Congresswoman Betty Sutton to Speak at Akron Law Commencement on May 17

Akron, Ohio, May 11, 2009 - The University of Akron School of Law will confer approximately 150 Juris Doctor degrees at its 85th Commencement Ceremony at 2 p.m. on Sunday, May 17, at E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall.

U.S. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-OH), an Akron Law alumna, will deliver the commencement address to graduates. Sutton is a 1990 graduate of the law school.

"We are honored to have Congresswoman Sutton as our commencement speaker," says Dean Martin H. Belsky. "Akron Law is deeply committed to public service, and Congresswoman Sutton's whole career demonstrates a life of such service."

Sutton became a member of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2006 and serves Ohio's 13th District. She is a member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. She also serves on the Subcommittee on Health, the Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection, and the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

Prior to becoming a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Sutton served eight years in the Ohio House of Representatives and worked as a labor lawyer with the firm of Faulkner, Muskovitz & Phillips LLP. She also served on the Barberton and Summit County Councils.

The University of Akron School of Law promotes justice, the protection of individual liberty and the rule of law through commitment to excellence in teaching, scholarship and service. The law school features nationally recognized programs in intellectual property and trial advocacy, as well as one of four Constitutional Law Centers in the United States. To learn more, visit www.uakron.edu/law.

The University of Akron is the public research university for Northern Ohio. The Princeton Review listed UA among the "Best in the Midwest" in its 2008 edition of Best Colleges: Region-by-Region. Serving 26,000 students, the university offers approximately 300 associate, bachelor's, master's, doctoral and law degree programs and 100 certificate programs at sites in Summit, Wayne, Medina and Holmes counties. For more information, visit www.uakron.edu.