Chapman Law Celebrates Alumni at Bar Admission Ceremony and Reception

May 26, 2017

Approximately thirty Chapman University Dale E. Fowler School of Law alumni were sworn in as new members of the California State Bar at the law school’s Bar Admission Ceremony on Wednesday, May 24.

The newly minted attorneys were welcomed by Fowler School of Law Dean Matt Parlow. The Honorable Richard Y. Lee, Supervising Judge of the Superior Court of Orange County – West Panel, administered the state oath and the Honorable Karen E. Scott, Magistrate Judge of the Central District of California, administered the federal oath.

In his opening remarks, Judge Lee told the new admittees, “Strive for excellence, be significant in everything that you do. … I challenge you to make a positive difference in your community. I challenge you to be an inspiration to others, and to make outstanding contributions to the legal profession.”

During her remarks, Judge Scott shared a short but memorable quote from the film Spiderman, borrowed from a United States Supreme Court opinion drafted by Associate Justice Elena Kagan: “In this world, with great power there must also come—great responsibility.”

Guest speakers included Todd G. Friedland, Immediate Past President of the Orange County Bar Association, and Jason Burris ’02 (JD ’08), Chair of the Fowler School of Law Alumni Advisory Board. Friedland encouraged the new lawyers to participate in their local bar association and especially the Young Lawyers Division. Burris reminded them to stay connected with the law school as they progress in their careers, a sentiment echoed by Dean Parlow.

Alumnus and new bar admittee Vu Hai Phan (JD ’16) had a doubly exciting night as he proposed to his girlfriend at a reception following the ceremony, dramatically posing the question from the balcony above the law school’s beautiful marble lobby in Kennedy Hall.