UC College of Law Prepares to Celebrate 182nd Hooding

On Saturday, May 16, the University of Cincinnati College of Law will celebrate the accomplishments of its graduates at its 182nd Hooding Ceremony. The event will be held at the Aronoff Center for the Arts beginning at 1 p.m. For the last time Dean Louis D. Bilionis will lead the ceremony, where 109 degrees will be conferred. This includes 98 juris doctor degrees, and 11 LLM degrees.

College of Law alumnus the Hon. Michael R. Barrett ’77, U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, will be the keynote speaker. Judge Barrett, a Cincinnati native, is a double Bearcat, receiving both his undergraduate and law degrees from the university. He later served as a member of the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees, including one term as chairperson.

Judge Barrett has a long and distinguished career in law. After taking the bar, he served as an administrative hearing officer for the State of Ohio. Then, he joined the Hamilton County Prosecutor’s Office as an assistant prosecutor and later was named chief assistant prosecuting attorney, Felony Trial Division. Following the Prosecutor’s Office, he joined Graydon, Head & Ritchey, first as an associate and then as a partner, concentrating in general litigation. Later, he joined Barrett & Weber as a shareholder, where he remained until 2006. It was on May 25, 2006, that he was sworn in as a judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, a position he maintains today.

This year’s event will also include the presentation of the 2015 Nicholas J. Longworth III Alumni Achievement Award to Robert E. Richardson Jr. ’05, of counsel at Branstetter, Stranch and Jennings, PLLC and the current vice chairperson of the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees. Richardson received both his BSE in electrical engineering and JD from the university. While at UC, he established the first college chapter of the NAACP in the Tristate and was elected student body president. In 2002, he was awarded the university’s highest honor for undergraduates – the UC Presidential Leadership Medal of Excellence.

At his law firm, Richardson’s practice areas include labor and employment, securities, and class action litigation. He serves as a construction marker representative for the Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust for the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Florida. Three years ago Richardson made history when he was elected secretary of the Board of Trustees at the University of Cincinnati, the youngest person to ever be elected as an officer.

Also being honored will be this year’s winners of the Goldman Prize for Excellence in Teaching Award: Professors Michele Bradley, Christopher Bryant and Janet Moore.  Additional Hooding participants include professor Sean Mangan, Faculty Reader; professor Janet Moore, Faculty Hooder; and professor Christopher Bryant, Faculty Assistant Hooder.