Pepperdine Caruso Law Graduates Sworn Into California Bar in Summer 2021 Ceremony
On June 3, 2021, a group of Pepperdine graduates were made the newest lawyers in California during an online ceremony. Alumni Director Jessie Fahy (JD '11) opened the festivities and welcomed the alumni, students, faculty, staff, family, and friends in attendance. Shortly thereafter, President Jim Gash (JD '93) shared words of congratulations with the recent graduates. Dean Paul Caron also congratulated the alumni on their success in the midst of a trying year. Dean Caron then thanked Professor Selina Farrell and her team for their support of the graduates throughout the bar examination process.
Dr. Sukhsimranjit Singh, the Judge Danny Weinstein Managing Director of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University Caruso, introduced the speaker for the event, Judge Daniel Weinstein. Pepperdine Caruso School of Law welcomed Judge Weinstein as an honorary faculty member and the Distinguished Mediator in Residence to the Straus Institute.
Judge Weinstein is one of the nation's preeminent mediators of complex civil disputes. He is a pioneer in the development of mediation and teaches and lectures to fellow mediators and lawyers throughout the United States. Judge Weinstein is also recognized as one of the premier mediators of complex, multi-party, high-stake cases, both in the United States and abroad. He is the recipient of the 2014 International Advocate for Peace Award from the Cardozo Journal of Conflict Resolution, whose past honorees have included former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, and Nobel Peace Prize winner Bishop Desmond Tutu. In January 2020, the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine Caruso School of Law, presented Judge Weinstein with the Peacemaker Award, its highest honor. The award was last presented in 2013 to Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Judge Weinstein remarked, "It has been 55 years since I took my own oath to become an attorney. I will never forget what the presiding judge said that day to me: Only God or a Higher Being can do justice. All a man or a woman can do is pursue justice.'" He continued, "There is no ticket that gives as many good choices as a bar card. I look forward to seeing all the good choices you will make."
Judge Ryan Wright (JD '97) of the Ventura County Superior Court then administered the attorney's oath. Judge Wright received a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Irvine and a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law in 1997. He was elected to the bench in June 2010. Upon graduation from Pepperdine, he joined the District Attorney's office full time as a deputy district attorney, and he held a 13 year tenure at the District Attorney's office before being elevated to the bench.
The evening closed with a time of congratulations and celebration for the graduates and their loved ones. Congratulations to the new Pepperdine Caruso Law attorneys!