Media Contact:

Russell Lawson
Marketing Director
Direct: (804) 783-6799
Cell: (804) 240-8862
Fax: (804) 783-7291
Email Russell Lawson

Remarks of Phyllis C. Katz to the 2005 Graduating Class University of Richmond T. C. Williams School of Law

(May 7, 2005)...Congratulations. Thank you for this great honor. And thank you for another honor, my ability to stand here today to publicly thank the faculty who taught me.

This is a time of awe for everyone in the room. You have reached the goal that you have been dreaming of for a long time. You have really worked hard. There is no one in this room who doubts that we are all proud of you.

Even if you believe that you firmly have your future mapped, remember to never stop the quest to know who you are and how you can leave this world a little better.

I am going to talk about some personal things. Images and photographs surround me and fill my life. There are two I want to share with you.

The first is a photo of a tree, standing alone on a steep mountain side. It has survived wind, storms and other natural happenings because it has strong roots, something that each of you have, and because it has been able to bend, something that I hope you will be able to do. When you have to stand alone, which you may find yourself, remember to bend your knees and be flexible.

There is one other photo that, more than others, has been my compass these years.

My Compass

That compass for me has been a photo that I keep by my side and have had it there for over 10 years. It inspires me to continue the path that I have chosen with my life and my career. Let me share the image with you:

A dry, ochre and brown plain, with the shadow of huts in the distance. Five figures, each walking towards the camera. Two are in the background, both women dressed in native garb. Three women are in the forefront, two carrying the third by her the arms; the third is lame. It is somewhere in South Africa in April 1994 and the women are walking to vote for the first time, each disenfranchised for all their lives because of their race. They are about to elect Nelson Mandela, a man recently released from prison for protesting apartheid - legalized segregation of the races.

What is it about this picture?

In part, images surround me - they are my comfort - my inspiration. Images say so much and leave so much for me to interpret. This picture, although not particularly artistic, has particular meaning because it represents

the strength of community
the importance of participation in society
the role of law.
Community and Friends

Most significantly, the picture symbolizes to me the power of community and friends.

When the picture appeared in the newspaper, I cried because my dream of seeing apartheid end was happening. I also cried because then in my life I was blessed to have friends, in numbers larger than one would ever imagine supporting me through life threatening medical treatments for advanced cancer.

They transported me for treatments, cleaned my refrigerator, mowed my lawn, and offered comfort. Among them were former Attorneys General and Judges. What is significant about my group of supporters was the fact that some who joined this group were people who crossed my path only incidentally. But because of some word that I said, some kindness given, they came forward to give back. Just as the two women in the picture carried their neighbor those distances to vote, so did my friends.

Along your path you will meet many people and touch them in positive ways. Never diminish them although you may have the power to do so. Some of the best lawyers I have known have always been respectful to everyone they meet - their colleagues, court personnel, judges, adversaries - never diminishing them personally.

Participation in Society

This photograph also shows how important participation in society is, voting in this instance. Voting meant so much to these five women, that they walked miles through the heat and dust; two carrying another by her arms for that long distance just so the three could vote for the first time.

More recently in Afghanistan and Iraq, we saw people risking their lives to vote. How many Iraqis traveled far distances to be fingerprinted and vote?

Yet, in America, too few vote. Shame on us.

Participation in society is more than just voting. I hope that you will never become complacent no matter how pressing the demands of your profession may be.

Role of Law

You are about to enter the legal profession. You may be writing the laws, enforcing the laws, finding the loopholes in the laws, and arguing them to your clients' advantage. As you assume these roles remember that our society must be just, fair, and good. You will have an important part in making sure that our legal system makes us a nation that continues to stand for individual rights and in so doing continues to adjusts itself to be fair and just.

Segregation in this country was wrong, yet justified by law. In South Africa, apartheid was wrong, but justified by law. As lawyers we have the power to help change these wrongs.

A friend of mine in the early 1960s boldly told a federal judge in Mississippi in an early voting rights case that his client who was black could not get a fair trail because a mural depicting the pleasantries of plantation life and slavery was on the wall behind the judge. He asked for a change in venue. The judge indignantly denied the change in venue. He won on appeal. When my friend passed away, the newspapers in Mississippi remembered this bold move and how there are more minority legislative members in Mississippi today than in any other state, thanks to the fearless attorney.

You too may be called to right some wrongs. My hope is that you will meet that challenge.

Like all good images, my picture always gives me new thoughts and teaches me new lessons.

Six Principles

I will end with some principles that may help as you start your careers as attorneys:

Keep an image by your side to ground and center you.

Develop your practice around things you like doing - know yourself.

You are bright; you are learned. You never have to flaunt it. Simple words communicate the best.

Be active in your community and become a real part of it. Don't do it for the prestige it may bring but to make the time and place we live just that much better.

There are never any secrets - your reputation is only yours to easily lose.

Find humor. Laugh. Never take your self too seriously.

On that note, my final words are taken from Dr. Seuss:

Congratulations!
Today is your day.
You're off to Great Places!
You're off and away!

Founded more than 150 years ago, Sands Anderson has 76 lawyers practicing among its offices in Richmond, Blacksburg, Fredericksburg and McLean, Virginia, and the Research Triangle of North Carolina. In 2008, it was ranked 9th in the Virginia Lawyers Weekly annual listing of the state’s largest law firms. Sands Anderson provides a full range of legal services to corporations and businesses, healthcare providers, financial institutions, state and local governments, the insurance industry and individuals.