May 11, 2006

Appeals court judge to speak at law convocation

Joel M. Flaum, chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, will address graduates, parents and guests at the School of Law graduation convocation at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 14, at the Arie Crown Theater, McCormick Place.

President Henry S. Bienen and School of Law Dean David E. Van Zandt also will deliver remarks. Carter Phillips (JD ‘77), partner at Sidley Austin LLP, will speak on behalf of alumni. Cary Martin (JD ‘06) and Guilherme da Silva (LLM ‘06) will speak for the graduating class.

Borchien Lai (JD ‘06), president of the Student Bar Association, will present the student-voted awards for excellence in teaching. Award recipients include Professor Martin Redish (Robert Childres Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence); Professor Tobias Wolff (outstanding first-year course professor); Professor Leonard Rubinowitz (outstanding professor of a small class); Professor Sam Donaldson (outstanding LLM Tax professor); and Richard Levin, Levin Riback Law Group, PC (outstanding adjunct professor).

The Wigmore Key also will be presented to the graduating student who has done the most to help preserve the traditions of the School of Law.

The class of 2006 includes 247 candidates for JD degrees and 22 candidates for joint JD-MBA degrees from the School of Law and the Kellogg School of Management. The class also includes 80 candidates for LLM degrees; 21 candidates for the LLM degree and certificate in business administration from Kellogg; and 37 candidates for LLM degrees in taxation. Two students will be candidates for the joint Master of Science in Journalism and Master of Studies in Law degrees from the School of Law and the Medill School of Journalism. In addition, 25 students graduated in March from the Executive LLM Program in Seoul, Korea.

Flaum, who received JD and LLM degrees from Northwestern School of Law in 1963 and 1964, respectively, is recognized by many for his integrity and civility both on and off the bench. He recently was named Chicago Lawyer’s 2005 Person of the Year.

He has served on the federal bench for more than 30 years. He was first appointed as a judge for the Northern District of Illinois in 1974. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan appointed Flaum to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, where he became chief judge in 2000.