We really do need to buy a red carpet.

If paparazzi followed the local legal community, the perpetual camera flashing would have been blinding at the September 12th induction ceremony for the San Joaquin College of Law Hall of Fame.

Five sitting judges, two district attorneys, and six previous Hall of Fame inductees came to honor California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley and Weakley & Arendt Senior Partner James Weakley on their induction at a ceremony held at the Robert E. Coyle Federal Courthouse.

The first inductee really needed no introduction, but Master of Ceremonies and Hall of Famer Thomas Campagne took great pains to describe the $25 billion in direct finding and $60 billion in federal funding she oversees as California Health and Human Services Secretary. It took even longer for him to run through her storied list of employment, ranging from running her own ad agency to serving as In House Counsel for Valley Children’s Hospital as it raised millions of dollars for its new facility. Diana Dooley brushed it all aside as she took the podium, explaining it meant she “cannot hold a job!”

Dooley also spoke affectionately of her Valley roots, saying she often referred to herself as “Hanford Hannah,” in a nod to her degrees from Fresno State and SJCL.

Inductee James Weakley was equally humbled by the honor, telling the crowd his first words to Dean Janice Pearson when she told him he was nominated were “Obviously, you made a mistake!”

His introduction by Campagne made it clear there was no mistake. He described Weakley as the “consummate litigator,” serving as president of organizations ranging from ABOTA to the San Joaquin Valley Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, along with serving as an arbitrator and mediator for Fresno County, where his opinions are highly respected by other litigators.

Weakley spent little time talking about himself, pointing to his mother in the audience, who was also present for his graduation from SJCL back in 1978. He also pointed to his former partner, the Hon. Rosemary McGuire, who started as his paralegal. And pointing to SJCL founder John Loomis, he thanked him for his “love of the law.”

Along with Judge McGuire, other members of the bench in attendance included the Hon. Anthony Ishii, the Hon. Stanley Boone, the Hon. Sheila Oberto, and the Hon. Don Penner. Judge Penner is already a member of the SJCL Hall of Fame, as are Fresno County District Attorney Elizabeth Egan and retired Tulare County District Attorney Phil Cline, who were also in attendance. Other Hall of Fame Alumni who came to honor the latest inductees included Kathy Hart and Michael “Mick” Marderosian.

Hall of Fame Inductees Diana Dooley and James Weakley pose with their plaques, flanked by SJCL Hall of Famer Thomas Campagne and SJCL Dean Janice Pearson.