May 2, 2023

Renowned Attorney and Advocate Gloria Allred to Speak at Southwestern Law School's 108th Commencement Ceremony

Southwestern Law School is proud to announce that Gloria Allred, a pioneering attorney, and champion of gender equity and equal rights for all, will be the keynote speaker at the school's 108th Commencement Ceremony. The event will take place at the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California, on Friday, May 19, 2023. Ms. Allred is a founding partner of Allred, Maroko & Goldberg (AMG), with offices in Los Angeles and New York. For 47 years, her law firm has been at the forefront of championing women's rights and victims’ rights. As a leading private law firm in the nation, AMG has won hundreds of millions of dollars for victims of injustice. Ms. Allred has won countless honors for her pioneering legal work on behalf of victims who have been discriminated against due to gender, race, age, physical disability, sexual orientation, sexual harassment, or because they are HIV+ or have AIDS. She is also well known for representing countless victims of rape and child sexual abuse.

"We are honored to have Gloria Allred as our graduation speaker,” said Darby Dickerson, Southwestern’s President and Dean. “She is a trailblazing and relentless advocate for women and others whose rights have been violated. Her unwavering dedication to empowering women, fighting for justice for all, and dismantling systemic barriers has created profound and lasting change in our society. I know her message will inspire and motivate our graduates.”

Allred has received numerous accolades throughout her career, including the Lifetime Achievement Award from The National Trial Lawyers and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Organization for Women (NOW) for her enduring commitment to fighting injustices against women. Ms. Allred also received the President's Award from the National Association of Women Lawyers. In January 2021, Ms. Allred was a recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from American Lawyer Magazine for her enduring work as a true leader who has tirelessly fought for justice and furthered feminism. In October 2022, attorney Allred was the grateful recipient of the LGBTQ+ Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Co-President's Award, their highest honor.

In 1986 at the White House, President Ronald Reagan presented Ms. Allred with the President’s Volunteer Action Award for Outstanding Volunteerism for her work on child support. President Barack Obama has introduced Ms. Allred as “one of the best attorneys in the country.”

She is also the author of "Fight Back and Win: My Thirty-Year Fight Against Injustice – And How You Can Win Your Own Battles." Allred earned her B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and her M.A. from New York University. She started her legal education at Southwestern and graduated from Loyola Law School. In 2017, Netflix announced “Seeing Allred,” an original documentary about Ms. Allred and her battles for justice which launched globally on Netflix in February 2018 and is still streaming on the platform.

The 108th Commencement Ceremony will recognize the achievements of Southwestern Law School's graduating class as they prepare to embark on their legal careers and become advocates for their clients and communities.