Southwestern Law School is proud to announce that distinguished trial lawyer and Southwestern Alum Walter M. Yoka ’80, founding partner of YOKA | SMITH, will deliver the keynote address at the law school’s 110th Commencement Ceremony on Friday, May 16, 2025, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions to the profession and to Southwestern, Yoka will also receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws at the ceremony. 

A nationally respected litigator, Yoka has spent more than four decades defending class actions, complex torts, commercial disputes, and product‑liability cases, earning defense verdicts across more than 20 states. This year marks the 30th anniversary of YOKA | SMITH, the firm he co‑founded in 1995, which has grown into a go‑to trial shop for Fortune 500 companies. 

Yoka is vice chair of Southwestern’s Board of Trustees and a Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Society of Barristers. His professional leadership includes past presidencies of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel, CAL‑ABOTA, and the Los Angeles Chapter of ABOTA. He has been recognized continuously in Super Lawyers since 2004, the Best Lawyers in America since 2006, and was recently honored with the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s 2025 Jim Robie Award for Civility and Professionalism. 

“Wally Yoka embodies Southwestern’s tradition of excellence, civility, and service. He is a talented advocate who has a great deal of wisdom to share with our graduates,” said President & Dean Darby Dickerson. Expressing his gratitude, Yoka remarked, “Southwestern shaped the lawyer I became. I look forward to celebrating the Class of 2025 and sharing a few lessons from the trial trenches as they enter a profession that needs their talent and integrity.” 

For more information about Southwestern Law School’s 110th Commencement, visit swlaw.edu/commencement2025.