Law School Receives $1 Million


February 20, 2012

James F. Humphreys

Photo by: Claire Duggan

The George Washington University Law School has received a $1 million gift from Board of Trustees member James F. Humphreys, J.D. ’78, to endow a scholarship for law students.

“GW Law School was the key to my career,” said Mr. Humphreys, a civil litigator who leads the law firm James F. Humphreys & Associates in his hometown of Charleston, W.Va. “The education and encouragement I received at the Law School enabled me to pursue a lifetime dream of helping consumers and victims. I have been very fortunate financially, and it is right and proper that I should pay back and support the institution that made my career possible.”

This is not Mr. Humphreys’ first gift to the university. In 2005, Mr. Humphreys, who is also a member of the GW Law Board of Advisors, donated $3 million to establish the Humphreys Complex Litigation Center and Endowed Chair. The center offers comprehensive information about complex litigation to judges, lawyers and policymakers. In 2003, Mr. Humphreys funded the student lounge in Stockton Hall and an amphitheater classroom in Stuart Hall.

Paul Schiff Berman, dean of the Law School and Robert Kramer Research Professor of Law, called Mr. Humphreys “one of the most inspiring people I have ever met.”

“He truly gets it,” Dean Berman said. “He understands that if we are to have a functioning democracy, we need to take the long view and keep education affordable forever. Jim is proof positive that philanthropy is not merely about money; it is about passion to change the world.”

Mr. Humphreys also urged all alumni to support their alma mater as “generously as they’re financially able in order to continue making the dreams of future generations of aspiring lawyers possible.”