Editor's note: The following is an excerpt from an address given by Dean Matthew Diller at Fordham University School of Law's Virtual Diploma Ceremony on May 18, 2020.

Families, friends and, most importantly, members of the Fordham University School of Law graduating class of 2020—

Welcome to Fordham Law's 113th diploma ceremony … and our very first virtual celebration.

I know this is not be what you had imagined for your diploma ceremony … and, I certainly never envisioned giving this speech to you from my Brooklyn apartment. But, your health and safety is paramount, so we have adapted in this unprecedented situation.

I wish that I could be with you today. I miss you all, and I miss the opportunity to celebrate you in person.

Despite these extremely difficult and challenging circumstances, it is important that we take the time to celebrate your achievements and your accomplishments—everything that you have done at Fordham Law School that has led you to this moment.

You are graduating from law school at a truly unique time in history.

The coronavirus outbreak has transformed the way we live … the way we interact … and, of course, how we teach and how we learn.

As others have noted, there has not been an event that has touched the fundamentals of life in the U.S. in this way since World War II.

Eighty years ago, people were asked to make incredible sacrifices for the greater good. For 16 million Americans during World War II, that meant military service and much loss of life. For countless others, it meant major changes in their way of life—from food rations to price controls to avoid inflation.

The disruption of World War II affected all of society, and it profoundly affected law schools, cutting enrollment throughout the country, including here at Fordham.

As Professor Bob Kaczorowski recounts in his seminal history of Fordham Law School, the draft caused our enrollment to shrink from 815 students in 1940 to just 220 in 1943. In 1944, the graduating class numbered only 68 students. Imagine how transformed the experience was for those who went to school at that time.

And yet, despite this disruption, Fordham Law School graduated some of its most accomplished and impactful alumni during this period. For example, Franklin Williams, who graduated in 1945, joined Thurgood Marshall at the NAACP legal defense fund and played a major role in fighting for racial justice. He founded the civil rights bureau in the California Attorney General's office, helped create the Peace Corps and served as ambassador to Ghana. Williams' classmate was Joyce Phillips Austin, who was also a leading African American lawyer, Austin served in key positions in city and state government and was a leader in the Episcopal Church in our City.

A major theme from World War II that resonates once again is the notion of "resilience." Think London in the Blitz … a nation buckling down and getting through months of bombing and terror by finding solidarity and faith in one another … soldiering on with a shared sense of purpose.

We see that resilience again in this crisis, from the commitment we are all making to social distancing and taking care of our loved ones to the bravery of frontline health professionals. I am particularly struck by our community's resilience … the resolve of our faculty to find creative ways of teaching … and also your resourcefulness in coping with this upheaval. In addition, I am particularly proud and touched by the way so many of you have turned your attention toward those who need our help more than ever before.

It might be hard to imagine the other side of this pandemic—to see past the horizon—but when this crisis ends, there will be many new and urgent needs. But undoubtedly there will also be new opportunities as the experience changes our society, economy and culture on a long-term basis. Your challenge will be to find a footing in this new world.

There are so many issues that were pressing before the onset of COVID-19 that have become even more urgent now, and new issues most of us had not imagined. One way or another lawyers, will be called on to think through and help solve many of these problems. We will grapple with issues of liberty, privacy, and equality that emerge. COVID-19 has cast a sharp spotlight on many issues of justice in our society—the sharp disparities in illnesses and deaths along racial and social lines bring to the fore the yawning chasm in our society between those with resources and those without—gaps in health care, in living conditions and in the work place have major ramifications across many dimensions of people's lives.

As we celebrate our health care workers every day at 7 p.m., I am reminded that so many of those we are cheering are immigrants, whose rights and opportunities are being curtailed even as we stand and applaud. 25% of our nation's physicians and 15% of our nurses are foreign born.

As we read about the large companies who used their access to claim benefits at the expense of the local store keepers and other small businesses, it is hard to blink away the gap in access to our governmental processes and legal system.

As lawyers, this last point—the gap in access—is central. As a profession, we have a monopoly on access to the legal system. We are the gate keepers. It is a crime to practice law without a license, and lawyers are the only license holders. With this privilege comes responsibility—responsibility to ensure that our legal system is not captured by the powerful and used as a tool to further their ends.

Whether you choose government service, public interest work, a small or big firm, whether you practice criminal law, or corporate law, constitutional law or commercial law, you can and you will make a difference every day with your legal skills and talents. You can work to ensure fair access to our legal system and our democratic processes and institutions.

Members of the class of 2020, you have already begun to make a difference. You have distinguished yourselves through your dedication to excellence in your classes, scholarship, and publications. Many of you have organized conferences and public programs dealing with some of the most pressing issues of our times. And, through your work in the clinics and many acts of service, you have changed peoples' lives.

As we celebrate your accomplishments and recognize the disruption of these past few months, it is important to note that you have suffered loss as well—two members of your class, William Jones and Michael Aaronson were tragically taken from us. We miss them and mourn their loss.

At Fordham Law, community is a central value. It is important that we not only support others, but also acknowledge and appreciate the support that each of us has received. You have been supported by a community of people who believe in you and have nurtured your success. I'm talking, of course, about your friends and your family. Those who love you and who celebrate your every achievement. I hope you will think of them on this special day, and all they have done to make your law school education a success.We are expecting great things from you—all 565 of you (our 398 J.D. graduates, 143 LL.M. graduates, 22 M.S.L. graduates, and 2 S.J.D. graduates). You have come to Fordham from far and wide—27 states and 52 countries—and represent the breadth and diversity of our global community. You are well-prepared to face the complex and important challenges our world faces. You have the skills, the creativity, the ingenuity, the determination, and the judgment to effect real change. And, you have an incredible community of Fordham Lawyers to support you every step of the way.

On behalf of the faculty and administration of Fordham Law School, I thank you, the Class of 2020. We are in awe of all that you have achieved and cannot wait to see how you will go out and lead the legal profession. Remember, that we are in your corner. We, together with the great community of Fordham alumni, are your cheering section, your home team crowd, or, as we say in Yiddish—your mishpocha—in sum, we are your people. As you strike out on your path, we will be rooting for you and will be here to support you on your way.

Members of the class of 2020—Congratulations!

Matthew Diller is Dean and Paul Fuller Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law.