UCLA School of Law Receives $1 Million Anonymous Alumnus Gift to Establish David A. Binder Chair in Clinical Law; Prof. David Binder also Named 2006 Recipient of the William Pincus Award for Contributions to Clinical Legal Education.

LOS ANGELES -- UCLA School of Law has received a $1 million gift from an anonymous alumnus to establish the David A. Binder Chair in Clinical Law. This Chair will honor the innovative, pathbreaking contributions of Professor David Binder to the development of the field of clinical legal education. Professor Binder was also recently named the 2006 recipient of the William Pincus Award by the executive committee of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) Section on Clinical Legal Education.

The $1 million endowment will be instrumental in ensuring that UCLA Law's exceptional and innovative clinical program will maintain its leadership position by supporting the teaching, scholarship and service activities of a distinguished clinical faculty member. The recipient of the chair will be named once the Binder Chair is approved by the President of the University of California.

"The generosity of this donation is truly a testament of our students' appreciation for one of the most beloved teachers at UCLA School of Law," said Dean Michael H. Schill. "As demonstrated by his receipt of the prestigious Pincus Award, David Binder is one of a small group of legal academics who shaped the field of clinical legal education. He put our clinical program at the forefront of legal education and this newly established Chair will ensure that we continue to stay there."

At the AALS annual meeting held earlier this month in Washington, D.C., Prof. Binder received the William Pincus Award, which honors one or more individuals or institutions of clinical legal education for their service, scholarship, program design and implementation, or other activity beneficial to clinical education or to the advancement of justice.

"For more than three decades, David Binder has devoted his academic life to clinical scholarship and pedagogy, during which time he has contributed many of the major foundational concepts that are used today in clinical education programs throughout the country," said Charles D. Weisselberg, professor of law and director of the Center for Clinical Education at UC Berkeley School of Law. "It is not an exaggeration to say that Binder's ideas have reshaped the values and practices of legal professionals as they represent their clients. Of equal significance, David Binder's work has generated a tremendous amount of important research from other clinical scholars who have critiqued, refined, challenged and embraced his ideas."

Professor Binder joined the UCLA Law faculty in 1970. A pioneer in clinical legal education, Binder was instrumental in establishing UCLA's nationally recognized clinical program. He has published important clinical scholarship, including several books with Professors Albert Moore and Paul Bergman that grow out of his focus on fact development and its relation to inferential proof and argument at trial.

"I am deeply honored to be recognized with such a generous gift and important award," said Professor David Binder. "The knowledge that this endowment will ensure the continued excellence of the clinical program and support ongoing faculty scholarship in this dynamic and instrumental field of legal education is extremely gratifying indeed."

Considered to be among our best teachers, Prof. Binder is a recipient of the University's Distinguished Teaching Award, the School of Law's Rutter Award for Excellence in Teaching and the student-elected Professor of the Year award. In 2001, UCLA School of Law honored him with a special award commemorating his 30 years of dedication to clinical legal education.

The David A. Binder Chair in Clinical Law is part of UCLA's Ensuring Academic Excellence Initiative, a five-year effort aimed at generating $250 million in private commitments specifically for the recruitment and retention of the very best faculty and graduate students. The initiative was launched in June 2004. Its goals include $100 million to fund 100 new endowed chairs for faculty across campus, increasing the number to 331. In addition, campus officials plan to increase support for an estimated 3,500 graduate students per year by raising $100 million to fund fellowships and scholarships in the UCLA College and $50 million for fellowships and scholarships in UCLA's 11 professional schools.

About UCLA School of Law

Founded in 1949, UCLA School of Law is the youngest major law school in the nation and has established a tradition of innovation in its approach to teaching, research and scholarship. With approximately 100 faculty and 970 students, the school pioneered clinical teaching, is a leader in interdisciplinary research and training, and is at the forefront of efforts to link research to its effects on society and the legal profession.