University of Southern Maine

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University of Maine School of Law Graduates 71

May 24, 2008

The Honorable Frank M. Coffin, U.S. senior circuit judge for the First Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals, told graduates of the University of Maine School of Law that today’s legal landscape demands new and different ways of thinking.

Coffin addressed 71 members of the class of 2008 and 1,000 guests at graduation ceremonies held Saturday, May 24, in Merrill Auditorium, Portland.

The Lewiston native and former member of Congress said graduates should employ a range of skills, among them “listening, counseling and mediation,” and urged them to “save time for yourselves and you families.”  Coffin, who retired from active judicial service in 2006, asked graduates to “do good work, as a complete lawyer, citizen and balanced human being.”

Student speaker Jordan McColman of Readfield told graduates “We’ve learned about the law…but I think, to a person, we’ve learned even more about ourselves and each other.” McColman, originally from Bellingham, Washington, was a flight attendant for United Airlines for 15 years, where he met his wife, a Maine native. He earned his A.A. from the University of Maine at Augusta and his B.A. from the University of Maine at Farmington. McColman will work for the Portland law firm of  Drummond Woodsum and McMahon after graduation.

School of Law graduate Peter C. McKenney, vice president and chief financial officer of Stroudwater Associates in Portland, received the L. Kinvin Wroth Distinguished Alumni Award.  McKenney earned a B.S. in mechanical engineering and an M.B.A. from the University of Maine. McKenney was president of the University of Maine School of Law Foundation from 2001 to 2007, and continues to serve on its Board of Directors. He also serves as president and board member of the National Eagle Scout Association.

The University of Maine School of Law is an administrative unit of the University of Southern Maine.

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