Original subtitles

I don't know how you can expect to get the pan grease-free without using soap.

You're supposed to soak it and then wipe it out. It builds up the seasoning. It's

supposed to be that way.

James, it's unsanitary.

Ford, if you take a scouring pad to my iron skillet again, I won't be held

responsible for my actions. It's going to be a crime of passion.

Oh, I can't believe what I'm seeing.

Ah, Kingsfield's laugh is an unusual one. Yeah.

I've seen him chortle with Professor Gray several times.

Well, they've been friends for decades.

I'm not surprised.

I find him inspiring.

You think in 40 or 50 years we'll still be friends walking along like them?

Yeah, I think so.

As long as you keep your hands off my iron skeleton.

Lovely morning, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you're all well.

Today, we are going to talk about what I like to call definitions of evidence.

Sir,

the last time you said today's subject was going to be preparation of exhibits.

I'm not prepared for anything else, and I don't think any of us are.

Quite so, quite so. You are...

Certainly right.

I misled you purposely.

A little duplicity on my part.

I wanted you to be unprepared this morning.

Now, why would I want my class to be unprepared?

Mr. Zeiss, to preclude us from having any preconceptions or misconceptions.

Exactly.

so that out of our own discussion here, we would arrive at an area of agreement

about foundations for admissibility.

But, sir, I thought you said... So that we wouldn't have preconceived ideas on

this subject.

Sometimes lack of preparation has value.

Well, I mean, can you read half of the notes? I can't.

I mean, the anecdotes are great. Hey, Ford, what do you think about that?

About what? Are you serious? That class was a mess.

I think we are in trouble.

I think Gray's starting to come apart. That's what I think.

Why don't you stop looking for issues?

All we're trying to do is make a point, Ford.

Now, you've always demanded high standards. If he's inaccurate, how do

you know you're being adequately prepared?

Adequately prepared?

Come off it. He's brilliant. He's lapsing, Ford. Didn't you see it? He

goes along, and every now and then he draws a blank. Look, the point is, a lot

of us want to be trial lawyers.

We really need this class. I think we should do something about it. So do I.

Now, will you give the man a break?

He hasn't missed a class in 40 years. There is nothing the matter with him.

Come on, Ford, wake up.

This first started weeks ago. The professor's not doing his job. It's up

to the law school to replace him.

Now, honestly, Ford, I respect the man as much as you, but I have to say it

looks like he's coming apart.

Something's got to be done about it, like going to the administration or

starting a petition or something. It's not up to you, Zeiss. You're not

qualified to make this kind of a judgment. You don't have the right.

Look, Ford, you can cast me as the villain if you want to, but he's a

detriment. He's doing us a disservice by pretending to teach. It's too important

a class. I'm not going to let it sit.

Now, in tracing the development of the Supreme Court, what would you say was

the chief difference between that body here in the United States and courts in

other countries?

Mr. Chalmers.

The power of the courts to declare the acts of the legislature void, which

didn't appear in other countries until much later. It's practically an American

invention.

Exactly. Mr. Ford, what would you say is another very important attribute of the

American court?

Appointments for life, sir. Quite so.

And when did that occur?

In 1787, the Constitutional Convention wanted to remove justices from areas of

influence.

So they gave them irreducible salaries and lifetime tenure.

Precisely. And that, of course, leads us to further considerations. Sir, would it

be appropriate to ask if any machinery was built in for the removal of a

justice? Impeachment and informal pressure within the court suggesting a

resignation. In no other way can a Supreme Court justice be removed.

But suppose the court's not aware that something is wrong.

If a justice has a mental illness, for example.

If no one is aware of it, Mr. Ford, the aberration is obviously having no

effect. The judgments obviously appear sound. But what if they're not sound,

sir? It's just that no one is aware of the situation.

Mr. Ford, you are wasting time with a fantasy.

But, sir, isn't it possible that a justice can have a mental problem,

lapses, let's say, a judicinility, and no one is aware of the problem?

Mr. Ford, if the man's colleagues do not notice it, it presumably is having no

effect on his worth.

Mr. Hart, will you now give us a breakdown of party affiliations of the

justices before appointment?

Yes, he does. He does. Yeah, first of all.

That's quite a note you've written for the next issue.

Thanks. Yeah, the sight check was easy. It was really very clean.

Good, good.

I do have a comment, thought, that I think will help you with your next

draft.

Hart, you read my final draft.

Oh, well, right.

It'll be interesting to see what gets published.

Hart.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with that paper now.

What's your problem?

So you imply that the declaratory judgment act doesn't go back farther

than this century?

No, no, you're missing the point of the piece. I'm focusing on solutions to a

modern problem.

I think the piece needs a greater sense of history.

In part, I'm discussing the problems of anticipating commercial disputes.

Now that's an outgrowth of the telecommunications revolution.

Whether the courts will give advisory opinions, it's an issue that goes back

several hundred years.

Harriman, who cares? I mean, who cares? Do you really care about the Declaratory

Judgment Act?

It's an important issue. So it's an important issue. Why can't we discuss

it? We're intelligent people. We can sit down and have differences of opinion.

Isn't that what we're doing, Hart? I don't think so. I think we're arguing to

win. One of us always has to win.

Hart, it's a classic power struggle.

There, what you did right there, you have to have the answer. Heart, it's a

classic power struggle.

Soon, the minute you do that, you telegraph to me that you have won. And

you know what kills me? We have all these little intellectual discussions,

and you know it always boils down to something very basic. Me win power.

Personally, I don't mind the mental exercise of it.

What, you don't come away from these arguments with your stomach burning?

No. Dealing with you is a little time-consuming. I sometimes get annoyed

at that.

Wouldn't it be nice if we could just sit in a room and feel that we didn't have

to compete?

I'm not sure.

I'll think about it.

Maybe you have a point.

A valid one.

Isn't it implied that your point is valid if I'm going to think about it,

Hart? You're right.

I'm just as much to blame as you are.

Hart, I know what you're doing.

You're striving for a 50-50 split on who's to blame.

Now, that may be an expedient compromise, but I'm not sure I'm willing

to shoulder half the blame.

All I'm saying is that we look at this.

If you put it like that, I will.

Thank you.

I think it'll make working in the law review easier for both of us.

That's something we should both try for.

To a new beginning.

Golden, you'll notice I haven't cited precedents prior to 1900 because they're

irrelevant.

Harriman, what happened to our new beginning?

That's not mitigating your faulty interpretations, Hart.

Well, I can't figure her out.

Women like that love issues and horses, not people.

She's cold.

She's an ice princess.

I know. I grew up in their kingdoms. Well, I can't avoid her. I work with her

every day in Law Review.

Well, then the thing to do is take her to bed.

Ford, are you kidding?

How do you see that as a solution?

Intimacy can melt an iceberg.

No, icebergs tend to win out over whatever runs into them.

I'll tell you, as angry and as frustrated as I get, I have to admit

something.

I'm attracted to her. Do you think that's perverse?

Actually, a perverse relationship is relatively normal in this environment.

Ford, why are you so optimistic today?

Zeiss is drawing battle lines over an issue of which he has very little

understanding. Gray?

Yes.

It never ceases to astound me how insensitive people can become in this

institution.

They don't have the compassion to see that Gray is a human being with

feelings.

Well, I haven't been in his classes here for myself, but you mentioned that he

sometimes gets sidetracked.

That's a far cry from declaring to the world that the man has lost his

intellectual capacity.

I see this whole thing is getting ugly and out of hand very quickly.

Well, if the students want to make an issue, there may be little you can do.

I can't take that attitude, James.

This morning, we're going to go into detail on the various kinds of evidence.

Now while I know this course and the grades I give are both very much

enjoyed, I want to emphasize that while the subject matter is interesting and

easy to understand, doesn't mean it's easily mastered.

How many of you are seriously thinking of going into trial work?

Trial work is the drama and battlefield of law.

The arena in which people fight for their rights as if fighting for their

lives. Make no mistake, it's that important to them and must be to you.

Don't overlook anything.

In over a thousand trials, I've taken part in the most interesting people were

the criminals.

Because they were professionals at breaking the law, they often had a

better understanding of it than the attorneys.

There's some point to be made there, but I'm not sure what it is.

Now, I hope you've all bought Johnson's evidentiary analysis.

It covers all of this very well, and we'll be using it.

Sir? Uh, Mr. Misleski. Yes, sir. A month ago, you asked us to buy White's Cases

on Evidence.

That book cost $40.

Are you now saying that we're going to use the Johnson book instead?

I must say you have me at a disadvantage.

I don't have my course notes.

Here's a copy, sir.

Uh, yes. Well, I, uh, did specify the White case book.

The Johnson book is, of course, optional.

You didn't know about him. Yeah, well, I think it's getting worse. Hey, Ford,

look, I think we ought to talk about it. Yeah, definitely.

It's about time.

Hi. Well?

Well, what?

Come on, Ford, don't tell me you didn't see that.

See what?

Ford, he is really slipping.

Do you honestly still want to take classes with him?

Whether I do or not is not the point.

What makes you think you can operate like vigilantes? Ford, these things

happen. All we want is what we've been promised.

This school has a contract with us. It costs us a fortune to go here. We're

entitled to the best. I don't want any part of what you're going to do. You

don't have to get so hot about it.

You hate incompetence. I hate unilateralism.

Just hold off, okay?

Don't do anything until I look into this.

All right, that's not unfair.

But soon, Ford, okay?

What are you doing out here? It's late.

Just thinking.

You want some company?

I'm trying to come to terms with some very unpleasant facts of life.

A hundred unpleasant facts of life.

Which ones are you thinking of?

Professor Grey's situation.

It's tough to see someone you admire lose his abilities.

When my grandfather... first started showing signs of

senility...

My father, without any notice whatsoever, moved him right out of the

firm. It devastated my grandfather.

He was never the same again.

I watched him deteriorate.

I watched him lose interest in living.

And I watched him lose interest in me.

And I'm losing him to the same nightmare that Gray now faces.

I see my grandfather and Professor Gray.

It's 15 years later and I see the whole thing happening all over again.

Hello. Hello.

My name's Franklin Ford. I'm one of Professor Gray's students. Yes.

I was wondering if I might be able to have a word with him. Of course. Come

in, please.

Thank you.

Come in. Come in.

Of course I recognize you. You're Mr. Ford.

Let's go in here, where it's warmer.

Uh, my sister Jenny. She lives with us.

I hope he won't wake her.

Well, you're not going to say anything loud.

No, not at all, sir.

Please.

Professor Gray, I was wondering... I

would very much like to be your teaching assistant.

That's very kind of you, Mr. Ford, but I already have an assistant.

And I'm afraid there isn't enough work to warrant two.

Well, some of the class are quite demanding, and I thought that if we

worked together, we could cover more ground.

Some unusual request?

Law students asking for more work?

Yes.

Well, some of the classes oversell us, but we have been

soaking up the material pretty quickly.

Perhaps I should take advantage of such an eager group.

I'll delve a little deeper into the subject matter and give us all a good

challenge.

Well, thank you for seeing me, sir.

Well, thank you, Mr. Ford, for stopping by, and I'm glad the class is so

motivated. Yes.

All right.

Did you finish the piece on the prayer initiative?

Last night.

Boy, that was quick.

Doesn't give you much of a chance to get out much, does it?

Why, you want to?

Subtle, Harriman.

And to the point.

Would you like to work until about 1 and then have a late bite?

Tonight?

I can't. I'm on the tax-exempt issues.

So why'd you ask?

Well, I didn't.

Well, when you get it figured out, Hart, let me know.

Harriman.

Look, I thought it would be a good idea if you and I got together and tried to

get to know each other as people.

Maybe that way we wouldn't beat each other's throats so much.

Hart, does that mean you're asking me out?

Yes. Fine.

Oh, hi, Ford. How are you? Nice.

I talked to Professor Gray.

He was very receptive to what I had to say.

I think it's more important now than ever to abort any kind of formal

procedure against him. Ford, I wish Gray had a problem that could get better, but

it's not possible.

If anything, it's going to get worse.

I don't know how you can be so dispassionate.

I'm not alone.

I have ten signatures already. In a week, I'll have over half the class.

Let me see that.

You can't do this. What the hell are you doing? You should get a terrible fellow

student's petition.

Don't you realize that represents the wishes of a serious group of people? You

stupid enough to believe you're actually going to stop something?

Temporarily, I already have.

Sir, Franklin Ford, second year. I know your name, Mr. Ford.

I'm sorry to interrupt, sir, but it's something upsetting.

Something in Professor Gray's evidence class.

It goes on in Professor Gray's class is no affair of mine.

Sir, I try not to inform.

I don't mean to. But I think this is something that you would want to know

about and could perhaps help with.

Professor Grey is a close friend of yours, is he not? You are approaching

impertinence, Mr. Ford.

Sir, the reason I am here is because what is happening could be damaging to

Professor Grey.

Even you, Mr. Ford, have the intelligence to know that one does not

go with tales from one professor to another.

You should take this up with Professor Grey.

I tried to, sir.

Some of Professor Gray's students are petitioning to have him removed.

Can you explain to me why you and your fellow students should engage in such a

grotesque action?

Well, sir, they feel that there's an extreme lack of organization in the way

the material is being presented.

Furthermore, Professor Gray digresses.

Perhaps you and your fellow students should listen a little more carefully to

Professor Gray's digressions.

Professor Gray has a lecture style which is both discursive and scholarly.

It has been cherished for generations of students, also by those who know him and

admire him.

I appreciate what you're saying, sir, but the issue is more damaging, more

serious than we might care to believe.

Some of the students feel that Professor Gray wanders, that he forgets.

assignments, textbooks, that the material is not being covered.

They feel that he is incompetent.

Mr. Ford, I have known Professor Gray for many years.

I speak to him often, and I have observed no trace of change, either

intellectually or personally, that would justify such a charge.

Well, sir, perhaps it's just the stress of presenting the material to a class.

It's not quite the same as having a casual conversation with a friend.

You realize that you and your fellow students are on the verge of branding

one of the most distinguished law professors in this country with

senility.

You realize that it will cut to the very heart of his career and of his pride.

And even if it's proved untrue, it'll be just as harmful as if it were true.

Good day, Mr. Ford.

Good day, Mr. Ford.

Yes, sir.

Thank you, sir.

Nottingham, will you please call Professor Gray and ask him if you'd like

to enjoy a game of chess with me this evening?

Thank you

You

know

Ford says the medallions of beef are are particularly well prepared here Oh

Well, actually, I try not to eat meat.

Oh, is that a moral conviction?

No.

I feel it's just healthier to exclude that from my diet.

I know a lot of people who feel that way.

Of course, I grew up eating meat.

I'm a big meat and potatoes man.

I'm about as healthy as you can get.

Well, I think I'll go with the pasta primavera.

You know, I'm almost afraid to bring this up, but we should decide on a wine.

Well, you select.

You're having the pasta primavera, and I'm having

roast beef. That's a tough one.

Well, perhaps we could order individual glasses.

Christ sakes, Herman, we could order a goddamn bottle of wine.

And you really want little niche-shitty individual glasses?

Hart, you're getting upset. I'm trying to be accommodating. You're not,

actually. You're being patronizing.

Hart, I can't be responsible if you personalize a couple of glasses of wine.

I'll tell you what.

Let's get a rosé.

Hart, I don't mean to be incendiary, but I do find rosé to be an unsatisfying

blend.

An unsatisfying blend? You're a wine expert?

No, I'm not an expert. I am well-versed.

Well... Okay.

Please make the selection.

Oh, don't be ridiculous. Pick the wine. Fine.

Now, once the entree was served, I think we behaved admirably.

Not bad.

No, I really had a very nice time tonight, Hart. Thank you.

I'm glad this evening worked out.

There were a couple of rough spots, but I can really say now that there's a good

person in you.

Well, I don't think we're together tonight so that you can judge me, Hart.

Oh, I'm sorry.

No, I think what I'm trying to say is that I like you.

It was good to see another side of you.

I want us to be friends.

I think we're capable.

Not...

Bill, it's your play.

Yes, I know it is.

Checkmate.

You have me.

That was a clever move, but watch out for next time.

Well, it's getting late.

Thank you all very much.

Especially Marion. Another superb dinner. Thank you, dear.

And Jenny, it's lovely to see you.

Charles, it was good to see you.

Please come more often. I hope I don't bore you.

When you don't say a thing, Jenny, you radiate grace and beauty.

Charles, if I were well, I'd pursue you indefatigably.

You know something?

For you, I'd slow down.

Well, next time you all come to me.

Goodbye, Bill. Thanks for the game.

Oh, I'll see you Thursday, huh?

Thursday.

Yes, the committee meeting.

Of course.

What time is that?

4.30.

4.30, dear.

Yes.

Bill, would you do me a favor?

Of course.

Could I bring someone to your class on Tuesday?

It's a colleague from overseas, and he's heard what we're doing here.

I've told him about your class, so he'd like to audit, if he may.

Delighted. I'd welcome it. Good.

Good night, Marion.

Good night. Good night. Good night.

Thank you.

Yes? Sir, is everything all right? Oh, good, good, Mr. Fort.

Please, I am hopelessly mixed up this morning. Would you kindly sort these

cards into their proper days?

Certainly, sir. Thank you.

Sir, are you feeling all right?

Oh, I'm fine, fine.

Just rest a little too warmly this morning.

Uh, here they are, sir.

Today's lecture is determining relevancy.

I'll just put them right here on your desk. Oh, thank you. Thank you, my boy.

Thank you. Oh, you can go back to your seat now.

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

Today, we are going to devote ourselves to the problem of determining relevancy.

In any case at trial, whether civil or criminal, the issue will be

substantially influenced by the presentation of evidence.

It is crucial, therefore, that this evidence be presented properly.

both as to its own characteristics and in terms of having been legally

obtained.

Most evidence is oral and is called testimony.

The accepted procedure for the presentation of testimony has, like

almost everything in law, been established through precedent and

through what works.

If certain types of evidence are not permissible, it's crucial that you

understand the reason why.

Many cases have been lost, not in the testimony itself, but on the

inadmissibility of the testimony.

It may be quite true, for example, that Smith has robbed a bank,

but if Jackson testifying in the trial says someone told him

that he saw Smith rob the bank, that is inadmissible.

It is hearsay.

And as such, is inadmissible, even if true.

You might be interested to know that the term I use for double hearsay is totem

pole evidence.

Bill, this is Professor McKenzie, who is auditing your class today and would very

much like to talk with you.

I'll meet you in the faculty room in a moment. Mr. Ford.

That class was flawless.

Your behavior in this matter has been totally irresponsible.

Sir, he gave us that exact same lecture three weeks ago.

I helped him prepare his lecture cards for today, and when he couldn't find

them, he just gave the other lecture instead.

Was there anything else?

Yes, sir.

I think he's been taking imisal.

It's a drug that's supposed to help stimulate the brain.

I saw it in his briefcase.

He was sweating profusely. I don't know if that's a side effect, but it

certainly looked like one to me.

I wish I knew what I could do to help him. How does the class feel about it?

They're upset, sir.

There's going to be a student meeting to decide what kind of action to take.

I hope he doesn't hear about it.

I hope so, too.

Sir, what if I were to go to them and tell them not to do anything because you

were looking into it? That is not proper procedure.

Thank you, Mr. Ford.

Yes, sir.

Can you use the hand?

As well-versed in Social Security as you are on wine?

I won't press it hard.

But I would like to apologize.

No.

I hurt your pride the other night.

I'm not always as diplomatic as I'd like to be.

Well, it's nice to know you have something to work on.

Cheap shot.

You're right.

Truth?

I think I get an inkling of how they felt at the signing of the Treaty of

Versailles.

You know, it was much more than a faulty treaty heart that led to World War II.

I mean, the Japanese had a desire to build up their empire in the Far East,

and the Bolshevik Revolution... Harriman!

What?

The problem is, if we go directly to the dean, we could get put off for a long

time. But petitions really do carry weight around here, so I think it's

probably the best way to go.

I've been dreading this moment.

Now it's here.

How bad is it, really?

It gets worse every month.

He doesn't realize how bad it is.

Thank God he isn't in any pain.

When he's made aware of something very important that he's forgotten, the look

in his eyes, so helpless, so sad.

You wonder if pain wouldn't be better. He could identify with that and seek

relief, you know.

What can we do about it, Mary?

I don't know.

I've... I've been preparing for this for over a year.

But my mind doesn't grasp it.

He's so good to everyone.

His relatives, friends, students. I know.

I know. So I've tried the mental preparation.

But now I don't know how to begin.

Maybe you should tell him and he'll react.

Better than either of us expect.

Tell him?

Tell him how?

Tell him what? That he can't teach anymore?

Could we live with that look in his eyes?

Tell him he has to stay home all day? Not prepare a class?

Not have tutorials or meetings or conferences with his students?

How can he face that?

Having it taken away from him so suddenly, after all these years.

Does he know it's coming?

He doesn't. He has no idea.

He's been taking pills, I believe.

Charles, he may not even remember why.

He can have a toothache.

Forget it. He'll go to the dentist and he won't remember which tooth it was.

I have to drag him to the doctors. He doesn't think he's ill.

It's like his pushpins no longer hold every memory in place.

But in his feelings, in his heart, he's here.

Right here.

Maybe you could help him to explore other areas of your life together.

You mean suggest that we take a trip to Saint-Tropez?

He'd see through that in a minute. Of course he would.

Perhaps you could persuade him that he must release his schedule, that you're

both getting on, and that you want to spend as much time with him as you can.

It's true. I do. I do.

You like me to be here when you talk to me?

You know, Charles, I think he might more readily accept it from you.

He loves you.

I mean, I'm his wife.

His sweet wife as he calls me, but you are not sweet your reality and

objectivity and intelligence and tactics and strategy He understands that

We'll tell them together.

Oh, yes Thank you. I think that would be better

Professor Kingsfield, how about you? No, thank you very much. This is hot and

fresh. Why don't I just leave it here in case you change your minds?

Mrs. Chatsfield, your room is ready. Thank you, Harriet.

I'm going to say good night.

Thanks, both of you, for the concert. It was lovely.

Good night, Charles.

Good night, dear Jenny.

You might have liked it tonight, Charles.

You know the way I feel about instrumental soloists.

I like ensemble playing.

Unlike teachers, I don't find musicians at their best when they're alone.

How was class today, dear?

Oh, exciting, stimulating, as always.

Bill, I think Charles has something on his mind.

That's not surprising. He always does.

The only thing I have on my mind is a profound admiration for you, Bill. For

me? I've always admired and envied the way you comported yourself with your

colleagues and students and the rapport you established with them all over

the years.

Now, my admiration is for your courage.

My courage?

What are you saying to me, Charles?

It takes great courage to face the inevitable effects of age.

What are you trying to tell me, Charles?

My mind is diminished.

That I am incapable of doing my work.

How dare you sit in judgment?

How dare you come here, to my house?

and robbed me of my dignity, of my reason for being, I still have work to

do.

I can't make it stop.

Are you asking me to step down? Not down, Bill.

Up.

Professor Emeritus.

Of course.

Emeritus.

Are the stars out tonight?

Yes.

It's clear and cold.

I'd like to bundle up and go for a walk.

May I come with you?

Please.

You'll excuse us, Charles.

You'll show yourself out, yes?

Of course.

Are you worried about me?

You shouldn't be.

I can still take care of you.

Won't you let me worry just a little?

Would it make you happy?

Yes, it would.

Well, maybe I should let you.

Ladies and gentlemen, good morning.

I must say it's good to see you.

The topic for today was and is competency.

In discussing evidence, the word competency means that which the very

nature of the thing to be proven requires.

Evidence.

Legally obtained, of course.

which is directly related to the case and necessary to the proving or

illustration of a point.

When evidence is competent, it has a direct bearing on the matter at hand.

And now, to the matter at hand.

Sometimes, ladies and gentlemen, I have been known to enjoy myself so much

that I get carried away by my subject.

This morning, competency happens to have a personal relevance, and I want to

apologize to you for my delay in telling you that as of this morning, I

am resigning.

For a long time, Mrs. Gray and I have intended to take a lengthy trip, and I

was going to tell you that that was the reason, but it isn't.

I realized while speaking that that evidence, though admissible, is not

competent.

I owe you an assessment of the evidence.

My resignation this morning is due to a forgetfulness which has come to pervade

my life and which I now recognize.

Most of the time.

It has come to me slowly.

More rapidly of late and has caused me and you I am sure some uneasiness

I Want to remove that uneasiness and look at it with you for a moment

As you know Aging is something

we all have in common We cannot yet defeat it it defeats us

like an opposing attorney

Better prepared and more skillful than we.

Because it's what we have in common, we must try to forgive it.

And I ask it of you now for any errors I may have made.

I ask it of you also in the name of all the unknown clients you will one day

represent.

who in one way or another will all have faced a force more powerful and more

skillful than they.

I urge you to be understanding and compassionate about these defeats,

because in doing so, you execute the trust you are asking for by attending

this law school.

The image of the lawyer today needs refurbishing.

The image.

is in your hands.

If you are willing to be sensitive and dedicated, there is no higher

calling.

As disappointing as it is for me to be forced to examine my own incompetence,

I must tell you that to do so in front of people

who I've helped train to understand

is a thrill for me.

I am sustained by a deep sense of accomplishment and by my admiration for

the values of the students I've met here in over 40 years of teaching.

I've tried to pass on to you the love I have for the law.

And for its beauty.

I don't think there's anything else for me to say except... Goodbye.

And good luck to all of you.