Pepperdine University School of Law

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Forward with Purpose

"God has blessed us with a rare talent not only to write the laws that govern our conduct but also to represent those who have no hope. It would be a waste of your talents to use your law degree merely for financial gain."

- Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson
From his remarks to the 2006 graduation class

Friends, family, and faculty joined the 264 graduates of the Class of 2006 for commencement Friday, May 19, in Malibu. Th e commencement address was delivered by the Honorable Wallace B. Jeff erson, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Texas, and Michael J. Bidart ('74) was honored as the Distinguished Alumnus.

Justice Jefferson cofounded his own law firm, Crofts, Callaway & Jefferson, in 1991 and successfully argued two cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, which have provided national guidance in civil rights litigation. In 2001, Justice Jefferson made history as the first African American to sit on the Texas Supreme Court bench and subsequently, to hold Texas' highest judicial office.

Alumnus Michael Bidart was named one of California's 100 most influential lawyers by California Lawyer magazine, Bidart is a partner with the law firm of Shernoff , Bidart and Darras, and one of the country's top civil litigators specializing in insurance bad faith matters on behalf of policyholders. Law and Politics magazine named him a Super Lawyer of 2004, and the Wall Street Journal noted that his success in health care litigation has reignited congressional debate about a patient's right to sue a health plan.

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