In times that are uncertain or challenging, lawyers — and Harvard Law School graduates, in particular — should embrace the moment, their principles, and their work to help build the future they want to see, said Harvard Law School Interim Dean John C.P. Goldberg, as part of the school’s commencement exercises on Thursday.
“When things are not settled, even when they’re daunting, there are extraordinary opportunities to recover, reaffirm, and revisit our core values, and to forge ahead,” said Goldberg, addressing the Class of 2025.
Under a cloudy, cool Cambridge sky, Goldberg began by congratulating Harvard Law’s newest alumni and acknowledging the years of effort it took for them to reach this special milestone. “This marks a new beginning, the launch of careers that will offer endless possibilities for interesting, exciting, socially valuable work,” he said.
Goldberg also thanked the thousands of friends, family members, mentors, and teachers who had supported the graduates in their journey, then turned to the students themselves, starting with those receiving an LL.M. degree.
Hailing from more than 60 countries around the world, these graduating students completed 4,000 credits of coursework and generated 7,500 pages of written work on topics as wide-ranging as forestry reform to shareholder activism over the past year, he said. “You have been, and I know you will be, huge contributors to our community and to communities across the globe.”
“When things are not settled, even when they’re daunting, there are extraordinary opportunities to recover, reaffirm, and revisit our core values, and to forge ahead.”
Goldberg then applauded the S.J.D. graduates, whose scholarly contributions spanned fields from alternative dispute resolution to capital markets regulation, and more. “Thank you being such wonderful scholars, as well as mentors and teachers to students here and across Harvard.”
Goldberg also commended the J.D. Class of 2025, which he said represented nearly all U.S. states, Puerto Rico, Washington, D.C., and 18 international locations. He noted that the group includes 68 people who have served members of Congress; 23 current and former members of the U.S. armed forces; numerous Fulbright, Rhodes, Truman, and other scholars; and even three Jeopardy contestants.
“You are an impressive bunch, and particularly public-spirited,” he said, adding that the students had completed 372,000 hours of pro bono work. Over the last twenty years, Goldberg said, Harvard Law students have performed more than seven million hours of volunteer services for clients on issues such as housing, family law, taxes, civil rights and liberties, and much more.
The dean also gave a special shout out to international students and scholars. “Harvard Law School would not be Harvard Law School without you. … We are so grateful that you are here, and we will always fight to ensure that Harvard University and Harvard Law School remain welcoming to students and researchers from around the world,” he said.
Veritas
Goldberg acknowledged that there were many things in flux in the world and at the university itself. Yet, he continued, “Just as each person here today has undergone huge changes in their life while remaining the same person, so, too, Harvard has undergone huge changes but remained Harvard.”
This continuity over centuries, Goldberg suggested, can be explained by Harvard’s motto: veritas. Truth.
“At its core, what Harvard Law School is all about is exhaustive study, rigorous analysis, probing discussion, and constructive debate,” he said. “Every day, far, far away from screaming headlines, this is what our faculty and students do, and this is what we are here to celebrate.”
He then pivoted to a description of the opening scene of the 1978 film “Animal House,” which commences with a shot of a statue of a fictional university’s fictional founder, Emil Faber. “Knowledge is good,” reads the banal plaque beneath the sculpture.
“Back in 1978, this bit of humor worked because its underlying truth — that knowledge is good, and, by extension, that higher education is good — was taken for granted,” he said. “Today, the foundations for the joke are a little less stable.”
Despite the importance of maintaining a healthy level of skepticism towards knowledge institutions, Goldberg said, “I am here to say — boldly and proudly — that Emil Faber was right! Knowledge is good! So, too, is its pursuit through higher education.”
“Armed with the hard-wrought knowledge and skills that come with your training … you will carry forward the mission of this great school, which has always been, and will always be to educate, to enlighten, and to expose the truth.”
Referencing current events, he noted that Harvard has weathered tough times before, including during the American Revolutionary War, and has always continued to evolve and change to meet the historical moment, as it will today and in the future. “Rigorous inquiry, reasoned debate, and the search for truth carried on, and have continued to carry on, right down to today,” he said.
This is the consequence, Goldberg said, of humans’ natural curiosity and desire for progress, including “the sort of political and legal progress, the seeds for which have been laid at places like Harvard Law School. Under this heading, I include the recognition and establishment of modern principles of constitutional, liberal, egalitarian democracy.”
But progress is not always as fast or straightforward as we might like, Goldberg admitted. Continued advancement will depend on the efforts of Harvard Law’s newest alumni.
“Today’s graduates — through their studies, their advocacy, and their research — have helped us better understand and improve the law,” he said. Addressing the graduates, he added: “Armed with the hard-wrought knowledge and skills that come with your training, you will go forward … to enable entrepreneurs to innovate, communities to thrive, and all of us to enjoy the blessings of liberty, democracy, and the rule of law.”
The new graduates, he concluded, would be joining in a cherished tradition of such work by generations of Harvard lawyers that have come before.
“In doing this,” he concluded, “You will carry forward the mission of this great school, which has always been, and will always be to educate, to enlighten, and to expose the truth.”
View full coverage from the festivities of the 2025 Class Day and Commencement Ceremonies at Harvard Law School
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