CHIEF JUDGE KAYE AND JUDGES OF THE COURT OF APPEALS, MEMBERS OF THE FLAVIN FAMILY AND HONORED GUESTS, ON BEHALF OF DEAN HANNAH ARTERIAN, PROFESSOR THOMAS MARONEY AND THE ENTIRE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW COMMUNITY, IT IS MY HONOR TO BE HERE TODAY TO CELEBRATE AND COMMEMORATE THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY AND BIRTH OF ONE OF OUR DISTINGUISHED GRADUATES, JAMES "JIM" FLAVIN.

I WANT TO THANK GARY SPIVEY FOR THIS SPECIAL INVITATION AS WELL. GARY HAD GRACIOUSLY CONTACTED THE COLLEGE OF LAW A WHILE AGO IN ANTICIPATION OF THIS SPECIAL DAY. GARY WAS MOST HELPFUL IN PROVIDING SOME OF HIS THOUGHTFUL PERSPECTIVE ON JIM FLAVIN INCLUDING, AND NOTABLY, A WONDERFUL ARTICE FROM THE NYS BAR ASSOCIATION JOURNAL ENTITLED "REMEMBERING MR. FLAVIN. THE ORIGINS AND UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH." THANK YOU GARY FOR SHARING THAT GREAT ARTICLE AND TRIBUTE TO JIM FLAVIN.

FOR MY REMARKS TODAY, I'D LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO TOUCH UPON A COUPLE OF POINTS RELATIVE TO THIS CEREMONY FOR JIM FLAVIN AND THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW FAMILY. FIRST OF ALL, ALLOW ME TO USE THE DISCLAIMER THAT MY THOUGHTS RELATIVE TO TODAY'S LAW SCHOOL STUDENT, TECHNOLOGY AND LEGAL RESEARCH ARE NOT UNIQUE TO SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW. THE CHALLENGES AND EXCITEMENT TO TEACH, ENGAGE AND FOSTER THE VERY BEST LEGAL EDUCATION IS HAPPENING, NOT ONLY AT SYRACUSE BUT AT MANY OTHER CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN ALL BE PROUD OF.

MY FIRST THOUGHT IS THAT I KNOW THAT DEAN ARTERIAN AND OUR DISTINGUISHED FACULY, INCLUDING PROFESSOR MARONEY, TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR ALUMNI. JIM FLAVIN WAS A 1933 (PHI BETA KAPPA) GRADUATE OF SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY AND THEN 1935 GRADUATE OF THE COLLEGE OF LAW. HIS SERVICE AS STATE REPORTER AND CLERK OF THE COURT OF APPEALS, NOT TO MENTION HIS CONTRIBUTIONS TO ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH, IS A TRUE TESTAMENT TO THE SUCCESS OF OUR MANY GRADUATES. TO BE SURE, I'M COMING BACK TO JIM'S CONTRIBUTIONS.

OF COURSE WE HAVE MANY VALUED AND FAR REACHING RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COURT SYSTEM AS WELL INCLUDING MANY MEMBERS OF THE JUDICIARY. AT THE SAME TIME, MANY OF OUR TOP GRADUATES SERVE TODAY AS CLERKS OF THE COURT OF APPEALS. SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY AND THE COLLEGE OF LAW TAKE GREAT PRIDE IN THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THESE DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI WHO SERVE THE CITIZENS OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK SO WELL TODAY AND WE PLEDGE TO CONTINUE THAT WORK THROUGH THOUGHTFUL, PRACTICAL AND SCHOLARLY TEACHINGS OF THE LAW AND JUSTICE.

THE SECOND POINT I'D LIKE TO TOUCH UPON IS THE REASON WE'RE HERE TODAY. TO HONOR JIM FLAVIN. THROUGH JIM'S EFFORTS TO UTILIZE TECHNOLOGY AND ADVOCATE FOR SELECTIVE PUBLICATION IN THE 1960'S AND 1970'S, HE CLEARLY WAS "A PIONEER" AND "A MAN AHEAD OF HIS TIME" WHERE THE TRUE IMPACT OF HIS INDIVIDUAL CONTRIBUTIONS ARE NOW COMING TO LIGHT. JIM'S AMAZING CONTRIBUTIONS TO TODAY'S ONLINE RESEARCH FIELD ARE UTILIZED IN SOME FORM EVERY DAY IN THE COURT SYSTEM, AT LAW FIRMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN THE HALLS OF LEGAL EDUCATION.

TODAY, I'M SURE JIM WOULD BE VERY PLEASED WITH HOW TECHNOLOGY IS USED AT SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF LAW. TODAY'S LAW SCHOOLS USE TECHNOLOGY TO COMMUNICATE AND LEARN A VAST RANGE OF IMPORTANT AND WORLDLY TOPICS WHICH AFFECT US ALL. I WAS IN OUR LAW SCHOOL LIBRARY RECENTLY AND CLEARLY NOTICED THAT TECHNOLOGY IS EVERYWHERE. CONSTANT COMMUNICATION IS ALWAYS PRESENT AND ACCESSIBLE TO TODAY'S STUDENT INCLUDING SOME OF THE MORE OBVIOUS NEWS OUTLETS SUCH AS CNN, MSNBC OR C-SPAN. WE EVEN BROADCAST ESPN FOR THOSE SPECIAL EVENTS SUCH AS THE SU LACROSSE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME WHICH OCCURRED THIS PAST MONDAY.

ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE, TECHNOLOGY TODAY BRINGS OUR STUDENTS FRONT AND CENTER TO IMPORTANT PARTS OF HISTORY WHICH SHOULD NOT BE FORGOTTEN. FOR INSTANCE, THE COLLEGE OF LAW WAS VERY FORTUNATE LAST YEAR TO HAVE ACCESS TO THE RE-MASTERED TESTIMONY OF RECORDINGS OF THE ACTUAL DEFENDANTS AND PROSECUTORS FROM THE NURENBERG TRIALS. AT THE SAME TIME THAT THE STUDENTS LISTENED TO THIS TESTIMONY, THEY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO VIEW ACCOMPANYING STILL PHOTOS FROM THE TRIAL. THIS MULTI MEDIA APPROACH IN TODAY'S LAW SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT PROVIDES A FULL SENSE OF AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR HISTORY FROM A SCHOLARLY AND LEGAL VIEWPOINT. IT'S THIS TYPE OF INTERACTION WITH TECHNOLOGY THAT FURTHER SHAPES THE LEGAL TRAINING OF TODAY'S STUDENT.

I'M SURE THAT JIM FLAVIN WOULD BE VERY EXCITED ABOUT TECHNOLOGY TODAY AND THE EXPONENTIAL USE OF IT FOR LEGAL RESEARCH. THE INTERNET HAS CHANGED EVERYTHING RELATIVE TO LEGAL RESEARCH. TODAY'S STUDENT KNOWS HOW TO ACCESS INFORMATION ONLINE AND IN THE CLASSROOM AS AN EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT METHOD TO ENGAGE FACULTY AND EACH OTHER THROUGH DEBATE, DISCUSSION AND SESSIONS OF CRITICAL THINKING. TODAY, ONLINE LEGAL RESEARCH PROVIDES RESEARCH CAPABILITIES THAT COULD NOT BE REPLICATED IN PRINT. IT CAN BE MORE SPECIFIC IN IT'S SEARCH FOR DETAIL AND IT CAN BE MORE TIMELY IN IT'S SEARCH FOR INFORMATION.

HOWEVER, I THINK WE CAN ALL AGREE THAT LEGAL RESEARCH IS NOT A SUBSITITUE FOR ANALYSIS AND THAT IMPORTANT PROCESS OF CRITICAL THOUGHT. THAT'S WHERE THE COLLEGE OF LAW AND IT'S FACULTY AND ALUMNI AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS CAN HAVE THE GREATEST IMPACT. THERE CAN BE NO SUBSTITUTE FOR THE FREE EXCHANGE OF IDEAS COMBINED WITH SCHOLARLY THOUGHT AND TEACHINGS IN TODAY'S LEGAL ACADEMIC ENVIRONMENT. THE SUPPORT OF ALUMNI AND THE WILLINGNESS OF ALL INVOLVED IN THE LEGAL COMMUNITY TO PARTICIPATE WITH TODAY'S STUDENT IS CRUCIAL TO THE ONGOING SUCCESS OF FUTURE GENERATIONS OF LAWYERS.

WE, AT THE COLLEGE OF LAW, ARE CHARGED TO CREATE A SENSE OF "PLACE" AND "COMMUNITY" FOR OUR LAW STUDENTS IN THEIR QUEST FOR GREATER KNOWLEDGE AND DEBATE. THEY ARE ABLE TO DO THIS AND THRIVE WHILE DOING IT WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF LEGAL RESEARCH BOTH ONLINE AND IN PRINT. CLEARLY, WE HAVE JIM FLAVIN TO THANK FOR HIS REMARKABLE EFFORTS WHICH WERE INDEED, AHEAD OF HIS TIME.