PORTLAND — University of Maine School of Law also handed out degrees today to the graduating class of 2010.

During the commencement ceremony, 82 students were awarded their law degrees and addressed by former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Sen. William Cohen. He advised the graduates to never sacrifice their integrity.

“Honor: don’t leave home or the office without it,” Cohen said.

He concluded his address by telling graduates to stand up for their ideals, work against injustice and by doing so  “send forth those tiny ripples of hope,” quoting Robert Kennedy.

Student commencement speaker, vice-chair of the Portland Planning Board Joe Lewis asked his classmates to be kind, generous and bring civility in their professional and personal interactions.

Also, Margaret Kravchuk, U.S. Magistrate Judge in Bangor, received the school faculty’s Distinguished Alumna Award during the ceremony.

Among those receiving a degree today were: Portland Police Sergeant Scot H. Mattox; Timothy Steigelman, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who served on active duty with the Navy for three years; Nicole Wakely of Topsham, a graduate of Colby College and the  University of Notre Dame; Joel Moser, a Northport native and a graduate of Bowdoin College; and Morgan Maxwell, a Lee native and graduate of Stanford University.