Pitt Law Alumnus, Commonwealth Judge to Deliver Law School Commencement Address May 26

PITTSBURGH-The Honorable Doris A. Smith-Ribner (CGS '70, LAW '72), University of Pittsburgh School of Law alumnus and judge of the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania, will deliver the commencement address during the law school's 2007 ceremony to be held at 11 a.m. May 26 in Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Auditorium and Museum, 4141 Fifth Ave., Oakland. A reception will immediately follow the ceremony in the Cathedral of Learning Commons Room, 4200 Fifth Ave., Oakland.

After graduating from the University, Smith-Ribner spent several years in private practice. She served as solicitor for the Allegheny County Controller from 1980 to 1984 and was appointed judge in 1984, serving in the Family Division of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas. In 1987, she was elected to a 10-year term on the Commonwealth Court and was retained in 1997. In 2006, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court appointed Smith-Ribner to serve as its designee on the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness.

Pitt Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg appointed Smith-Ribner to the Pitt School of Law Board of Visitors in 1997. She is a recipient of the Pitt Law Alumni Association's Distinguished Alumni Award, given annually to recognize a graduate of the school who, through accomplishments in his or her career and contributions to the profession and community, has enhanced the reputation of the law school.

Smith-Ribner is a member of the National Bar Association, American Bar Association, and Allegheny County Bar Association.

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