May 1997

National news correspondent and alum is law commencement speaker

ABC News Law Correspondent Timothy O'Brien will address the 1997 graduating law class during the commencement ceremony on May 17.

A 1976 graduate of the law school, O'Brien has been a reporter with ABC since 1977 where he is the chief correspondent at the U.S. Supreme Court. He has reported on the confirmation of seven Supreme Court justices, including the controversial Clarence Thomas­Anita Hill hearings. O'Brien's 20-year tenure at the court all but exceeds two of the current justices.

Also at ABC, O'Brien assignments include reporting and analysis of the Justice Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and general law related issues. He covered the trials of O.J. Simpson, Iran-Contra figure Oliver North, and John Hinckley, who shot Ronald Reagan.

O'Brien has received numerous Certificates of Merit from the American Bar Association for his reporting on topics ranging from alternative dispute resolution to the death penalty. He was the writer and principal correspondent for the critically-acclaimed ABC News Documentary, "Escape From Justice: Nazi War Criminals in America." An in-depth examination on ex-Nazis who have obtained refuge in the United States, the report received the Clarion Award for Human Rights reporting and an Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award for excellence in journalism.

He serves on the leadership gifts committee of Thresholds: The Campaign for Loyola New Orleans and is a generous supporter of the Loyola School of Law.

O'Brien received a master of arts in political science from the University of Maryland and a bachelor of arts in communications from Michigan State University, which last year awarded him its Outstanding Alumnus Award.