Sturm College of Law Receives Gift from Arnold & Porter Foundation

A recent $687,000 gift from the Arnold & Porter Foundation to the University of Denver will create two new endowed scholarships at the Sturm College of Law to support outstanding students with a demonstrated commitment to civil liberties and civil rights. The gift also will support a strategic litigation fund designed to advance the nationally recognized work of the law school’s Civil Rights Clinic, part of its No. 8-ranked clinical program.

• The Abe Krash Access to Justice Endowed Scholarship Fund, seeded with a $250,000 gift from the Foundation, will endow — in perpetuity — scholarships for students with a demonstrated interest in civil rights and access to justice. The fund honors the landmark contributions of Abe Krash, currently of counsel to the firm of Arnold & Porter, who formed part of the firm’s legal team that represented Clarence Gideon in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case of Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), which guaranteed the right to counsel in criminal matters.
• The Arnold & Porter Civil Rights Endowed Scholarship Fund, seeded with a second $250,000 gift, will endow scholarships for students with a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and prisoners’ rights.
• An additional contribution of $187,000 will advance the work of the Civil Rights Clinic, with a particular focus on litigation and advocacy on behalf of incarcerated individuals — an area of law in which the clinic has achieved a well-earned national reputation.

“Throughout its distinguished history, Arnold & Porter has been a national leader in advancing justice for the underserved,” observed Sturm College of Law Dean Bruce Smith. “So, too, has the University of Denver. We launched the American clinical legal education movement in 1904 and have been a leader in clinical education ever since. Arnold & Porter and the University of Denver share a significant and enduring commitment to the public good, and we are tremendously grateful to the Arnold & Porter Foundation for its vision and generosity.”

“This transformative gift from the Arnold & Porter Foundation will foster the advancement of civil rights and the training of future leaders in this vital area,” said Armin Afsahi, the University’s vice chancellor for advancement. “This gift testifies, yet again, to the firm’s dedication to civil liberties, civil rights and access to justice.”

“We are pleased to support the important work of the Civil Rights Clinic at Denver Law and those students dedicated to devoting their careers to advancing the cause of civil rights and civil liberties,” said Richard M. Alexander, chair of Arnold & Porter and the Arnold & Porter Foundation. “Our firm has a long-standing commitment to public service, and our Denver office, opened in 1980, has played a vital role in advancing these pro bono efforts.”

“Arnold & Porter’s remarkable commitment recognizes the critical contributions of the Civil Rights Clinic in protecting the constitutional rights of people who are incarcerated, including access to medical and mental health care, the free exercise of religion, outdoor exercise and the conditions of solitary confinement,” said Laura Rovner, director of the Civil Rights Clinic and professor at the Sturm College of Law. “This momentous gift will help us to impart the legal doctrine, skills and professional values necessary to forge the next generation of civil rights lawyers.”