Coelho at Commencement

Loyola Law School's Commencement Ceremony to Feature Former U.S. Rep. Tony Coelho, Disability Rights Advocate

Former U.S. Rep. Tony Coelho
Loyola Law School’s 95th Annual Commencement Ceremony will feature a keynote address by former U.S. Rep. Tony Coelho (LMU ’64), architect of the Americans with Disabilities Act, when it convenes at 12 p.m. on Sunday, May 15, 2016 on the Westchester, Calif. campus of Loyola Marymount University (LMU). 

LMU President Timothy Law Snyder will confer degrees on candidates alongside Interim Dean Paul T. Hayden. About 400 candidates are eligible for a range of degrees, including Juris Doctor (JD), JD/Masters of Business Administration, Master of Laws (LLM), Master of Science in Legal Studies (MLS), Tax LLM and JD/Tax LLM. 

Alumni will be featured prominently in the ceremony. Brian S. Kabateck ’89, partner at Kabateck Brown Kellner LLP and chair of Loyola’s Board of Directors, will deliver the alumni welcome. Mark Geragos ’82, partner at Geragos & Geragos, will be the mace bearer and grand marshal. 

The ceremony will honor the two faculty members selected by students to receive this year’s Excellence in Teaching Awards: Professor Katherine Lyons ’02 (day) and Professor Laurie Levenson (evening). It will also feature competitively selected student speakers: Nathan Benham, day division, and Yungmoon Chang, evening division. 

Coelho, a longtime advocate for the rights of people with disabilities, will be introduced by disability rights-law scholar and Dean-designate Michael Waterstone. A former U.S. House of Representatives Democratic Majority Whip, Coelho was appointed by President Bill Clinton to serve on the President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities. He has held leadership positions at the American Association for People with Disabilities, the Epilepsy Foundation and the Partnership to Improve Patient Care 

The ceremony will be held in the Sunken Garden on LMU’s campus at 1 Loyola Marymount Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Follow the festivities on social media: #LoyolaLaw2016 @LoyolaLawSchool.