Commencement Guide 2023: Section Speakers, Gala & Important Reminders (J.D.)

March 6, 2023 

Graduation is right around the corner! Included below is information about student section speakers and a few reminders to help you and your guests prepare for the weekend. As always, the Georgetown Law Commencement team is ready to answer any additional questions you may have. Visit the website or contact us at lawcommencement@georgetown.edu.

Celebration Days Section Speakers

We hope you will consider applying to deliver remarks during your section’s Celebration Days ceremony! A student representative from each of the first-year J.D. sections and one transfer student representative will be selected to give the student speech for their section during the Celebration Days events on the Law Center Campus on Friday, May 19 and Saturday, May 20.

If you would like to be considered for section speaker, please complete this form, review the instructions, and upload your video by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22. All graduating students will receive instructions for voting during the week of March 27.

The speech is limited to 3-5 minutes and the speaker selection is made by graduating students from the section through an online vote. There is no limit to the number of individuals from each section that can submit a video of their speech for consideration. The video is an audition designed to showcase the graduate’s speaking and presentation skills, so the speech in the video must be the speech the graduate will deliver at the ceremony.

Georgetown Law Graduation Gala

The Georgetown Law Graduation Gala will take place on Saturday, May 20, at 8:00 p.m. Enjoy a festive evening, including a dinner buffet, beer and wine bar, and dancing with your fellow graduates and their guests at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture in the Robert and Arlene Kogod Courtyard.

This event is ticketed and is expected to sell out. Class of 2023 graduates will be able to purchase one student ticket and up to three guest tickets. Student tickets can be purchased for $55 + $3.75 service fee, and guest tickets can be purchased for $88 + $5.39 service fee per guest. Information on how to purchase tickets will be shared soon after spring break.

Preparing for Commencement

How long will the Commencement Ceremony and Celebration Days events last?

Celebration Days are the section-specific ceremonies that will take place on the Law Center campus on Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May 20. Celebration Days events are approximately an hour to 90 minutes for the ceremony and reception. The schedule for the Celebration Days events can be found here. Participants should plan on arriving 30 minutes before each event begins for robing and line-up.

The Commencement Ceremony will take place on the main campus in Georgetown at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. This ceremony lasts approximately 90 minutes, including the academic procession which starts at 1:30 p.m. Graduates should plan to arrive at Main Campus by 12:30 p.m. for robing and line-up.

For more details and other important information, please visit our Law Center Commencement FAQs page.

Reminders

Regalia
The regalia order priority deadline is Friday, March 10. Graduates can order their Commencement regalia here. The cost will be $109.98. Students will pick up their regalia at the Law Center Bookstore. Please note that graduates are not required to wear regalia to participate in any event.

Class Photos
Save the date! All class photos will take place on Wednesday, April 5, at 3:30 p.m. on the McDonough steps. RSVP is not required. Please note: this date has changed since our previous message to accommodate the MPRE and NYLE.

Important Dates

Georgetown Law Celebration Days
Friday, May 19, and Saturday, May 20: Celebration Days are a series of program and section-specific ceremonies hosted on the Law Center campus. View the full Celebration Days schedule for more details.

Georgetown Law Graduation Gala
Saturday, May 20: The Graduation Gala will take place at 8:00 p.m. at the National Portrait Gallery.

Georgetown Law Commencement
Sunday, May 21: The Commencement Ceremony is a Law Center-wide event on Main Campus at 2:00 p.m.