CWSL Inducts Students into Pro Bono and Public Service Honors Societies
SAN DIEGO (April 25, 2024) -- With 2024 Commencement fast approaching, California Western School of Law (CWSL) hosted its annual Pro Bono and Public Service Honors Society ceremony. 47 students were inducted into the Public Service Honors Society, having accrued 8,939 hours of pro bono work, and 64 students were inducted into the Pro Bono Honors Society, having done 10,800 hours of volunteer service. The evening’s keynote speaker, the Honorable Danna Nicholas ’00, pointed out that these hours equate to $6 million dollars, based on the average rate of $300 an hour for an associate attorney.
California Western’s President and Dean Sean M. Scott, who noted that the Pro Bono Honors Society honors the contributions of students who volunteer a minimum of 50 hours at an organization that supports the disadvantaged in San Diego, and the Public Service Honors Society recognizes students who provide at least 50 hours of free legal service in city, county, state, and federal organizations. Dean Scott said, “The number of hours that our students have spent volunteering is significant. To me, what they represent is just as important—which is hope.” In this vein, Dean Scott read the poem “Sometimes” by Sheenagh Pugh and congratulated the students for their accomplishments and the hope that they have provided to those most in need.
John McKee, Assistant Dean of the Career and Professional Development Office, spoke next, awarding those students who gained special recognition— those receiving the Josi Dixon Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) Grant, and those recognized as Anson Levitan and Jane Bishop interns. These recognitions were created by former students with deep investment in public service in the San Diego community.
Dean McKee then introduced Noelle Dorman, Assistant Director of Projects and Employer Development, who provided the introduction for the evening’s keynote speaker, Judge Danna Nicholas, “an excellent role model who provides a great example of devoting her career to public service.” Judge Nicholas served as lead deputy city attorney for the General Litigation section of the San Diego City Attorney's Office from 2017 to 2023 and had served as Deputy City Attorney since 2004. Governor Gavin Newsom appointed her to the San Diego County Superior Court in October of 2023. Ms. Dorman noted that Judge Nicholas has been an active member of the Lawyers Club of San Diego and the San Diego County Bar Association, volunteering her time to help elevate the local legal community as a whole.
Judge Nicholas began her speech quoting Shirley Chisholm, former United States Congresswoman and the first Black woman to seek nomination for president of the United States, saying, “Service is the rent you pay for room on this earth.” Judge Nicholas commented to the students in attendance that “A lot of people have a lot of rent that’s past due. But you—you are paying it forward.”
Judge Nicholas also shared a moving story of her first inspiration to pursue a career in law and public service. When her father was in the Air Force, he was accused by an individual suffering from a mental illness and was indicted. His court-appointed attorney suggested a plea deal that would involve five years of service and dishonorable discharge—on top of the five years of service he had already given. The Nicholas family approached Rex Butler, the third licensed African American attorney in Alaska, who provided over 100 free hours of service, eventually securing a judgment that Judge Nicholas’s father was factually innocent.
Judge Nicholas said, “I got my dad back. And that's the kind of impact that your work has. So, my advice to you is to never compromise who you are. Never compromise your integrity and your desire to do the right thing. Thank you so much for the work that you've done for our community, for our society, and for the next generation. Congratulations. I am honored to be here in your presence.”
Access the brochure for the Ceremony, which includes the names of all of the student awardees, here.