Photographs by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
Do not waver in your commitment to do the right thing — focus on where you want to make a difference and apply that purpose to the work you do each day, each week and each year
Kudos to the Class of 2026
“Do not waver in your commitment to do the right thing — focus on where you want to make a difference and apply that purpose to the work you do each day, each week and each year,” Northeastern Law commencement speaker Lois Dehls Cornell ’86, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, told the 308 Northeastern Law graduates gathered at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston’s Seaport on April 24 for the 2026 commencement. Over the course of her speech, Cornell shared a message of justice, advocacy and “remaining true to principles.”
Dean James Hackney called on all the JD, LLM and MLS graduates to embrace the school’s social justice mission as they begin new chapters in their lives. “The skills you have built here — the precision, the inquisitiveness— are not just professional accomplishments. They are a responsibility. Clients will come to you at the most challenging moments of their lives. Be worthy of their trust,” said Hackney.
More than 322,000 hours of legal work, across 631 co-op placements in 24 US states and territories and 7 countries, were completed by the JD class of 2026. This included 142,000 hours dedicated to public interest co-ops.
Northeastern Law’s commencement speakers included Mack Makishima ’26 (top left), Professor Margaret Hahn-DuPont (top right), Mariana Xacur Trabulce LLM ’26 (bottom left) and Hien Nguyen MLS ’26 (bottom right). Center: Dean James Hackney (left) presented a special citation to Lois Dehls Cornell ’86, who delivered the commencement address.
Photos by Alyssa Stone/Northeastern University
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“Do not waver in your commitment to do the right thing — focus on where you want to make a difference and apply that purpose to the work you do each day, each week and each year,” Lois Dehls Cornell ’86 told the 308 Northeastern Law graduates gathered at Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston’s Seaport on April 24 for the 2026 commencement.
First-year students are doing real legal work for real families — and discovering how much the justice system leaves undone.
