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May 17, 2009 Washington, DC

Thank you Dean Lawrence for that kind introduction. It is always special to be back at GW, and I am especially thrilled to be here with all of you today.Thank you Dean Lawrence for that kind introduction. It is always special to be back at GW, and I am especially thrilled to be here with all of you today.

Congratulations members of the Class of 2009. And congratulations to the parents and family members who are here to join you in recognizing this great achievement. As I know first hand, it is not possible to sit down here with the graduates without the love and support of all of you up here with the families.

When the law school announced that I would give the commencement address this year, the overwhelming advice that I received was to keep it short. Except for the advice I received from the students in my constitutional law class, who kindly added that I should mention how great they were.

Well my students were great. And having said that, you realize that I could now just sit down having successfully accomplished both of my given objectives for this speech. But at the risk of disappointing some, I think I will go on for a bit more.

Eighteen years ago almost to this day I occupied the same position that you graduates do today. I sat in this very same hall waiting to receive my law school degree from GW. In preparing for my remarks today, I couldn’t help but think back on that day.

The first thing I can tell you is that I remember almost nothing about the commencement address – which I am sure says more about my attention span that day than the profoundness of the speech that was delivered.

The next thing that comes to mind is how happy I was to be here with my family to commemorate my graduation and, at the same time, the feeling of sadness I had of knowing that so many good friendships and shared experiences were coming to an end.

And the last thing that stands out is how uncertain I was about what lay ahead.

Graduation is foremost a time to look back and honor what you have achieved. But I couldn’t help but wonder where my law degree would take me and what I had ultimately signed up for when I went to law school. You know, they don’t always say the kindest things about the practice of law or even lawyers. And despite a few summers at law firms and three years of law school, the legal world I was entering seemed like a foreign – and unforgiving – place.

But before contemplating the future let me congratulate you on what you have already accomplished. Let’s face it, even at a place as wonderful as GW, and even with professors as understanding as GW law professors, three years of law school can be a trying experience. The first year alone is so brutal that no one should wish it on even their worst enemy.

But all of you have endured it, and you have made it to this important day. And now, as graduates of GW, you can return to the law school and tell stories about how hard you worked – or, maybe for some, didn’t work – and about how small the law school was when you were here.

You see, as a GW alum, I think you will find that you measure time and progress at the law school by how many more buildings the law school has taken over since you graduated. And by that measure, the law school is certainly vastly improved from when I graduated.

Actually, the other thing that has changed is the entering LSAT scores. And let me confess to you privately here today that I doubt I could have gotten into GW under the admission standards that all of you had to pass just to get into Professor Banzhaf’s first-year tort class.

I wish I could tell you this was the end of the hard work, rather than just the beginning. But however you decide to celebrate this occasion, I urge each of you to pause and enjoy this moment. Congratulate yourself and your fellow classmates. No matter what you do with your law degree, your graduation today is truly a great achievement.

Now for some of you, it may be difficult to look back when the future is so uncertain.These are undeniably difficult times for lawyers like so many others. But even so, I can’t help but be excited when I look ahead and think of the opportunities and experiences you will have.

With the benefit of 18 years of experience since my graduation, and having followed the varied and sometimes twisted paths taken by students I have taught here over the past decade, I can tell you with confidence that your careers will be shaped by opportunities and events that would never occur to you today and might even seem absurd if someone were able to tell you in advance.

Certainly when I was sitting in your position, I never would have dreamt that I would have the opportunity to argue before the Supreme Court, much less serve as a solicitor general.

Now I suspect that many of you – at least, among the non-lawyers here – have little idea what the solicitor general is or what he does. That’s understandable. One former solicitor general used to remark that he was frequently mistaken for the guy who puts the warnings on packs of cigarettes.

Well the solicitor general’s principal – and perhaps most important – job is to represent the federal government before the Supreme Court. And let me say that there is no higher privilege for a lawyer than appearing before the Supreme Court on behalf of the United States.

But that’s really just a part of what the solicitor general does. The solicitor general also oversees all the litigation in which the federal government is involved in the lower appellate courts, interacts with lawyers from a host of different agencies and departments on an almost infinite array of legal issues facing the nation, and defends the constitutionality of Acts of Congress.

So you see, one of the great privileges of serving as solicitor general is that you have an opportunity to gain a truly unique perspective on our legal system.

And it’s with that perspective in mind, in particular, that I want to commend you on your decision to pursue a degree in law and congratulate you on the receipt of that degree here today.

Our country was founded on the rule of law. And in so many ways, the law shapes our society, guides the decisions that our government makes, and strengthens our nation.

As any government lawyer is inevitably reminded, in our system a single individual can take on the most powerful nation in the world in court and, if he or she prevails, cause the government to conform its actions to a judicial decision saying what the law is. What a remarkable thing. And that is only one way in which the rule of law manifests itself.

As lawyers, you are now an integral part of this system – a vital cornerstone of our American democracy – and you are entrusted with the protection of this system.

Many of you, especially those of you who stay in DC, will have opportunities to shape the law through the legislative or regulatory process. Others will have opportunities to litigate cases that, regardless of whether they are resolved by the Supreme Court or a trial court, will result in a judicial decision applying or pronouncing the law. And others will have opportunities to advise clients on how to act in compliance with the law or defend those alleged to have violated it.

Whatever role you choose to play in this system, when the day’s work is done, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you have not just done your job, but – at least in some small way – helped to foster the rule of law and fortify our national fabric.

Now since this is a commencement address, I feel bound by tradition, if not law, to offer at least some advice before I sit down. And let me begin by repeating the advice of two great lawyers for whom I have had the privilege of working, who possess far more wisdom than I.

The first comes from Chief Justice John Roberts. This past spring the chief justice was kind enough to meet with my constitutional law class when we visited the Supreme Court. One of the students asked if he had any career advice for graduating students. The chief justice paused for a moment, and then said – and I am paraphrasing here – “do what interests you.” His point, I think, is don’t just sit down and try to map out how one job is going to get you another job, and so forth. If you are offered an opportunity that interests you, take it and throw yourself into it. That approach apparently worked for the chief justice.

The second piece of advice comes from the former chief justice – William Rehnquist. Chief Justice Rehnquist always urged his law clerks and other young lawyers to live well-rounded lives and warned against allowing your life to revolve around your work. That’s the way Chief Justice Rehnquist lived his own life. He once missed a state of the union address to attend an art class. It’s much easier said than done, especially for young associates at law firms.

But it is still invaluable advice. While the future may look endless to you right now, you won’t believe how quickly time goes by once you start your legal careers. And trust me, in no time you’ll be looking back and saying to yourself, “Why didn’t I make more time for that back then?”

And my last piece of advice is never sell yourself short. Whether you are graduating number one or number 540 today, the education and experiences you have received here at GW have equipped you to go out and compete with the best lawyers in the country. It’s not easy, and success always involves a great deal of hard work, but even in today’s difficult legal world, there is no reason you can’t go out and achieve your goals. And as you do, I am confident that you will find, as I have time and again, that GW is there to support you and cheer you on.

Thank you so much for the privilege of being here with you today. I won’t be the least bit offended if you do not remember this speech when we meet, as I hope we will, years from now. But for today, please accept my sincerest congratulations on your graduation from this wonderful law school. I wish you all great happiness and success as you move on.