After graduation, Dan Howell ’13L will clerk for Norfolk Circuit
Court, 4th judicial circuit of Virginia. A political science major from Vanderbilt, he’s interested in litigation. “When I was accepted to W&L Law, I received a packet of information that included 50 letters from alumni, all telling me how great W&L is,” he said. “No other school did anything like that, and when you’re debating between two schools, W&L set
After graduating from W&L and fulfilling his military commitment, Larry Smail ’59, ’62L was a civilian attorney for the U.S. Army Aviation Command at Fort Eustis, in Newport News, Va. He then taught government contract law at the Florida Institute of Technology. This year, Smail established a $500,000 revocable living trust to create an undergraduate and a law scholarship for W&L students. As a student, he borrowed money to pay his tuition. “I’m
itself apart as a place that really cared about its students.” Reflecting on his three years at W&L, he noted that Professor Ben Spencer’s procedures class was “very intense, and there were times I cursed the amount of reading we had to do,” he said. “But in hindsight, I realized he did a great job of transitioning us from thinking like recent college grads to approaching procedure the way a lawyer would.” That kind of preparation was valuable during Howell’s summer law jobs. “There were many assignments I was able to handle because W&L prepared me so well.” Howell said, “It’s an honor to hold the Groot Law scholarship. He obviously touched so many lives in so many positive ways, and alumni are honoring him by giving back to the Law School.”
shocked at the astronomical debt students take on to attend law school,” he said. “But I guess that’s the price you have to pay.” In an earlier gift to the Law School, as part of his 50th Law reunion gift, he provided $15,000 to help defray the debt of three law students. “You can’t exactly pay off your law school loans debt doing pro bono work. You don’t have much choice but to take a high-paying corporate job.” Smail noted that W&L gave him the solid educational background necessary for his professional career and knows that the School continues to do the same for current students. “I decided to designate my gift for a scholarship because I wanted a lasting memento. Over the years, I hope the funds continue to accumulate so the trust is worth even more.”
Marcus Lasswell ’14L chose
Lasswell, who holds the James C.C. Treadway ’67L Scholarship, attended the University of Colorado, majoring in criminology and sociology. During the summer after his first year, he worked for a legal aid clinic and will work for a public defender this summer. While at W&L, he’s had the chance to hone his legal skills in the John W. Davis Appellate Advocacy Moot Court Competition. “One of the main reasons I came to law school is to work in the public sector,” he said. “I’d like to start out as a public defender and perhaps move on to a D.A.’s office.” He noted, “Law school is incredibly expensive, and I wouldn’t be here without the generosity of the alumni. I want them to know how much I appreciate it.”
Harriette Shivers ’90L
have established a sizable revocable trust to fund a law scholarship. “Both of us are convinced that education at any level is important,” she said. “Education provides meaning and purpose in life. When planning for our estate, it was natural to include the Law School.” They have designated their gift to support a scholarship for minority law students who plan to serve the economically disadvantaged or the public sector. “Law school is out of reach for some students without financial assistance,” she noted. “Many public-interest career paths do not pay enough to allow a heavily indebted graduate to go that route, even when it may be their passion and the best fit for their abilities. These funds may provide an opportunity that would not otherwise be available. We hope our gift will encourage other alumni to give as well.”
W&L Law for its close-knit community. “After I attended the Open House for admitted students and had the chance to meet the professors, I knew that this is where I wanted to come. Law school is competitive, but here there’s a sense of civility that I felt from the very beginning. A lot of my friends are double Generals, and the fact that they chose to spend three more years in Lexington speaks very highly of the School.”
remembers her time in Lewis Hall as “having a very positive impact for good in my life. I don’t think I would have had the same kind of access to my professors anywhere else. W&L’s small academic community made it possible for me to accomplish what I wanted to, and helped me find satisfaction in a new career that ultimately opened doors for professional achievements that were very enriching.” Now retired, Shivers and her husband, Ralph Shivers,