Stanford Law School recently received an estate gift of $7.4 million that will be used to expand the support it offers to public interest and public service students, alumni, and the broader community. The gift, from an anonymous donor, will significantly expand the permanent endowment for the school’s public interest work and is among the largest gifts in the law school’s history earmarked for programs for students and alumni, not capital improvements.

The generosity of this gift is noteworthy,” said Richard E. Lang Professor of Law and Dean M. Elizabeth Magill. “But just as important is that this new endowment funding will allow us to expand our already strong support for students and graduates who wish to pursue careers in the public interest.”

Stanford Law School encourages all of its graduates to advance the public good throughout their careers, and it offers many forms of support to prepare students to do just that. Through the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law, SLS runs a broad spectrum of programs that support students, alumni, and the nonprofit public interest field. The Levin Center coordinates a national mentorship network comprised of close to 500 graduates, provides more than $500,000 in summer stipends to students, offers support to students in obtaining postgraduate fellowships every year in addition to funding 10 fellowships for SLS graduates. The law school’s generous loan repayment assistance program, widely regarded as the best of its kind among law schools, supports nearly 200 graduates in nonprofit, government and private public interest practice.

“Public service is a core responsibility of those in the legal profession and a critical aspect of the education we provide at Stanford,” noted Diane T. Chin, a Lecturer in Law and Associate Dean for Public Service and Public Interest Law, “This new support will allow us to expand the ways in which we ensure our students and alumni have every opportunity to pursue the work that brought them to law school in the first place.”

The Levin Center, which will be celebrating its 10^th anniversary this year, also works with students to provide thousands of volunteer pro bono hours directly working with clients and communities throughout California and the nation.  Additionally, the center is a key partner within the public interest legal community, supporting the growth and development of public interest law through research, training, and convening of thought leaders.

About the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law
The mission of the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School is – through courses, research, pro bono projects, public lectures, academic conferences, funding programs and career development – to make public service a pervasive part of every law student’s experience and ultimately help shape the values that students take into their careers. It also engages in programming and research that support development of the public interest legal community to increase access to justice.

About Stanford Law School
Stanford Law School is one of the nation’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify before Congress, produce outstanding legal scholarship and empirical analysis, and contribute regularly to the nation’s press as legal and policy experts. Stanford Law School has established a model for legal education that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training, hands-on experience, global perspective and focus on public service, spearheading a movement for change.