Linda Klein, president of the American Bar Association, will deliver the commencement address to 192 J.D. graduates and 26 LL.M. graduates at the 2017 Georgia State University College of Law Commencement and Hooding Ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, in the Georgia State University Sports Arena, 125 Decatur St., Atlanta, GA 30303.
2017 Commencement
And Hooding Ceremony
- 4:30 p.m. Friday, May 12: Georgia State University Sports Arena, 125 Decatur St., Atlanta GA 30303
“We are honored to have Linda Klein speak at our commencement,” said Steven J. Kaminshine, dean and professor of law. “Linda is a force in the national legal community, one of its most respected leaders. Her dedication to the profession, advocacy work and strong work ethic serves as a great model for our graduates as they embark on their journeys into the legal world.”
Klein, a senior managing shareholder at Baker Donelson, practices law in the areas of business dispute prevention and resolution, frequently serving the construction and higher education industries. She is a member of the American Law Institute, and a mediator and arbitrator, frequently serving as a neutral as well as a client advocate.
“I’ve been living and practicing law here in Atlanta for many years, so I know Dean Kaminshine’s outstanding reputation among lawyers and scholars. It will be a pleasure to join him at his final event as dean of the law school at Georgia State and to wish him well,” she said. Kaminshine is stepping down as dean to return to faculty at the end of June.
Klein became the first woman to serve as president of the State Bar of Georgia in 1997 and worked to allocate funding for Georgia Legal Services and Atlanta Legal Aid to hire lawyers to aid victims of domestic violence, for which she received the H. Sol Clark Pro Bono Award. In 1998 she was named as one of the 100 most powerful and influential Georgians by Georgia Trend Magazine. Recent accolades include receiving the State Bar of Georgia's "Distinguished Service Award" and the Daily Report's first "Lifetime Achievement Award" in 2015.
She serves on the executive committee of the Buckhead Coalition, on the advisory boards of Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. She was the vice chair of the Georgia Supreme Court Commission on Equality. She is a past president of Southface Energy Institute, the Board of Directors' Network, the Caucus of State Bars and past chair of both the Institute for Continuing Legal Education in Georgia and the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia.
Preparing to speak at Georgia State Law’s commencement brings back memories from her own law school graduation, Klein said.
“I remember the excitement, the great happiness and the apprehension at starting life in a new city in a new profession,” she said. “I remember the words of my grandfather that inspired me to become a lawyer in the first place, and the stories I have heard from great lawyers all over the country, who have done amazing things to make a difference in the world. I hope I can convey that excitement and sense of purpose to my new colleagues on graduation day.”
Student Bar Association President Darlene Childers (J.D. ’17) will deliver the student address. The faculty hooding team is Jessica Gabel Cino, associate dean for academic affairs; Neil Kinkopf, professor of law; Mary Radford, professor of law; Roy M. Sobelson, professor of law; Kelly Cahill Timmons, associate dean for student affairs and associate professor of law and L. Lynn Hogue, professor of law emeritus and director of the LL.M. Program for Foreign Lawyers.
Watch the ceremony live: