Supporting Future Lawyer-Leaders through Planned Giving

Bill Ecklund ’68 attended his first law school reunion when his class celebrated its 50th anniversary. Although he had been an annual donor since the 1970s, he had never spent much time with his classmates until his daughter, then a University of Minnesota Law School employee, urged him to attend At that fateful reunion, Bill says he learned a great deal about the impact of declining state support for the Law School. Clerks at his firm—Felhaber, Larson, Fenlon & Vogt, P.A.— echoed what he had heard at the reunion. “One prospective clerk had been accepted at Minnesota but ended up going to Iowa because of cost,” he says. “I was told another young lawyer had graduated with $200,000 of debt. When I attended, the cost was $125 per quarter. I knew it was time to get serious about supporting the Law School.”

Bill’s wife, Kareen ’78, shared her husband’s concern. “Learning about the climbing student debt was horrifying,” she says. “We knew we wanted to help.”

Paying it forward

Bill set out with his classmates to raise $150,000 in honor of their anniversary; by the time the campaign ended, they had raised $260,000. “We all understood that we got a great education,” he says. “Mine set me up for a wonderful career. I want that opportunity to be available to all.”

To increase their personal giving, Bill and Kareen included the Law School in their estate plan. “We want to pay it forward,” Kareen says. “I know personally that many women would not have been able to attend law school without a scholarship.”

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For 135 years, the University of Minnesota Law School has provided an exceptional legal education to future generations of lawyer-leaders. Together, with alumni and donor support, we are proud to build on that legacy—continuing our long-standing tradition of excellence through Minnesota Law’s innovative programming, groundbreaking research and training, and transformative contributions to the legal community and the public. Your generous support helps to shape the future of Minnesota Law by reducing financial barriers and making a world-class legal education possible for students who are preparing to face the challenges of tomorrow. We are proud of all we have achieved together, and we hope that you will consider a planned gift for the Law School that reflects your own powerful legacy.

Sincerely,

Garry W. Jenkins Dean and William S. Pattee Professor of Law

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