2025 News UMass Law: UMass Law Class of 2025 celebrates commencement and commitment to justice

Commonwealth's only public law school graduates 99 students dedicated to advocacy, service, and impact

On Friday, May 16, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's School of Law conferred 99 Juris Doctor degrees to the Class of 2025, honoring graduates who have demonstrated a steadfast commitment to justice, public service, and the advancement of the legal profession.

The Class of 2025 has distinguished itself through a steadfast commitment to public service and academic excellence. Upon entering law school, they set a new benchmark with the highest median LSAT scores and undergraduate GPAs in the school's history. A class of firsts, they helped launch new legal clinics, student organizations, and study abroad programs.

"Completing law school is a significant accomplishment. You worked tirelessly to get here today, and all the while, you made a positive impact on our community," said Provost Ramprasad Balasubramanian. "You, the students, leave this institution better off than when you arrived, thanks to your scholarship in the classroom, your compassion for others in the community, and your fierce advocacy on campus and beyond on the issues about which you care most deeply."

View the entire UMass Law 2025 Commencement Ceremony.

"Graduates, you are entering the legal profession at the time it needs you the very most," said UMass Law Dean Sam Panarella. "We need your voices, your passion, your talent, and above all, we need your optimism and your advocacy for a better, fairer, and more just Commonwealth, country, and world. We cannot wait to see what you do."

"Be the kind of lawyer who sees people, not just problems. Be the kind of lawyer whose clients feel heard—especially when they don't win. Be the kind of lawyer who understands that the best victories are not always the loudest, they're the most meaningful. How you practice law will say more about you than any diploma."

Dean Panarella also announced awards for graduates, including the 2025 pro bono award recipient Ashley Dahae Bonnette-Kim, who conducted 431 hours of pro bono work. The 2025 Public Interest Law Fellow Leadership Award was given to Haley McCurry, who performed 315 hours of public service work. The class of 2025 helped UMass Law reach an important milestone of 250,000 hours in pro bono, clinical, and field placement hours since joining UMass Dartmouth in 2010.

Student speaker Jack Lovely served as a Staff Editor for the UMass Law Review, represented the school in the ABA Client Counseling Competition, and was an active member of groups such as the International Law Student Association, the Law Association Against Sexual Exploitation, the Legal Association of Women, and the Asian Pacific American Law Student Association. He also took part in UMass Law's inaugural Attorney General Clinic in the Gaming Enforcement Division as a Supreme Judicial Court Rule 3:03 Certified Student Practitioner, gaining hands-on experience in public service.

"Our graduation is not the start of a blank page, and it is not a new beginning," said Lovely. "It is the renewal of the energy that we have already poured into this journey—the frustrations, the late nights, and the sacrifices. It is the next chapter in a story that we have already begun to write, and I am grateful that we get to write it together. Congratulations, Class of 2025. Let's Pursue Justice!"

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Justice Serge Georges Jr. delivered UMass Law's commencement address. Appointed to the state's highest appellate court in 2020 by Governor Charlie Baker, Justice Georges is one of seven Justices serving on the Commonwealth's Supreme Judicial Court. The court hears appeals on a wide range of civil and criminal cases and issues written opinions that help shape Massachusetts law.

"The law is not a monument; it's a living promise," said Justice Georges. "So be the kind of lawyer who sees people, not just problems. Be the kind of lawyer whose clients feel heard—even when they don't win, especially when they don't win. Be the kind of lawyer who understands that the best victories are not always the loudest, they're the most meaningful. How you practice law will say more about you than any diploma ever could."

UMass Dartmouth expects to confer 1,900 undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, and law degrees. Of those 1,900 students, the Class of 2025 represented 248 cities and towns in Massachusetts, 33 states, and 29 countries.

UMass Law Class of 2025 celebrates commencement and commitment to justice

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