August 10 law student orientation to emphasize professionalism

News

August 8, 2016

Mississippi Supreme Court Justice Dawn Beam of Sumrall will administer the oath of professionalism to new law students entering Mississippi College School of Law during an orientation program Aug. 10.

Justice Beam, MCSOL Dean Wendy Scott and Mississippi Bar President W. Briggs Hopson III of Vicksburg will speak at 9 a.m. Aug. 10 on the second floor of the B. C. Rogers Student Center on the Mississippi College campus in Clinton. Michael Anderson, president of the Law Student Bar Association, will speak to students at 9:45 a.m.

Starting at 10:15 a.m., judges and lawyers from across the state will serve as facilitators for small group discussions with students. The breakout sessions examine hypothetical ethical dilemmas which lawyers may face. A luncheon for students, judges, lawyers and faculty is set for noon to 1 p.m.

Justice Beam said, “It is exciting to have the opportunity to encourage law students. A law degree provides a graduate many avenues to make a difference in one’s community, state and nation.

“I am reminded of a judge who once told me, ‘Your greatest joy will come in serving others.’ That was certainly my experience in practicing law. It is not just a job, but also a wonderful, heartwarming way to make a difference in the lives of others,” Justice Beam said.

Justice Ann H. Lamar of Senatobia will give the keynote address during the Dukes Professionalism Program at the University of Mississippi School of Law at 9:50 a.m. Aug. 18 at the Robert C. Khayat Law Center in Oxford. Breakout sessions with students, attorneys and judges will begin at 10:40 a.m.

The annual James O. Dukes Law School Professionalism Program is sponsored by the Mississippi Bar as part of orientation for students entering law school at Mississippi College School of Law and the University of Mississippi School of Law. The program is named in honor of its founder, the late James O. Dukes of Gulfport, a former Mississippi Bar president.

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