We are honored to have Frank Ryan IV ’90, L’94, Americas Chair, Global Co-Chair, and Co-CEO of DLA Piper and a Member of our Board of Advisors, as our Commencement speaker!
Ryan leads one of the world’s largest law firms, with lawyers in more than 40 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia Pacific. Throughout his legal career, Ryan has handled numerous high-profile matters in various areas and is known as a go-to strategist for some of the world’s most sophisticated media and sports corporations.
He is a member of the Legal Service Corporation’s Leaders Council, the nation’s largest funder of civil legal aid programs for low-income people, and sits on the Board of Directors for Beat the Streets NYC, an organization dedicated to mentoring NYC student wrestlers (Ryan was a member of Syracuse University’s Wrestling team as an undergraduate.) Ryan is a Founding Partner of the Legal Elite Athlete Pipeline Scholarship Program (LEAP), a DLA Piper initiative aimed at supporting student-athletes in their pursuit of legal careers through scholarship aid and educational guidance.
“New lawyers are joining the practice of law at an exciting time, with technology enabling lawyers to work smarter and faster, and clients relying on their lawyers more than ever for strategic advice at the highest levels of business,” Ryan said. “At the same time, there are important legal questions yet to be explored about how our government functions, where the boundaries of individual rights lie, and how our laws will adapt to changing technologies such as AI. I look forward to speaking with Syracuse Law grads about all that awaits as they embark on their legal careers.”
It is an honor to welcome Ryan back to the College of Law, and we are excited to hear his inspirational message in the JMA Wireless Dome on Friday, May 9.