ANNOUNCING THE RALPH BRILL CHAIR Chicago-Kent s First Endowed Professorship $1.5 million Thank You April 2006 August 2008
MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN I am thrilled to announce the completion of our campaign to establish the Ralph Brill Chair. More than two years ago, we set an ambitious goal to raise $1.5 million to build an endowment for a new faculty position. Ralph Brill has taught and mentored students for more than four decades. By establishing the Chair, we have been able to recognize Ralph s many scholarly accomplishments, his service to our school, and the great affection of his students. Tom Demetrio, Chair of the Campaign Committee, worked tirelessly to keep the Campaign focused and our fundraising on track. Many thanks to the members of the Committee who reached out to classmates and colleagues. And, finally, many thanks to all of you who contributed. You made this happen. A PROFESSOR S LIFE RALPH BRILL father, grandfather, teacher, author, colleague, mentor, and friend member of the Chicago-Kent faculty since 1961 launched Chicago-Kent s moot court program spearheaded Chicago-Kent s unique legal research and writing program Legal Writing Institute and Ass n of Legal Writing Directors, founding director Ass n of American Law Schools Section on Legal Writing, Reasoning and Research, past chair 2005 Thomas F. Blackwell Memorial Award, recipient 2006 Burton Award for Outstanding Contributions to Legal Writing Education, recipient We cannot continue to grow as a nationally and internationally respected faculty without additional financial support. Our faculty is in too much demand across the nation for us to be complacent. Establishment of the Ralph Brill Chair recognizes the increased stature of our faculty, but it is only the first step in what I hope will be a succession of completed chairs in the coming years. Harold J. Krent Dean and Professor of Law
I am deeply honored and humbled by the establishment of an endowed faculty chair in my name. It is quite overwhelming to, in effect, be made immortal. I extend my sincerest thanks for their support to Dean Krent, to my faculty colleagues, to the wonderful Chicago-Kent administrative staff, and, most of all, to the alumni and friends of the law school. For 47 years, I have been privileged to teach and become friends with nearly 6,000 students. I have proudly seen Chicago-Kent become one of the best law schools in the country, and its alumni thrive in courtrooms, boardrooms and government and policy positions throughout the country. I am confident that the persons appointed to this chaired professorship will, by their scholarship, positively influence the growth of the law, and, by their teaching, beneficially affect the lives of future students, resulting in further enhancement of the reputation of the law school. Ralph Brill Thank You
THOUGHTS FROM THE CHAIR Many thanks to the more than 400 friends and graduates who responded generously to our campaign to fund Chicago-Kent s first endowed chair. I was honored to chair the Campaign Committee and be a part of another historic milestone for our school. Ralph Brill has seen our school transform from a regional law school located in less than optimum facilities to a school with a nationally recognized faculty, championship skills teams, and a law school building second-to-none. Through decades of change, Ralph has been a constant influence. He has initiated innovative programs, taught thousands of Chicago-Kent students, and remains the ultimate mentor to young and not-so-young graduates. Now, he has a faculty chair established in his name. I could not be more pleased at the results of our efforts. Thanks to all who helped us achieve our $1.5 million goal. Tom Demetrio 73 Chair... many thanks to all of you who contributed. You made this happen. Hal Krent
TRIBUTES TO AND ABOUT RALPH BRILL Ralph Brill s true legacy lies in the hearts and minds of his students. His love of the law and devotion to teaching and reaching out to thousands of law students over the years is duly recognized by the completion and full funding of the Ralph Brill Chair. From your students, Thank you, Professor Brill! Denny Schoville 73 San Diego CA I am just thrilled that the school is acknowledging your great contribution to the lives of so many people by naming its first chair after you. It is an honor well deserved, and it was the perfect vehicle for me to give back something to the school that gave me so much. Phillip Yaffa, 71 Miami FL During my tenure as a student at Chicago-Kent, no faculty member had more of an impact on me than you. On behalf of myself and the countless others you ve helped and inspired over the years, let me offer my sincerest congratulations on this current honor being bestowed upon you. Larry Sills 83 Pepper Pike OH The Association of Legal Writing Directors is proud to have one of our most respected members honored in such a way by his law school. We are encouraged that the law school recognizes Professor Brill s important contributions to the legal education community and particularly to the fields of legal writing and advocacy. Professor Kristin B. Gerdy President, Association of Legal Writing Directors, April, 2006 THE CHICAGO-KENT FACULTY Ranked among the nation s 30 most productive law faculties based on the number of scholarly books and articles published by leading academic presses, law reviews and journals. * Actively engaged around the world in legal scholarship, research and outreach in areas ranging from intellectual property and labor and employment issues to human rights, environmental issues and criminal prosecutions. Distinguished by the inclusion of 11 members of the American Law Institute. Enriched by the authors of more than 100 casebooks and legal treatises, including Fre e Speec h an d Human Dignity (Steven J. Heyman, Yale University Press 2008), Pa t e n t Litigation an d Strategy (Timothy R. Holbrook with K. Moore and P. Michel, Thomson/West 3d ed. 2008), Kos o v o Liberation Ar m y : Th e Inside Stor y (Henry H. Perritt, Jr., University of Illinois Press 2008) and Wat e r Wa r in th e Kl a m a t h Basin: Ma c h o Law, Co m b a t Bio l o g y an d Dir ty Politics (A. Dan Tarlock with H. Doremus, Island Press 2008). Consistently honored with leading awards for scholarship and service, including the 2008 Ladas Memorial Award of the International Trademark Association (Graeme B. Dinwoodie), the American Bar Association s 2008 Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access (Ronald W. Staudt), and the 2008 Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service Award of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Richard J. Gonzalez). *Brian Leiter s Law School Rankings (September 2007) at www.leiterrankings.com Ralph Brill has revolutionized many things inside and outside of the classroom at the Law School. His leadership in legal writing is a marvel. He also changed the lives of his students in all other courses he taught. He prepared all of us to function at a higher level intellectually and personally than would have been possible without him. Roy Adams 69 New York, NY
Thank You