Tod Aronovitz speaks at graduation and about "Dignity in Law"

Speaking to more than two hundred Spring 2003 College of Law graduates, Tod Aronovitz, President of The Florida Bar, reminded them that they faced a three-part transition from student to lawyer. "First of all, as each of you make your way into the law profession, you will have a duty to your clients, and you will enter into trusted relationships them. Never violate the sacred trust of your client. Secondly, set goals for yourself and make every attempt to reach them. And, finally, once those goals are set, 'never give up.'"

Aronovitz, commencement speaker at the Saturday, May 3 graduation ceremony, is President of Aronovitz Trial Lawyers in Miami, in addition to being the current Florida Bar president, and he is a nationally recognized trial lawyer. In 2001 and 2002, Aronovitz was honored by Miami Magazine as one of South Florida's leading trial attorneys and is a Martindale-Hubbell AV-rated attorney. He received his Bachelor's Degree from the University of Georgia in 1971 and his J.D. degree from the University of Miami Law School in 1974.

"You are about to become involved in one of the most prized professions in society," Aronovitz told students, faculty and guests. "You will meet great people. Your profession will introduce you to areas of the law that will excite you. Take your work seriously and do it with integrity."

In a conversation with law school Dean Don Weidner prior to the graduation ceremony, Aronovitz said that honesty is something he carries into his work as President of The Florida Bar. "I like to think of myself as someone with integrity, and my family carries with it a tradition of honesty. In Miami in the 1950s, they nicknamed my uncle, who was an attorney, 'Honest Abe.' That reputation is something I'm very proud of."

Aronovitz said that The Florida Bar has established a "Dignity in Law Program" designed to highlight integrity in the law profession. "You can go up on our Florida Bar web site and see how lawyers and judges throughout the state are doing great work every day to make a difference in people's lives." Aronovitz said that hundreds of professionals practicing law throughout the state go day-after-day and year-after-year and never have their names appear in newspapers. They are never surrounded by controversy—there is no sensationalism resulting from the work they do. "The Judge Judy-type television dramas and the attorney scandals seen in newspaper headlines misrepresent the legal profession. Dignity in the Law is a way for us to level the playing field and let the public know that there is a trusted and valued relationship between an attorney and his client."

Graduates, family and friends returned to the College of Law D'Alemberte Rotunda following the ceremony for a reception and music provided by Professor Fernando Tesón's tango band Tango Sur.