On June 3, years of hard work and determination by members of the Class of 2016 in pursuit of legal education were capped off at Convocation. In historic Grant Hall, friends, family, faculty and staff cheered on 176 JD, LLM and PhD students and honorary Doctor of Laws recipient Ron McCallum, LLM ’74, as they received their degrees.

“You are not in a dress rehearsal of the life to come – you’re there already,” said McCallum in his address. McCallum, an internationally renowned labour law scholar, professor emeritus and former Dean of the University of Sydney Law School, and former Chair of the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, also gave these words of advice to the school’s newest graduates: “Take advantage of what opportunities are given to you, and on occasion, take a leap of faith. And always hang on to your values when you do.”

Thompson Hamilton, the class representative, spoke about how he and his peers have learned to understand there are two sides to every story, including the one of their graduation. On the one hand, there is the incredible achievement of completing law school, and on the other, there is saying goodbye to friends who quickly became family and bonded over their shared experience.

On behalf of his classmates, Hamilton thanked the faculty for playing an essential role. “Thank you for the tools you have given us and the courage you inspire: the strength to rise and ask ‘why’ when all others remain sitting, the courage to not take ‘no’ for an answer while at the same time the wherewithal to tell others ‘no’ when that is all that needs to be said; the confidence to argue passionately but always with respect, and the reminders that when we leave this place there are no more fact patterns – only people’s lives.”

Several awards were presented during the ceremony. Law Medals were given to graduates with the highest cumulative averages: Jeremy Butt, Alexander Bogach and Jocelyn Howell. Jessica Spindler and Kaisha Thompson each received the Dean’s Key award for best embodying community values, collegiality, professionalism, service and academic excellence. Thompson Hamilton and Ian Moore accepted the Agnes Benidickson Tricolour Award, the highest tribute paid to students for distinguished non-athletic and non-academic service to the university.

As the Class of Law’16 departs Macdonald Hall to start their careers, they do so with Thompson Hamilton’s final thoughts: “How lucky we are to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”

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