A celebration honoring the graduation of the first class of students from the William S. Boyd School of Law at UNLV is set for Friday (May 11).

The public is invited to attend the event, which will include a procession of graduates and the presentation of special awards. The ceremony is set for 10 a.m. in Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall.

Proctor Hug, chief judge emeritus and judge of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, will be the featured speaker. Welcoming remarks will be made by UNLV President Carol C. Harter; Richard Morgan, dean of the Boyd School of Law; Thalia Dondero, chair of the Board of Regents of the University and Community College System of Nevada; and William Maupin, chief justice of the Nevada Supreme Court.

Jason Frierson and Amy Honodel, members of the charter law school class and presidents of the law school student body, will be the student speakers.

Among the awards to be presented is the William S. Boyd Award for the outstanding law school graduate, which will be presented by Boyd, chief executive officer of Boyd Gaming Corp. The James E. Rogers Award for outstanding academic performance, named after the chief executive officer of Sunbelt Communications, also will be presented.

The Barbara Buckley Award for community service will be presented by Barbara Buckley, executive director of Clark County Legal Services and the Clark County Pro Bono Project. Also to be awarded is the International Academy of Trail Lawyers Award for outstanding performance in advocacy classes.

A total of 79 students are scheduled to graduate from the law school this week. Five students graduated in December 2000. Another five are on track to graduate in August.

Graduates will receive their hoods and degrees at the university commencement ceremony set for 2 p.m. Saturday (May 12) at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Boyd School of Law was created by the Nevada Legislature in June 1997 and opened its doors to students in August 1998. It received provisional accreditation from the American Bar Association (ABA) in July 2000, which means that its graduates are now eligible to sit for bar examinations throughout the United States. The school will seek full accreditation in July 2002, the earliest time possible under ABA guidelines.

For additional information, call the William S. Boyd School of Law at 895-3671.