As the academic year draws to a close, it is time to celebrate the Class of 2025 and their remarkable achievements. This year, we are honored to have as our commencement speaker a frequent guest, great friend and supporter of our school, the Honorable Thomas A. Delaney.

Justice Delaney was first nominated to the California Court of Appeal, Fourth Appellate District, Division Three, by Governor Gavin Newsom in 2022 and was confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Commission on Judicial Appointments. Prior to his confirmation, he served as a judge of the Superior Court in Orange County from 2014, and at the time of his nomination, he also served as Supervising Judge of the Collaborate Courts, where he presided over the Veterans Courts, among others. Justice Delaney is also president of the California Latino Judges Association, where he previously served on the Executive Board as Secretary and as a Member At-Large.

Between 2020 and 2021, Justice Delaney served as the 89th President of the California Judges Association, which represents more than 2200 active and retired judicial officers and appellate court justices from all 58 California counties. During that same time, he also served as an Advisory Member of the Judicial Council of California. Justice Delaney also serves on numerous boards and committees, most notably: Governor Gavin Newsom’s Judicial Selection Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors of the Masters Division of the Orange County Bar Association, and the Judicial Advisory Board of the Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County. He is also a Past President of the William P. Gray Legion Lex Inn of Court.

In the course of his judicial service he has earned numerous awards, including the 2021 Orange County Probation Chief’s Award, the 2020 Orange County Hispanic Bar Association, Judge James O. Perez Trailblazer Award, the 2019 American Board of Trial Advocates Orange County Chapter George Francis Civility Award, the 2018-2019 Constitutional Rights Foundation of Orange County Mock Trial Judge of the Year, and the 2016 Loyola Law School Orange County Distinguished Alumni Award.

Before his appointment to the Superior Court, Justice Delaney was a trial lawyer at Sedgwick LLP, where he focused his practice on the defense of mass tort and individual product liability and specialty tort actions involving catastrophic physical injuries and psychological disorders, as well as employment and commercial cases. He served as Vice-Chair of the law firm’s Complex Litigation Division and as a professor at the firm’s Trial Academy. In addition, he was the founding chair of the firm’s Hispanic Lawyers Forum and worked pro bono in partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and UCI Law School students representing youth who were in immigration/removal proceedings without their parents or other adult supervision.

Justice Delaney earned his Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and his undergraduate degree from Loyola Marymount University. He also studied at St. John’s College, Oxford University, in Oxford, England, where he was a member of the St. John’s College Boat Club.

As thrilled as we are to have such a distinguished commencement keynote speaker, we are doubly proud to have Justice Delaney serve in this capacity this year as he has selected one of our Class of 2025 graduating students to serve as his clerk after graduation: NALAE All American Advocate and undefeated (24-0, with two national wins) national advocacy champ Joe Kahn–a great personal and professional honor for this distinguished graduating student.

We could not have hoped for a finer send-off for our Class of 2025 and all that they have achieved this year. We look forward to celebrating with parents, partners, family and friends both at the graduation reception at the Nixon Library on Thursday evening, May 22, from 5-8pm, and hearing Justice Delaney’s address as part of our Commencement proceedings at Chapman’s Wilson Field event at 10am on May 23.

Well done to all our graduates! Congratulations, Class of 2025!