DePaul University is renaming its College of Law after one of its own: personal injury attorney Robert A. Clifford, following a $30 million gift from Clifford and his wife, Joan. The donation will fund scholarships, faculty fellow programs supporting research and scholarly work, and a legal training center at the Chicago university's law school.
According to CBS News Chicago, Robert and Joan Clifford are both DePaul alumni, and their gift will go toward the newly established Robert A. Clifford College of Law endowment. That endowment is set to create the Clifford Excellence Scholarships, aimed at supporting high-achieving law students as they navigate the challenges of a legal career, per the outlet's report.
The gift will also fund Clifford Distinguished Faculty Fellows programs, which are expected to provide faculty research and scholarly support and to host a mini-symposium showcasing the fellows' work, the station reported. A third piece of the donation establishes the Robert A. Clifford Trial Advocacy, Litigation, and Negotiation Center, which will support skills-oriented legal training and build its reputation through negotiation and mock trial competitions.
Who Is Robert A. Clifford
Clifford earned his law degree from DePaul in 1976, according to DePaul University's own alumni page, which also lists him as a life trustee of the university. He went on to found Clifford Law Offices in 1984, according to the firm's website, and the university returned the favor years later, awarding him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 2003.
Clifford Law Offices describes itself as a personal injury firm known for wrongful death and catastrophic injury cases, handling matters involving major aviation disasters, transportation accidents and medical negligence, per CBS News Chicago's report. The firm's own site, cliffordlaw.com, states it has recovered more than $5 billion in verdicts and settlements under Clifford's leadership, though that figure reflects the firm's own characterization of its work.
Clifford has represented victims and families in nearly every major commercial U.S. plane crash since 1979, according to Clifford Law Offices, and he served as lead counsel in federal litigation stemming from the 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 crash, the firm says. Cliffordlaw.com also notes he secured a $29.6 million verdict for violinist Rachel Barton following a Metra train incident and served as lead negotiator in a $1.2 billion settlement of 9/11 property-damage claims.
A Decades-Long Relationship With DePaul
This is not the first time Clifford has put his name and money behind DePaul's law school. He endowed the school's Tort Law and Social Policy Chair in 1994, according to cliffordlaw.com, and the firm says it has sponsored free continuing legal education programs since 2008. Clifford has also sponsored DePaul's Annual Clifford Symposium on Tort Law and Social Policy for more than 30 years, per the firm's materials.
The timing carries personal significance for Clifford, who is celebrating his 50th College of Law class reunion this month, according to CBS News Chicago's report. In a statement cited by the station, Clifford said his DePaul education and the university's Vincentian values shaped his career journey and perspective, adding that he and Joan are proud to further the College of Law's excellence and mission.
DePaul president Robert L. Manuel said the gift honors Clifford's career while shaping DePaul legal education for generations, according to the station's report. Manuel also said the gift strengthens the College of Law's role in preparing lawyers to lead with integrity, serve communities and advance justice, and he expressed gratitude to Bob and Joan for their generosity, partnership and belief in DePaul's Catholic and Vincentian mission.
What DePaul Says the Gift Will Do
DePaul University said the gift will provide expanded opportunities for students and faculty and will elevate the law school's profile and prestige, according to CBS News Chicago. Clifford himself said he and Joan are honored to give back and to help generations of law students and legal professionals succeed and contribute to civil justice, the outlet reported.
Naming a law school after a major donor is not unique to DePaul. George Mason University announced $30 million in gifts in 2016 and renamed its law school for the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, according to The Washington Post. More recently, the University of South Carolina renamed its School of Law after a $30 million donation, as reported by The State. DePaul's gift now joins that short list of eight-figure donations reshaping how law schools present themselves to prospective students and faculty.
