Robert
F. Kennedy Jr. to Speak at Convocation
SAN FRANCISCO (Sept. 17, 2012) – Robert F. Kennedy
Jr. will kick off a year-long celebration at the University of San Francisco
School of Law, which is commemorating its 100th birthday and a
century of providing a premiere legal education at the city’s first university.
Kennedy will deliver a keynote address during the public convocation on
Wed., Sept. 19 at 5 p.m. inside St. Ignatius Church on the USF campus. Kennedy
is a professor of environmental law at Pace University and co-director of that
school’s Environmental Litigation Clinic. He was named one of Time magazine's
“Heroes for the Planet” for his success in helping restore New York’s Hudson
River.
“Our centennial celebration is about far more than longevity,” said
Jeffrey Brand, dean of the USF School of Law. “It’s about one hundred years of
offering an education with a conscience, and graduating top attorneys who
empower the powerless and help change a world plagued by injustice. As we begin
our second century in this magnificent city, we rededicate ourselves to our
vital mission of educating for justice.”
Social justice is a cornerstone of the school’s identity. In 2011-12
alone, USF law students provided 22,000 hours of pro-bono legal work to
underserved communities, and the school-sponsored seven free law clinics, including
the Investor Justice Clinic where students
represent investors in actions involving allegations of wrongdoing by
securities firms or their employees, and the Child
Advocacy Law Clinic in which students receive training and, under the
supervision of the clinic director, represent abused, neglected, or abandoned
children in child welfare proceedings.
The USF School of Law began on Sept. 18, 1912 on the corner of Market
and 7th Streets in downtown San Francisco with three faculty and 39
students. Today, it has 40 influential legal scholars who teach 700 students on
the USF Law School campus near Golden Gate Park. The school is proud to be one
of the nation’s most diverse with nearly half of its law students identifying
themselves as ethnic minorities, and 53% are women.
The USF School of Law is sponsoring a number of notable events during
its year-long centennial celebration, including:
- Sept. 27: Presentation by Clarence B. Jones, former speechwriter,
attorney, and advisor to the late Martin Luther King Jr.: “Pivotal Legal and
Leadership Policy Decisions Faced by Martin Luther King.”
- Nov. 9: Public Interest Law Foundation Annual Auction and Award
Ceremony honoring David Boies, chairman of the law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner. This is a fundraiser to provide grants to law students working in unpaid public
interest law jobs during summer break.
- Feb. 7: Centennial Gala Dinner, San Francisco City Hall.
For a detailed calendar of all centennial events, please visit www.usfca.edu/law/about/centennial/events/
About the
University of San Francisco School of Law
The University of San Francisco School of Law is located in the heart
of one of the world’s most innovative and diverse cities. The law school
pursues excellence in a humane, diverse, and intellectually vibrant learning
community of outstanding teachers and scholars dedicated to training ethical
professionals. Its diverse student body enjoys direct access to faculty, small
classes, and innovative programming that educates students to be skilled and
effective lawyers ready to practice law. Now celebrating its centennial year, the
USF School of Law is ranked as one of the “Top 170 Law Schools”
by Princeton Review and the 10th most ethnically diverse
law school in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. For more
information, please visit www.usfca.edu/law.
Journalists interested in covering the Sept. 19 convocation, or any
other centennial event, must register in advance by contacting Anne-Marie
Devine at (415) 422-2697 or abdevine@usfca.edu.
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