The final student leaders’ lunch of the school year was highlighted by a visit from guest speaker Ed Monahan, who shared his thoughts on social justice opportunities for law graduates. Monahan is the Executive Director of The Catholic Conference of KY (CCK) and an attorney who has worked as a public defender in state government with the Department of Public Advocacy (DPA) since 1976. Monahan has served as the Deputy Commissioner of DPA, litigating cases, directing DPA’s legal education program and strategic planning, and coordinating DPA’s legislative work. He is a member of the Kentucky Bar Association’s Ethics Committee.

During the lunch, Monahan shared the philosophy that our actions, personally and professionally, are colored by our priorities; they determine the filters through which we view the world as well as our behavior. He commended UDSL student leaders on their priority to service and urged them to consider the success of their future careers as lawyers in terms of their promotion of human dignity, even if they find themselves in areas of the law outside of traditional service careers. When reflecting on his career as a public defender he shared this view of the defendant: “As a human being, this person is connected to all of us, despite their past behaviors,” he said.