U.S. Senator Durbin to Speak at John Marshall Law School Commencement

Chicago, June 09, 2017 -- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin will give the commencement address at the 203^rd Commencement of The John Marshall Law School in Chicago.

The Commencement ceremonies will take place on Sunday, June 11 at the Civic Opera House in Chicago.

The law school will confer 251 degrees to its June graduates, including 227 JDs, 16 LLMs and eight MJs.

”We are honored to have Senator Durbin address our students. His long service to our country is an inspiration, and I know he will have a memorable message for our graduates,” said Dean Darby Dickerson.

Durbin also will receive an honorary degree from John Marshall.  Paula Hudson Holderman, President of the law school’s Board of Trustees will confer the degree, and Dean Dickerson will present it to Durbin. Graduating student Manpreet Kaur Teji will present an honorary medallion to Durbin.

Durbin is the senior U.S. Senator from Illinois. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1996. He sits on the Senate Judiciary, Appropriations and Rules Committees. He also serves as the Minority Whip, the second highest ranking position among Senate Democrats. Durbin received his both his BS and JD from Georgetown University.

In addition, Associate Professor of Law Arthur Acevedo will receive the 2017 Lex Ancilla Justitiae Award. The award is given by way of a vote to the faculty member who the graduating class believes, through their teaching and time with students, best embodies the guiding principle of the words in the law school’s seal. Outgoing Student Bar Association President and graduating student, Nicholas A. Ventola, will present the award to Acevedo.

The valedictory address will be given by Kimberly A. Gleeson. Gleeson received her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois in 2014. While at John Marshall, she served as Executive Justice on the Moot Court Honors Council, a staff editor on The John Marshall Law Review and a volunteer teaching assistant. Gleeson also has been awarded the Francis D. & Corrine S. Morrissey Award in Professional Responsibility. The Morrissey Scholars Program fosters interest in ethical issues by selecting students at John Marshall to research, discuss and write publishable articles on recent cases on professional responsibility that are of special interest to practicing attorneys.

About The John Marshall Law School
The John Marshall Law School, founded in 1899, is an independent law school located in the heart of Chicago's legal, financial and commercial districts. The 2017 U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Graduate Schools ranks John Marshall's Lawyering Skills Program 5th, its Trial Advocacy Program 19th and its Intellectual Property Law Program 21st in the nation. Since its inception, John Marshall has been a pioneer in legal education and has been guided by a tradition of diversity, innovation, access and opportunity.

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