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2 Nev. L.J. F. 1 (2017)

handle is hein.journals/nvljform2 and id is 1 raw text is: 










         ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS... LOOT!


                         Michael A. Mogill*

    I was flattered and a bit floored by the request. Our graduating class asked
that I address them at their commencement  and thus present my remarks  as
they were about to embark  into the profession, whether they would be full of
hope or doubt or debt. Humbled by this invitation and wanting to pay homage
to their accomplishments and aspirations, I agreed and began to wonder what I
might be able to share. I was somewhat  relieved to know that my comments
would  be delivered during the midst of a celebratory graduation weekend,
when  the thoughts of our graduates would likely be wandering elsewhere, with-
out true focus on me. And so, as I thought about a topic for this speech of first
impression, my mind drifted back to earlier adventures that I was able to rec-
ollect and at last share...
    Good  morning  graduates, colleagues, loved ones, distinguished guests,
creditors, innocent passersby, and those well within the zone of danger, in
range of the apprehension! What  a glorious day! I am extremely grateful to
you, our graduates, for the privilege you have bestowed upon me. I truly cannot
think of any honor I will treasure more than yours-even without an accompa-
nying speaker's fee. I have heard from  many  of you over the past several
weeks, asking what  I would  address today, and have appreciated your own
thoughts about our school and our community-thoughts   I will soon share.' I
will admit up front that I have never stood before an audience of this magni-
tude, nor have I felt such anxiety about how my thoughts would be received.
So, while I offer my comments as a representative of my colleagues, I fully ac-
cept whatever critiques or disagreements that may follow. What I will share to-
day comes from my  head but also, and maybe most importantly, from my heart.
And  yes-I  fear that when I sit down and learn what you thought of these re-
marks, I will likely receive one of three criticisms: (a) I read these remarks; (b)
I read them poorly; or (c) they were not even worth reading. Or, as you will
soon find in studying for the bar exam, it may be (d) all of the above.
    I begin by thinking about just how much things have changed over these
past three years. Remember those first days of doubt? The anxiety as class time
approached? The  search for answers to provocative questions? The time spent
researching new topics and adjusting to the style of new texts? Those moments

* Professor, Penn State Dickinson Law; B.S., University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana;
J.D., Northeastern University School of Law; LL.M, Temple University School of Law. I
would like to dedicate this article to my students in appreciation of their support and contri-
butions over the years, to my children for the remembrance of their childhood game, and to
Anne Porter for preparing this manuscript.
1 I had previously sent an email to our graduating class asking for their thoughts on how
they would characterize their time at the law school and in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
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