University of Minnesota Law School Mondale Hall229 19th Ave. S. Minneapolis, MN 55455612-625-1000 www.law.umn.edu

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11-2012

JENNA CIESLAK ’12 & ANNE FUCHS ’12

Gifted. Generations.

UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA LAW SCHOOL ANNUAL REPORT 2011-2012

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Dear Friends,

We are proud of the University of Minnesota Law School’s tradition of providing an exceptional legal education to some of the world’s most gifted students. Our School and its world-class faculty are preparing those students to succeed in the face of a changing legal economy. The Law School and its students must succeed in the future as they have for generations.

We are preserving our strong foundation in legal theory, doctrine, writing, and analysis. But this does not mean we are stuck in the past. Minnesota’s Law School is at the cutting edge of legal education. We have increased our focus on experiential learning, we have strengthened our career counseling services, and we have created new programs and post-graduate fellowships to support our students’ career goals.

• Our exciting “Law in Practice” course places 1L students in simulated “law firm” practice groups. Students receive individualized attention from active practitioners and volunteer district court judges as they manage both litigation and transactional files from start to resolution.

• Our Leadership Foundations program introduces students to fundamental leadership skills and allows them to test their aptitudes and strengths.

• Our bold new Corporate Institute has strengthened the School’s and our students’ ties to the local and national business communities.

• The new Robina Public Interest Scholars Program provides our students a seamless path from admission to careers in public service.

The Law School’s ability to initiate programs like these, and adapt to changing times, is possible only because of the generosity of donors like you.

Historically, the Law School’s funding relied on the State of Minnesota. Those days are over. The State now provides less than 6% of our budget. As we move to financial self-sufficiency, the generosity of alumni and friends has become an essential tool in preserving our tradition of excellence.

Thanks to your generous contributions, our GENERATIONS fundraising campaign is at 67% of its $70 million goal. The campaign assures that we will continue to attract and support the very best students with new scholarships and programs.

We are grateful to those who have stepped forward, establishing new endowed scholarship funds. We are also proud of the new tradition exemplified by the Class of 2012, 48% of whom have pledged to support the Law School with annual gifts in their first five years after graduation. Graduates Anne Fuchs and Jenna Cieslak, who spearheaded that commitment, are featured on the cover. They exemplify the caliber of students we graduate each year.

Thanks to your ongoing support, and our time-honored mix of gifted students and faculty, the future of this Law School is bright. Thank you for your critical role in our success. Together we will continue to excel in the future as in generations past.

Sincerely,

David WippmanDean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law

Judge James Rosenbaum (’69)Chair, Board of Advisors

> Message from the Dean and Board of Advisors Chair

JUDGE JAMES ROSENBAUM ’69CHAIR, BOARD OF ADVISORS

DEAN DAVID WIPPMAN

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John and Bruce Mooty Chair in Law and Business

This new chair was created by father and son John (’44) and Bruce (’80) Mooty and the John W. Mooty Foundation Trust. The two practice business law at Gray Plant Mooty, the area of law they have worked in their entire careers. They established the chair to help the Law School recruit outstanding business law scholars and provide incentives for them to remain, to encouraging junior faculty to develop their careers, and to provide funds that supplement other sources of faculty support. The chair is an important initiative in the Law School’s goal of expanding connections between the Law School and the business community.

 

Robina Public Interest Scholars ProgramIn July the first installment of the

Robina Foundation’s five-year grant to the GENERATIONS campaign totaling $3,501,623 allowed initiation of a four-component program to support Law School students’ paths to careers in public service law. The Robina Public Interest Scholars Program provides scholarships; relevant experience including volunteering, mentoring, summer internships, and public interest course work; year-long postgraduate fellowships to help graduates launch their careers; and loan repayment assistance to graduates continuing in public interest work.

Generations Campaign Strategic Initiatives Fund

This new fund to support the strategic initiatives prioritized in the GENERATIONS campaign got underway with a generous gift from John W. Windhorst Jr. (‘65). At the Dean’s discretion, additional gifts go to support four selected areas: Business Law; Law, Science and Technology; International and Comparative Law; and Criminal Justice Law. Business Law Initiatives Fund

Led off with an initial commitment from Kaplan Strangis & Kaplan, this fund was created to support business law strategic initiatives, enhance the Law School’s corporate and finance curriculum, and promote student leadership development opportunities.

DEAN MATHESON ’08ATTORNEY, ALLERGAN, INC., IRVINE, CALIFORNIA

Professor John Matheson is an internationally recognized expert in corporate

and business law and is now sharing his expertise in the recently established

Corporate Institute. Since joining the Law School in 1982, he has received numerous

teaching awards, a Burton legal writing award, and induction into the University’s

Academy of Distinguished Teachers, the first Law School professor so honored.

Professor Matheson has taught thousands of students the value of a Law School education,

including his sons: Adam (’11) is a law clerk for Judge Thomas M. Sipkins (’73) of the

Minnesota Fourth Judicial District Court, and Dean (’08) is an attorney at Allergan, Inc.,

Irvine, California.

> Faculty, Program, and Student Support JOHN MATHESONLAW ALUMNI DISTINGUISHED PROFESSOR OF LAW; DIRECTOR, CORPORATE INSTITUTE

ADAM MATHESON ’11LAW CLERK, JUDGE THOMAS M. SIPKINS (’73), MINNESOTA FOURTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT

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Renee and Fred Pritzker (’76) established the Jacob E. Pritzker Disability Law Fund to provide stipends for summer

internships with the Minnesota Disability Law Center or other practical experience in disputes regarding the rights of people with disabilities.

This past summer the first two students received stipends. Alex Dyste (’14) of the

Detroit area received her B.A. from Michigan State University and wants to work for a non-

profit organization, ideally in family, Indian, or disability law. Sandra Pierzchala (’14) of

Chicago attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Last summer she worked

with clients on a wide range of disability law cases as a law clerk, improving her confidence

and interviewing and counseling skills.

Faculty, Program, and Student Support

ALEX DYSTE ’14STUDENT

Jacob E. Pritzker Disability Law FundFred (’76) and Renee Pritzker created

this fund in honor of their 27-year-old son, Jacob, who has physical and developmental disabilities. Their gift provides stipends for two summer internships per year with the Minnesota Disability Law Center or other nonprofit organization offering disability law services.

James C. O’Neill ScholarshipThis scholarship honoring James C. O’Neill

(’57) was established through a gift from the Margaret H. and James E. Kelley Foundation to support students who have demonstrated high academic achievement and financial need. In accordance with the donors’ wish to provide the greatest possible benefit to each scholarship recipient, only one award is planned each year. If the amount available for distribution exceeds the cost of tuition in the year awarded, a second scholarship may be awarded.

Law School Diversity Scholarship Fund Enriching the diversity of the student body

is a top priority for the Law School. This fund was created to allow donors who wish to support minority scholarships to so designate their gifts. Funds are pooled and used to aid in supporting admitted students from under-represented populations.

Dan and Kim McDonald Scholarship FundThrough a grant from Dan (’85) and Kim

McDonald, this new scholarship was created and endowed to support, as possible, diverse students with science or technology-related backgrounds and an interest in intellectual property law. Dan previously initiated a scholarship in the name of his law firm, Merchant & Gould, but he and Kim wanted to personally help Law School students, especially in today’s climate of reduced budgets. They hope to continue making donations to their scholarship fund for years to come.

Justice John E. Simonett ScholarshipThis scholarship to support law students

was created with an initial gift from Greene Espel in memory of John E. Simonett (’51), who served on the Minnesota Supreme Court from 1980 until he reached mandatory retirement age in 1994. After stepping down from the bench, he practiced mediation and arbitration at Greene Espel until 2006. Simonett was an adjunct professor of appellate advocacy at the Law School for 12 years and received the University’s highest alumni honor, the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Law School Summer Internship Fund Charles H. Gauck (’63) created a fund to

support summer internship positions to help law students gain valuable work experience in the legal community.

FRED PRITZKER ’76PRITZKER OLSEN PA

SANDRA PIERZCHALA ’14STUDENT

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Dear Partners in Excellence,

It has been an honor serving as the 2011-12 Partners in Excellence Annual Fund National Chairs, and we are grateful to the many alumni and friends who gave generously to the University of Minnesota Law School this past year.

Collectively, through gifts of all sizes, we contributed an incredible $862,615 in vital, unrestricted support to the Law School’s Partners in Excellence Annual Fund. While our donations touch every aspect of the stellar legal education the Law School continues to provide its students, a majority went directly to scholarships, a core priority for the school.

With state funding for the Law School now providing less than 6% of its overall budget—and dedicated solely to the Law Library, a resource shared with the University and broader community—it is more urgent than ever that we all do whatever we can to support our alma mater each year. We are truly grateful to those of you who heeded our calls for support and stepped forward as donors in FY12.

Among all our donors, we are perhaps most heartened and excited by the support and generosity shown by the members of the Class of 2012—our newest alumni. This past spring, over 48% of the graduating class participated in the 3L pledge drive, each committing to donate to the Law School for the first five years after graduation. In spite of the challenges presented by the legal job market, nearly half of the graduating class participated. Their support demonstrates the transformative impact that the Law School continues to have on its students, as it has had on past generations since its founding in 1888.

We are also impressed with the results of our Partners at Work program, thanks to the dedicated hard work by our many volunteer agents. A record 62% of alumni at participating firms and companies made gifts to the Law School, setting the bar high for the rest of the alumni community. Law firms and corporations with five or more Law School alumni are eligible to participate in Partners at Work, and we hope that many more of them will join the program in future years.

Thank you again for your partnership and support. It has been a pleasure serving as chairs this year. We hope that you will continue to support our alma mater again this year, and that even more alumni and friends will follow our lead. Together, we will ensure that future generations have access to the same excellent legal education we received and that the Law School’s long tradition of excellence continues for years to come. Sincerely,

Chris Chaput (’85)

Jean Chaput (’60)

> Chairs’ Report

CHRIS CHAPUT ’85PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE ANNUAL FUND NATIONAL CHAIR

JEAN CHAPUT ’60PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE ANNUAL FUND NATIONAL CHAIR

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Partners In Excellence Annual FundAnnual giving directly supports

students and all aspects of their legal education. It provides the Law School with essential dollars for program operations, enhancements, and other opportunities that arise during the year. Each year, fewer of the costs of the Law School are covered by the State of Minnesota, making gifts of all sizes to the Partners In Excellence Annual Fund increasingly vital.

Online: www.giving.umn.edu/lawannualPhone: 612-626-8671 Mail: University of Minnesota Law School

Attn: Office of Advancement 229 19th Ave. SouthMinneapolis, MN 55455

(Checks should be made payable to the University of Minnesota Law School. Gifts will be processed by the University of Minnesota Foundation on behalf of the Law School.)

Major GiftsMajor gifts are donations of $50,000 or

more and may be pledged over a period of up to five years. Major gifts support not only current programs but also both endowment and capital needs. Major gifts are vital to the Law School’s ability to maintain its position as a top-tier school by attracting and retaining the highest quality faculty, offering a program that is continually evaluated for its relevance and effectiveness, and providing the scholarship funds to attract the best and brightest students who will continue the Law School’s tradition of excellence.

Planned GiftsEstablishing planned gifts can be as simple

as filling out beneficiary designation forms for retirement accounts or life insurance policies. Bequests from a will or provisions in a revocable trust agreement are among the most common planned gifts. Life-income gifts such as charitable gift annuities and charitable remainder trusts provide you or other loved ones with an income stream for life or a term of years along with support for the Law School. Including a gift for the Law School through your estate planning can allow you to give more than you ever thought possible.

For more information about giving:contact us directly or visit our website at www.law.umn.edu/alumni/support.html.

Generation after generation, Law School students and alumni have been active in

supporting and affecting change for human rights. Tenzin Pelkyi (’15) and Congressman Keith Ellison (’90) share a passion to end the

Chinese government’s oppressive policies targeting Tibetans. This past spring, Pelkyi and

a Minnesota delegation met with Ellison’s congressional staff, Minnesota Senator Al Franken, and California Senator Dianne

Feinstein to lobby for rights and protection of Tibetans. The passage of S. Res. 356 to protect

Tibetans and grant unlimited access to Tibet by foreign journalists and diplomats was later

passed in the Senate. Congressman Ellison co-sponsored an identical resolution in the House.

> Three Ways To Give

TENZIN PELKYI ’15STUDENT

KEITH ELLISON ’90U.S. REPRESENTATIVE, MINNESOTA FIFTH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT