Commencement

School of Law Commencement

Friday, May 18, 2012
1:00 p.m.
Open Seating
Bristol Campus 

Honorary Degree Recipients:

The Honorable Jack B. Weinstein
United States District Court for the
Eastern District of New York

Jack B. Weinstein was born in Wichita, Kansas, and educated in New York City. He received a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College in 1943, and a law degree from Columbia University in 1948. In 1949 and 1950 he was a teaching Associate at Columbia Law School. In 1949 and 1950 he served as a law clerk to Judge Stanley Fuld of the New York Court of Appeals. After a brief time in private practice, he joined the law faculty of Columbia University. He continued to teach there and in other law schools until 1998. He was the chief drafter of the New York Civil Practice Law and Rules, and was a member of the Advisory Committee that drafted the Federal Rules of Evidence.

After serving as County Attorney of Nassau County, New York, Judge Weinstein was appointed to the federal bench in 1967 by President Johnson on the recommendation of Senator Robert Kennedy. He was chief Judge of the Eastern District of New York from 1980 to 1988.

In recent years, as U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of New York, Judge Weinstein has influenced substantive and procedural aspects of the law of mass tort litigation. He has helped create efficient yet compassionate solutions to problems created by Vietnam veterans' exposure to Agent Orange and to the health hazards associated with asbestos, DES, ergonomics problems, breast implants and other such matters.

The Honorable Maureen McKenna Goldberg
Rhode Island Supreme Court

Justice Maureen McKenna Goldberg was appointed to the Rhode Island Superior Court on July 9, 1990, and the Rhode Island Supreme Court on May 30, 1997.

An honors graduate in the first class of women at Providence College in 1973, Justice Goldberg graduated with honors from Suffolk University Law School in 1978. She began her professional career as a prosecutor in the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General and rose to the rank of Administrator of the Criminal Division. In 1984, she entered private practice of law with her husband, Robert D. Goldberg, but remained active in public service. She was the town solicitor for the towns of South Kingstown and Westerly and worked as Westerly’s acting town manager at a difficult time in the town’s history – a pro bono position that was especially gratifying.

As a Justice of the Superior and Supreme Courts, Justice Goldberg has worked toward the improvement of the law and the legal profession. She is the recipient of several awards and honors, including the Ada Sawyer Award of Excellence from the Rhode Island Women’s Bar Association, Citizen of the Year by the Rhode Island Trial Lawyers Association, “Women We Admire” from the  Big Sisters of Rhode Island and the “The Rhode Island 85” from the Junior League of Rhode Island.

 Student Mandatory Commencement Meeting - Please note the mandatory Student Commencement meeting already took place. Please contact the Office of Alumni, Programs & Events (Suite 257) at lawevents@rwu.edu with any questions.

Hometown Press Release
Please return the Hometown Release Forms to the Office of Alumni, Programs & Events, Suite 257, email lawevents@rwu.edu, fax 401-254-4655.  The form is optional for graduates.  If desired, the Office of Alumni, Programs & Events will send a press release announcing a student's law school graduation to their hometown newspaper with the completed form.

Special Accommodations
Request for handicap parking and seating must be made by May 4, 2012 by submitting the
Request for Handicap Parking or Seating Form to the Office of Alumni, Programs & Events, Suite 257, Fax 401-254-4655. An area under the tent will be designated for individuals needing seating or space for a wheelchair plus a maximum of two guests. Graduates will receive confirmation of their request along with a parking placard and handicap tickets. Guests with handicap parking needs must enter through the main campus entrance and Public Safety will direct them.