groundbreaking is planned for the summer of 2013. 

 The law school community is already eagerly anticipating that date. “When we first embarked on this process, my staff gave me a long-handled shovel,” Chodosh explained. “The shovel is patiently leaning against my wall, eagerly awaiting the day it can finally be put to good use.”

 The new College of Law building is currently scheduled to open during the 2014-2015 academic year.

In the case, “Amy” was sexually abused as a young girl and images taken of the abuse have been widely distributed on-line. Two defendants have been convicted of illegally possessing child pornography depicting Amy. Amy sought to recover lifetime psychological counseling expenses from the defendants, under a federal law entitling her to recover the “full amount” of her damages. The government and the defendants argue that Amy must apportion her losses to particular defendants. 

Cassell is arguing on behalf of the University of Utah Appellate Clinic, and has been assisted by three students participating in the clinic or other College of Law programs, Nathan Orme, Nathan Marigoni, and Nathanael Mitchell. 

Read Cassell’s opening brief

 The Williams Institute is an academic think tank focused on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy. Each year, UCLA faculty and students screen several hundred anonymous submissions to identity the top forty articles, which are closely analyzed in an annual seminar.  Seminar participants select ten finalists, and an editorial board of faculty and students chooses the best three to five articles of the year.  The winning articles are reprinted in a special issue of the The Dukeminier Journal, which is named in memory of Jesse J. Dukeminier, a member of the UCLA law faculty for 40 years.  This is the second time Rosky has won the award. In 2010, his article “Like Father, Like Son: Homosexuality, Parenthood, and the Gender of Homophobia,” won the 2009 award. Other past award recipients include Professors Laurence Tribe, William Rubenstein, Eugene Volokh, and Kenji Yoshino.