Graduates lunch with the Justice

04/25/2008

Graduates lunch with the Justice
 O'Connor lunching w students
Retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
     Members of the Class of 2008 at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law on Thursday, April 24, dined and visited with their College's namesake, who told them about her early struggles to land a job in her field and advised them to make the most of the challenges in their own careers.
     "I remember so well getting out of law school," retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor told a gathering of more than 100 graduates in Armstrong Hall. "It was a long time coming, and I wanted to get my hands on some real work in the real world.
     "But I could not get a job as a lawyer, not even with all the notes on the placement board from law firms," said Justice O'Connor, who graduated from Stanford Law School in 1952.
     When she did finally land an interview with a firm, a partner said, "We never would hire a woman lawyer, and I don't see the day when we will - our clients would not stand for it. He asked me how well I typed, and I said `Well, fair,' and he said if I could type well enough they might be able to put me on. I said, `Thanks, but no thanks.'"
     Instead, Justice O'Connor took a non-paying job in the San Mateo (Calif.) County District Attorney's office. "I had no salary, and I put my desk in with the secretary, but you know what? I was doing work that I really loved doing, answering legal questions for various boards and entities, and they were serious, tough questions," she said.
     Justice O'Connor eventually found a salaried position, and the rest is history.
     "I've had a number of assignments, appointments and jobs that weren't really what I wanted in a way, but I found ways within the structure of the place to create something better," she said.
     She encouraged the graduates to use their degrees and knowledge to work for the public good. "Try to volunteer in various ways to make your community better," Justice O'Connor said. "You have the skills to make a difference for others. Use them wisely."
     She also urged them to study hard for the Bar exam and to make her proud. "It doesn't have to be in the newspaper to matter," Justice O'Connor said. "You will know when it matters."
     Dean Patricia White, who is stepping down after nearly 10 years at the helm of the College of Law to return to teaching, was praised by Justice O'Connor, for whom the college was named about two years ago.
     "I personally will miss her very much," said Justice O'Connor, noting she hopes to get together with White next year in Washington, D.C, where the justice maintains an office and where White will be a visiting professor at Georgetown University Law Center. "She has done a wonderful job here."
     About 220 members of the Class of 2008, the largest class in the College of Law's 41-year history, will graduate during the convocation at 1 p.m. on Friday, May 9, in Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium.
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