“It is important to me that Michigan Law doesn’t stay static, but rather that it continues to evolve and meet the needs of 21st-century students. In order to do that, the Law School needs unrestricted giving,” says May Liang, ’89, the newest national chair of the Law School Fund.
At the 2017 Scholarship Dinner in Ann Arbor, the Law School brought together donors and scholarship recipients—some meeting in person for the first time—for an evening of gratitude and community.
From day one, James Beatty, ’55, was captivated by the Law School. “It was like stepping into a new world,” he says. “I have never forgotten that feeling.”
“We decided to make Michigan our ‘child’ in terms of estate planning,” says Stephen. “We both benefitted greatly from our Michigan education, particularly in our careers.”
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Brian Arnfelt describes his time in the National Football League as a great foundation for building a legal career. “Just like in football, I have to read people, quickly analyze a situation, and adapt in the classroom and in the courtroom.”
After Michigan Law Professor L. Hart Wright’s daughter Robin published “My Last Conversation with My Father” in the June 17 edition of The New Yorker, it triggered an outpouring of memories and fondness from Professor Wright’s former students.
“I’ve had so many marvelous adventures during my career,” says Fred Nance, ’78. “One leading to another and resulting in a career representing celebrities, reshaping my hometown, and holding pioneering leadership roles in a mega law firm.” Nance is the new global managing partner of Squire Patton Boggs (U.S.) LLP, which includes 36 offices in 16 countries.
China’s legal industry was just taking shape when Xiuhao “Rachel” Luo, LLM ’01, graduated in 1989 with her first law degree from Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou. Today, she is tackling the Wild West of social media retailing—along with compliance and regulatory work—as vice president of legal affairs for Amway China.
It was the suggestion of regulatory malfeasance at Millennium Management some 15 years ago that prompted the creation of a chief legal officer role and the hiring of Simon “Sy” Lorne, ’70. “The word given to me was, ‘Solve this problem and make sure we never have it again,’” Lorne recalls.
Michigan Law Professor Michael Bloom says that learning to work with contracts is like learning any language. “So if software can help you learn Spanish or Python, why can’t it help teach you to read and write contracts?”
