For Immediate Release
May 13, 2008
Contact:
Charles Bentley
cbentley@ulv.edu
(909) 593-3511, ext. 4688
Acclaimed Trial Lawyer Thomas V. Girardi to Serve As Keynote Speaker
at 2008 ULV College of Law Commencement
Ontario, Calif., May 13, 2008 – Widely regarded as one of the nation’s top trial lawyers, Thomas V. Girardi has established a reputation for helping people seeking justice and compensation. On Sunday, May 18, Girardi will share his years of experience and personal insights with this year’s graduating class when he serves as keynote speaker for the 2008 University of La Verne College of Law Commencement Ceremony.
This year’s commencement features 78 students scheduled to receive degrees from Inland Southern California’s only American Bar Association-approved law school. The ceremony will begin at 4 p.m. on the ULV College of Law campus, located at 320 E. D Street in Ontario. Due to space restrictions, entry to the 2008 ULV College of Law Commencement is limited to participants and invited guests. Campus parking is free, and directions to the campus can be found at http://law.ulv.edu/about_the_college/directions.html
Thomas Girardi specializes in commercial litigation, product liability law, toxic torts and bad faith cases. He is a founding partner in Girardi & Keese, a firm that has won billions of dollars for its clients. It was his firm that argued the case against Pacific Gas & Electric alleging drinking water contamination in Hinckley, Calif., litigation later featured in the motion picture “Erin Brockovich.” The firm recently has been involved in neighborhood meetings regarding the ongoing concern over reported dust contamination by the TXI Riverside Cement factory in Rubidoux.
Girardi is a member of the ULV College of Law’s Board of Visitors, a group of distinguished legal professionals and community members that provide counsel and insight into the needs of the legal community as well as the needs of the College of Law. The Board of Visitors meets regularly to discuss issues and concerns directly relating to the College of Law, including such topics as enrollment growth, curriculum expansion, admissions and graduate placement, faculty research, community involvement and resource needs.
A board member and past president of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers – a prestigious organization limited to 500 lawyers worldwide, Girardi remains the youngest individual ever admitted to that esteemed group. He is also a member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, limited to 100 lawyers who have obtained the largest verdicts in the United States. And he is a past president of the American Board of Trial Advocates.
Named to the “Best Lawyers in America” list for more than 20 years, Girardi has appeared on every one of the Los Angeles Daily Journal’s “Top Lawyers in California” listings. He is the first trial lawyer to be appointed to the California Judicial Council, the policymaking body of the state courts. He was inducted into the “Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame” by the California State Bar in 2003, and was presented the 2004 Ted Horn Memorial Award from the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles. And he hosts the “Champions of Justice” radio program on KRLA/870 AM.
Girardi received his Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) and Master of Laws (LL.M.) from New York University School of Law and his Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) from Loyola University Law School Los Angeles. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Loyola University of Los Angeles.
Located in Ontario, the University of La Verne College of Law serves over four million people as the only ABA-approved law school in Inland Southern California and an additional 2.2 million people in San Gabriel Valley and Eastern Los Angeles County. For additional information on the College of Law, please call (909) 460-2001 or visit the Web at http://law.ulv.edu.
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Media Note – Reporters, photographers and camera operators are welcome to attend the ULV College of Law 2008 Commencement Ceremony. Due to seating and space limitations, all attending media are asked to contact the ULV Public Relations Office prior to the event date so arrangements can be made. You can contact Public Relations Director Charles Bentley at (909) 593-3511 ext. 4688 or by e-mail at cbentley@ulv.edu.
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The University of La Verne College of Law has been provisionally approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association since 2006. The Section of Legal Education may be contacted at 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60610 or by phone at (312) 988-6738.
