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Law Grad Copied Part of His Commencement Speech from YouTube

By Stephanie Rabiner, Esq. on May 19, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Have you ever heard of North Carolina Central University?

Eh, whether you've heard of it isn't that important.

What is important is that the school's graduating law students were recently treated to a commencement speech written by a student at Binghamton University in New York.

Their classmate had stolen it from YouTube.

Preston Mitchum, who is apparently some sort of student leader at NCCU's law school, was designated to give this year's commencement speech at the school-wide professional and graduate student celebration, reports the News Observer.

Lacking the appropriate wit, he went on YouTube for inspiration. Lo and behold, there was video of an allegedly funny speech recently given by Anthony Corvino at his New York school.

Mitchum delivered parts of that speech before his law school classmates, professors, friends and family word for word.

The YouTube plagiarist is claiming that he meant to credit Corvino, but due to nervousness failed to do so, reports the paper. Corvino backed up this assertion, stating that Mitchum sent him a copy of his speech over Facebook for approval.

And Facebook is exactly how word got out that it was a fake.

If you're wondering what is going to happen to Preston Mitchum now, who knows?

The dean of the law school told the paper that he will be "dealt with appropriately," but if the school already conferred his degree there isn't much it can do other than report the indiscretion to the state bar.

Come to think of it, that might not be such a bad thing--it'll be one less person saturating the legal market.

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