Lynch tells Class of 2017 grads to ask: "What is my responsibility to those who I may never know?"

May 15, 2017Duke Law News

Former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch advised the members of the Duke Law Class of 2017 to use a simple question as a guiding principle in their legal careers: “What is my responsibility to those who I may never know?”

Addressing the graduates at their hooding ceremony May 13 in Cameron Indoor Stadium, Lynch said that filtering their work through that prism will clarify “the many ways the law is ripe for growth and change, and the many ways you can be that change.”

Lynch, who was sworn in as the nation’s 83^rd attorney general on April 27, 2015, and served until January, spoke to graduating students of a number of Duke Law degree programs. These included 222 JD graduates, 12 of whom also received a master of laws — LLM — in international and comparative law, two who also earned the LLM in law and entrepreneurship, and 13 who also received a graduate degree from another school at Duke University. In addition, 92 internationally trained lawyers received an LLM in American law, and eight LLM graduates completed Duke Law’s one-year degree in law and entrepreneurship. Two graduates received the SJD, the highest degree in law.

At the time of her graduation from law school, Lynch said, she never imagined having the opportunity “to play even a small role in big decisions.” But she did, as a private lawyer with an active pro bono practice, as U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York under Presidents Clinton and Obama, and then as the nation’s highest law enforcement officer.

“When I sat where you are today, I never imagined that I would be able to play a role in extending the protection of the law for our LGBTQ friends, relatives, brothers, and sisters, or in mending the relationship between law enforcement and the communities that we serve,” she said “But being able to do so has been the honor and, in fact, the joy of my life.”

She added that each graduate could leave a similar mark: “You don’t have to become attorney general to leave an impression. It is not the title on the door, it is the passion in your heart. That’s what will make a difference in the world you are about to enter.”

A native North Carolinian raised largely in Durham, where her parents still live, Lynch spoke at length about the centrality of law to solving such hot-button questions as who qualifies for citizenship or who bears responsibility for addressing climate change. “There is no better time to be a lawyer than right now,” she said. “There is no greater need.”

Reviewing a host of issues that have fueled feelings of exploitation and alienation of people around the world Lynch turned her attention to domestic challenges, such as financial insecurity, police relations with communities of color, voting restrictions, and lack of access to civil and criminal justice. All of these, she said, feed growing divides among regions, between urban and rural citizens, and between those with higher education and those without. “Too many ordinary Americans from all backgrounds often live with a sense of anxiety, that somehow they’re not able to fully participate in the American dream, or even that that system or that dream is rigged against them,” she said. “And most importantly, they feel a concern that they have no champion, that they have no one standing beside them in the halls of power.

“But as of today, they do, because they have all of you. Graduates, you have a responsibility, coming from this wonderful institution that puts such emphasis on service to others. You are the men and women entrusted by our society with the pursuit of justice.”

Lynch ended her remarks by reminding the graduates that social progress often is made slowly and can be fragile. “But it is possible,” she said, pointing to the Supreme Court’s affirmation of marriage equality, once thought to be “inconceivable,” the elimination of many barriers to women’s advancement, and the fall, in her home state, of laws that once denied her and other black Americans entry into certain restaurants and other public places. “Today I stand before you having served as our nation’s chief law enforcement officer for our nation’s first black president.

“Change is possible, even if you think it will never come,” she said. “And as I look out over all of you today, it’s not just what you’ve done, but what you are about to do with your talent, your energy, your passion.” Telling the graduates they will find challenges and friendship, adversity and opportunity throughout their careers, she also assured them they will find “something that touches your heart.”

Speaking on behalf of the international LLM graduates, Michelle Mansour said they had started their year at Duke Law as colleagues, but were leaving “as a family. I know for a fact that I have a home in 41 countries around the world, just like all of you have a home in my beautiful country, Lebanon.”

At Duke Law, she said, “We all became the best version of ourselves,” united by the values of tolerance, respect, discipline, integrity, and commitment. “Let us carry them with us wherever we go, the world is in dire need of advocates of true values,” said Mansour. “Let us count our blessings, because we have earned an education that few people have access to. My friends, it is our time to explore the endless possibilities the world is giving us.”

JD class speaker Gabs Lucero, newly commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army after serving in Duke University Army ROTC, said she was honored to have served with her classmates through their time at Duke Law. “I have confidence that each of us will continue to serve in some capacity — through a public interest career, pro bono work, and in our everyday lives,” said Lucero, who also received a master of public policy from the Sanford School of Public Policy. “As lawyers we have a duty of service, fidelity, and integrity. As we say in the Army, when faced with a difficult choice, we have the duty of making the hard right decision, rather than accepting the easy wrong.

“Even in the smallest of moments, your kindness and service can be the difference between a profession that seeks to control and a profession that protects those most vulnerable.”

Lucero noted the “selflessness and compassion” she found at Duke Law when she missed a week of first-year classes after her grandfather became gravely ill. She thanked her classmates for sharing their notes and her professors for recording their classes and offering to meet with her to help her catch up, all without question or hesitation. “I learned that I was in the best place I could be — which is to be surrounded by you,” she said. “You inspire me with your compassion and you give me hope with your service.”

Photo Galleries

Graduation Gala

A gala and awards ceremony for the Class of 2017 was held in Star Commons
Candlelight Dinner

Graduates of the LLM program enjoyed a special dinner in their honor in Star Commons
Hooding Ceremony

The Hooding Ceremony for the Class of 2017 was held at Cameron Indoor Stadium

Dean David F. Levi welcomed the graduates to the family of Duke Law graduates: “You have earned the right to join our distinguished body of alumni who practice law and serve the common good all over the world. Congratulations on your accomplishments and on your bright futures.

“Our hope is that we will continue to share much in the years to come and that you will be a presence on our campus and in our lives just as we will be in yours.”

The 2017 graduation celebrations began with a gala in Star Commons on May 11, and the presentation of the annual student-selected Justin Miller Awards and the class gift. Graduation events continued on May 12 with the presentation of the Faculty Graduation Awards, given to students for outstanding academic performance and service, a family barbeque at The Rickhouse in downtown Durham, and a candlelight dinner in Star Commons for international LLM graduates and their families.

Faculty Graduation Award winners: