Arizona Summit Law School Celebrates Spring 2014 Graduation with Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton

PHOENIX - May 27, 2014 - PRLog -- Arizona Summit Law School (formerly Phoenix School of Law) is pleased to announce that 202 students graduated from the private law school this spring. The graduation ceremony featured commencement speaker Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton, who encouraged graduates to be agents of change, and use their law degree to solve community problems. The new graduating class takes the total number of Arizona Summit Law School alumni to 1082.

In keeping with AZ Summit Law’s mission of serving the underserved, the spring 2014 class was recognized for providing more than 14,000 hours of pro bono legal services in Maricopa County. This significant contribution was primarily made through student volunteer projects, and participation in legal clinics focused on mediation, homelessness, domestic violence and family law issues, providing AZ Summit Law graduates with legal experience while contributing to aiding the community.

“When you applied to AZ Summit Law, you told us who you were and what you wanted to be,” stated Dean Shirley Mays during her commencement address. “You explained the obstacles you’d overcome: learning disabilities, physical ailments, legacies of poverty and abuse; and you told us of your greatest achievements: operating a business, raising a family, and obtaining your undergraduate degree while going to school and working full-time. Now, three or four or five years later, you are graduating from law school and you have gone beyond thinking like a lawyer, to developing practical lawyering skills that will serve you and our community well into the future,” she added.

According to AZ Summit Law School President Scott Thompson, the spring 2014 graduating class represents one of the most diverse groups of students to graduate in the school’s nine-year history.  As the school strives to diversify the legal community, this term’s graduates are 53% female and 47% male; have an average age of 30 years old, with the youngest class member being 23 years old, and the oldest class member being 57 years old; 43% are students of color and represent 101 different undergraduate institutions.

During his commencement address, school President Scott Thompson encouraged, “As you venture down your path of success, I hope you will embrace a leadership role in your profession, community and family; continue your personal and professional growth; never end your pursuit of excellence, and maintain the highest ethical standards.”

About Arizona Summit Law School: (http://www.AZSummitLaw.edu) Founded in 2005, Arizona Summit Law School (formerly known as Phoenix School of Law) is dedicated to diversifying the legal profession by advancing advocates and civic minded leaders and serving underserved communities.  Arizona's only private law school earned early accolades from the American Bar Association with the highly regarded E. Smythe Grambell Professionalism Award in 2009, recognizing its innovative approach to legal education.  Arizona Summit Law School has also received top honors for two consecutive yearsfrom prelaw Magazine for its innovative ideas and approach to legal education. Arizona Summit Law School is accredited by the American Bar Association. The downtown Phoenix school aims to establish the private law school as a benchmark institution for legal education in the 21st century. For more information, visit www.AZSummitLaw.edu