Council President Lic. Tetsuji Tamashiro Paz

Tetsuji Tamashiro was elected to be the 51st President of Phi Delta Phi at the 58th General Convention in August 2007.

Tetsuji can be reached at ttamashiro@phideltaphi.org.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

William Gerard Hamilton was a successful English parliamentarian of the 18th Century and the son of a Scottish bencher of Lincoln’s Inn, the first Inn of Court in England. He studied at the prestigious Winchester School founded in 1382 and the well known Oriel College in Oxford which, since 1324, has been the “alma mater” of Sir Walter Raleigh, Beau Brummell and Paul Preston. On November 13, 1755, Hamilton’s maiden speech in the House of Commons was an example of his presence, eloquence and perfect use of the language. His speech was so perfect that former Prime Minister, Horace Walpole later described his public address: “He spoke for the first time and he made it with such perfection…, it was the speech better argued…” Because of the impact of such a memorable occasion, W.G. Hamilton was known as “Single Speech Hamilton”, however, W.G. Hamilton spoke with success on several occasions thereafter.

This brief overview of W. G. Hamilton makes us think how the single act of a person can impact people around us. The impact can be so profound that even 250 years later, new generations will remember someone because of a single act. The question arises: if people are remembered for important behavior, and human activity can be ethical or unethical, how would we like to be remembered?

The aforementioned example should make us reflect on our daily behavior, not only on the important events of our lives, but on the simplest human activities that we undertake. To be a Phi Delta Phi is to recognize that we want to be remembered because of our daily ethical conduct. We should take pride in being laborers for justice, admirers of human respect, disciplined students seeking academic excellence, and moreover, servants of fraternal friendship. A Phi Delta Phi is honorable, strong of spirit, admirable and a friend of Justice and Wisdom.

This is our great organization. This is the success of the founders. After 138 years, we have instilled our philosophy in law schools in Canada, Germany, Guatemala, Mexico, Poland and the United States of America. We are what we do. We are PHI DELTA PHIs.

The world needs lawyers who will stand up for values, ethics and professionalism. I call upon you to be part of the solution to the challenges that face our profession today. Become a Phi Delta Phi!

Respectfully

Tetsuji Tamashiro
51st President
The International Legal Fraternity
Phi Delta Phi