Newswise — 189 newly-minted lawyers will officially earn their juris doctor degrees at Northeastern University School of Law's commencement Friday, May 27, 2005 at 1 p.m. in Matthews Arena (238 St. Botolph Street, Boston). NU School of Law - long known for its flagship cooperative education program as well as for attracting students interested in careers in social and public service law - saw 87 percent of the class of 2005 complete a co-op in the public interest sector. Legendary civil rights leader, educator and activist Julius Chambers will deliver the School of Law's commencement address.
In addition, an honorary Doctor of Laws will be presented to the Honorable Janet Bond Arterton '77, United States District Court Judge for the District of Connecticut. Judge Arterton was nominated to the bench by President Clinton and began her term in 1995.
Julius Chambers became the first intern with the new NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund (LDF) in 1963. In June 1964, he opened his own practice in Charlotte, which eventually became the first integrated law firm in North Carolina, credited with influencing more landmark state and federal legislation in school desegregation, employment and voting rights than any other in the United States. Together with lawyers of the LDF, Chambers and his team helped shape civil rights law by winning benchmark United States Supreme Court rulings such as the famous decision of Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education (1971), which led to federally mandated busing, helping integrate public schools across the country.
In 1984, Chambers left his firm to become director-counsel of the LDF. Under Chambers' leadership, the organization fought for civil rights legislation and affirmative action programs that began in the 1970s and 1980s. Remaining devoted to education, however, he returned to his alma mater, North Carolina Central University, where he served as chancellor for eight years.
About Northeastern School of Law:Northeastern University School of Law originally opened in 1898, and was accredited by the American Bar Association in 1969, it was admitted to the Association of American Law Schools in 1970. Distinguished by its Cooperative Legal Education Program and by its commitment to public interest law, the school offers a three-year course of study that alternates terms of traditional academic study with terms of full-time professional employment in law offices, nonprofit and legal aid agencies and courts nationwide.
About Northeastern:Northeastern University, located in the heart of Boston, Massachusetts, is a world leader in practice-oriented education and recognized for its expert faculty and first-rate academic and research facilities. Northeastern integrates challenging liberal arts and professional studies with the nation's largest cooperative education program. Through co-op, Northeastern undergraduates alternate semesters of full-time study with semesters of paid work in fields relevant to their professional interests and major, giving them nearly two years of professional experience upon graduation. The majority of Northeastern graduates receive a job offer from a co-op employer. Cited for excellence three years running by U.S. News & World Report, Northeastern has quickly moved up into the top tier rankings-an impressive 30 spots in three years. In addition, Northeastern was named a top college in the northeast by the Princeton Review 2003/04. For more information, please visit http://www.northeastern.edu.
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