Donor Profiles

Ronald D. Abramson

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

Ronald Abramson’s generosity, via the Galena Yorktown Foundation, is making the ABA Civics Knowledge Project possible.  His continued philanthropy is helping the ABA continue its refinement and dissemination of an annual survey that measures the current state of civics knowledge in the nation.  With data in hand, the ABA is developing civics education programs to address the gaps revealed by the assessment.  Ronald and his wife Anne are also dedicated to supporting the arts, education, and scientific research and support groups that further advance and illuminate the understanding of mental health issues.

Mike Byowitz and Ruth Holzer

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

Michael (Mike) Byowitz was a Partner for more than 30 years at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and is now Of Counsel at the firm, specializing in antitrust and competition law. Mike has long been active in the ABA.  He served on the Board of Governors from 2017 through 2020.  He previously served for 12 years in the House of Delegates.  Mike is Past Chair of the Section of International Law.  He currently Chairs the ABA Afghan Legal Professionals Scholarship and Mentoring Pilot that seeks to provide Afghan judges, prosecutors, and lawyers access to legal education through a one-year Master of Laws (LLM) program, which will allow them to sit for a bar exam and pursue career opportunities in the U.S. legal system.

Mike could not have achieved any of the foregoing without the total and continuing support of his wonderful wife, the love of his life, Ruth Holzer.

Paula E. Boggs

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Giving generously and loyally since 1999, Paula Boggs has served in the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates for nearly 25 years.  She directs a large portion of her contributions to the ABA’s Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund that provides $5,000 to 60 law students of color each year.  Since the Scholarship’s inception, 380 recipients have overcome disadvantaged backgrounds along with other societal obstacles to be successful in law school, address the legal needs of their respective community, and advance their career in a more diverse legal profession.  

Bernard L. Brennan

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Dr. Bernard Lawrence (Larry) Brennan, MD (1939-2014) was the Medical Director of Huntington Artificial Kidney Center in Freeport, New York, from 1990 until his retirement in 2002.  Dr. Brennan continued to build upon his medical experience to educate about end-of-life issues and generously support the ABA’s work on behalf of the seniors through education, research and service, to help improve the quality of life for elderly people, including those who are poor or otherwise isolated by lack of education, language, culture, disability or other barriers.

Elizabeth J. Cabraser

SILVER DONOR     $100,000 - $499,999

The Commission on Women in the Profession owes its continued success in securing full and equal participation of women in the ABA, the profession, and the justice system to Elizabeth Cabraser.  With her personal leadership and inspirational giving, proceeds from the Commission’s Endowment Fund will transform the legal profession so that it no longer turns a blind eye to indignities, sexism and inequity.  Ms. Cabraser has been repeatedly recognized as one of the foremost litigators in our nation, including being selected an unprecedented four times as one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America by the National Law Journal.

Robert A. Clifford

SILVER DONOR $100,000 - $499,999

Bob Clifford is a nationally prominent trial attorney and founder of his firm in Chicago.  His charitable investments in the ABA have demonstrated his long-term commitment to its work to:  serve its members, improve the legal profession, eliminate bias and enhance diversity while advancing the rule of law throughout the United States and around the world. Mr. Clifford is currently Chair of the ABA Fund for Justice and Education Council (2016-2019) and a Board Member of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative (2016-2019).  He has completed a nine-year term in the ABA House of Delegates (2005 – 2014).  Bob Clifford chaired the ABA Section of Litigation (2001 – 2002).  Mr. Clifford is generous to the Naples Children & Education Foundation and many other charities. 

John J. Curtin

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Jack Curtin (1933-2013) began giving both loyally and generously, to the ABA’s charitable work to protect human rights, in 1982.  Added to his own philanthropy, Mr. Curtin’s friends, colleagues and ABA staff members created a permanent endowment at the ABA in his honor as an ABA President 1990-91 and in recognition of his many outstanding achievements.  Mr. Curtin’s long-standing dedication to issues of social justice and civil rights led to approval by the ABA Board of Governors that the income from the endowment fund may provide summer stipends to law students working to help homeless and indigent people in perpetuity.

Debra and Michael Decker

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Debra and Michael Decker envisioned the New Orleans Public Defenders NextGen Fellowship and are making it possible with their generosity.  Under the auspices of the ABA Center for Innovation -- that encourages and accelerates innovations to improve the accessibility, effectiveness and efficiency of legal services -- this Fellow assists in gathering information to support bond advocacy efforts as well as help connect clients to alternate sources of funding, such as community bail funds, in order to secure their release.  To ensure that the Fellow has a full awareness of the workings of the criminal justice system, this attorney will carry a partial public defender caseload and be tasked with direct voter education about bail, fines and fees.

David H. Gambrell 

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

In 1984, David H. Gambrell (1929-2021) made a generous gift to establish the E. Smythe Gambrell Fund for Professionalism, in tribute to his father’s commitment to maintaining the highest principles of integrity and dedication to the legal profession and the public.   Mr. Gambrell’s vision for his father’s legacy lives on in the E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Awards, that recognize the nation’s exemplary, innovative, and on-going professionalism programs in law schools, bar associations, courts and other legal organiza­tions.  Mr. Gambrell was a long-time attorney with Baker Donelson LLP in Atlanta, GA.  He served in the ABA House of Delegates and on the board of editors of the ABA Journal.  He was also a founding member of the ABA's Litigation Section. 

Melita F. Grunow

PLATINUM DONOR    $1 million+

A generous gift by Melita and Bill (1931-2012) Grunow created the Pro Bono Child Custody Project in memory of their niece, Ann Liechty, who received the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award in 1998 for her dedicated work as a child law advocate.  Ending in 2008, this Project developed and assisted a nationwide network of programs and volunteers to represent children in custody situations.  The final report of the Project, Enhancing the Representation of Children in Private Custody Cases: Resources and Lessons Learned from the ABA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project, as well as other online resources, continue to provide guidance to all individuals and programs working to give a voice to children in private custody cases.

Robert K. Johnson

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

For more than two decades, Bob Johnson has given charitably to support the ABA’s work on behalf of the elderly’s legal rights. Former Co-Managing Partner and now Of Council, Mr. Johnson has been with Munger, Tolles & Olson since 1968. Bob Johnson received the 2015 Justice Award from the National Senior Citizens Law Center and continues to serve on its board of directors. The organization recognized him for his commitment to pro bono service and use of law in combating senior poverty.  Mr. Johnson is also on the Board of the Housing Rights Center. He began his ABA membership in 1968 and is currently active in the ABA Sections of Business Law and Taxation.

Loren Kieve

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Since bringing the ABA Section of Litigation’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP) to San Francisco in 2004, Loren Kieve has been expanding the legal career horizons of minority and/or economically disadvantaged law students with his generous giving and leadership.  Through JIOP, first and second year law students thrive from a summer internship experience that entails conducting legal research and writing for state or federal judges.  Mr. Kieve also supports the public service missions of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice and the ABA Litigation Fellows.  His outstanding generosity reflects his passion to uphold the rule of law in a more just and equitable society.  Mr. Kieve is a nationally recognized commercial and business trial lawyer with offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. His cases have involved complex foreign parties and issues, major government contract matters, including civil and criminal false claims act cases, along with formal and informal administrative proceedings.  

Richard & Marianne Kipper

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

The Kippers’ generosity helped advance the ABA Commission on Law and Aging’s work to strengthen and secure the legal rights, dignity, autonomy, quality of life, and quality of care of aging persons. With their initial backing, the Commission accomplishes its work through research, policy development, advocacy, education, training, and through assistance to lawyers, bar associations, and other groups working on issues of aging. Mr. Kipper’s primary charity work is with the Alzheimer’s Association. He was also an advisor to the ABA Commission on Law and Aging and the Borchard Foundation. Mrs. Kipper is still very active in the American Cancer Society.

Richard D. Liechty

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Dr. R. Dale Liechty (1925-2013) and Valerie G. Liechty (1928-2018) contributed magnanimously to the Pro Bono Child Custody Project in memory of Ann Liechty, who received the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award in 1998 for her dedicated work as a child law advocate.  Ending in 2008, this Project developed and assisted a nationwide network of programs and volunteers to represent children in custody situations.  The final report of the Project, Enhancing the Representation of Children in Private Custody Cases: Resources and Lessons Learned from the ABA Child Custody and Adoption Pro Bono Project, as well as other online resources, continue to provide guidance to all individuals and programs working to give a voice to children in private custody cases.

Jack W. Londen 

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

Jack W. Londen began donating to the ABA Fund for Justice and Education in 1989.   Since then he has given generously to secure legal aid to indigent defendants, expand the scope of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice, and support the ABA’s Legal Opportunity Scholarships to diverse law students.  In addition to chairing the 2019 Thurgood Marshall Dinner, Mr. Londen is a current officer and former President of the Consortium for the National Equal Justice Library, served as co-chair of the National Lawyers’ Committee on Civil Rights Under Law, Chair of the California Commission on Access to Justice, a founder of Lawyers for One America, and chair of Californians for Legal Aid.

Robert MacCrate

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

For over 33 years, Robert (Bob) MacCrate (1921-2016) gave generously to the ABA’s access to justice, diversity and educational programs.  As president of the ABA in 1989-90, he formed the Commission on Women in the Profession to report on the status of women practicing law and propose ways to remove obstacles to their advancement. He appointed Hillary Clinton to lead it.  Mr. MacCrate received the ABA Medal in 2001.  Although retired from active practice, he continued to serve on many boards and was active as a Senior Counsel of Sullivan & Cromwell until age 94.

Scott Michel

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Scott Michel has been active in the ABA’s Section of Taxation his entire career. He directs his philanthropy to support the Tax Justice, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (JDEI) and the Tax Assistance Public Service (TAPS) Endowment funds.  JDEI provides stable, long-term funding for the Loretta Collins Argrett Fellowship.  This Fellowship seeks to create a more accessible and equitable pipeline into the Section of Taxation and the tax bar.  Investment revenue from TAPS funds tax-related public service programs for underserved taxpayers through the Christine A. Brunswick Public Service Fellowship.

Steven F. Molo

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Steven (Steve) Molo is a founding partner of the national litigation boutique MoloLamken LLP. He represents corporations, boards, funds, investors, inventors, and individuals in complex business litigation, white collar criminal matters, and IP litigation. His client base is international. Steve is building an endowment comprised of donations from New York area law firms, along with his own, for the ABA Section of Litigation’s Judicial Intern Opportunity Program (JIOP). Through JIOP, first and second year law students thrive from a summer internship experience that entails conducting legal research and writing for state or federal judges.

William H. Neukom

PLATINUM DONOR    $1 Million+

William H. (Bill) Neukom has been an FJE donor since 1987 and directs his personal philanthropy to strengthen the Rule of Law internationally, creating technological innovations in the field of law, as well as pursuing civil rights and social justice.  In addition to being President of the ABA in 2007–08, Mr. Neukom was the principal legal counsel for Microsoft for almost 25 years and the Chairman of the Gates Law Firm in Seattle, now part of K&L Gates. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Pacific Council on International Policy and spends the majority of his time focused on his role as Founder & CEO of the World Justice Project.

William G. Paul

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

William (Bill) Paul’s numerous professional accomplishments as a now retired Crowe & Dunlevy attorney included a drive for more diversity among lawyers. As the ABA’s President (1999-2000), he founded and continues to be a personal benefactor of the Legal Opportunity Scholarship that annually provides $300,000 to 60 minority law students.  Over the past two decades, the Scholarship has made the dream of a legal career come true for young people overcoming profound disadvantages.  Mr. Paul began giving to the FJE in 1980 with a $100 contribution.

Alan E. Peterson

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

A generous donor to the ABA Section of Public Contract Law’s charitable programs, Alan Peterson (1929-2020) made possible the Section’s Education Project that addresses the constant changes in the procurement process by keeping the Model Procurement Code for State and Local Governments up to date.  It also supports speakers from government and academia who add their expertise to the Section’s continued legal education offerings.  Mr. Peterson and his wife, Mildred, received the Roger K. Johnson Award in 2013 which recognizes those who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to families and communities served by Metropolitan Family Services DuPage.

Alison and Thomas Sander

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

Alison, Tom and Ernie Sander initiated an endowment in memory of their father, Frank E. A. Sander, and his lifetime achievement as architect of the modern alternative dispute resolution movement and the multi-door courthouse concept.  Each year, exemplary individual(s) or organizations will be judged worthy to receive the Frank E.A. Sander Innovation in ADR Award, based on innovation excellence that advances the thinking and practice of alternative dispute resolution. Frank E.A. Sander’s legacy lives on at the ABA and will continue to inspire innovative thinking and heightened engagement in the highly important area of dispute resolution.

Eric & Wendy Schmidt

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

Since 2006, Eric and Wendy Schmidt have supported a broad range of environmental, educational and science-oriented programs through The Schmidt Family Foundation’s 11^th Hour Project, the Schmidt Ocean Institute and personal gifts. Recently, they have made substantial charitable investments in the ABA Rule of Law Initiative’s Legal Scholarship Fund for Congolese Women. Since the legal scholarship program began, it has expanded to benefit female law students throughout Eastern DRC.  Scholarship recipients demonstrate the consequential role that female legal professionals play in protecting women’s rights. Eric Schmidt is the executive chairman of Alphabet Inc. Wendy Schmidt is the president of the Schmidt Family Foundation and co-founder of the Schmidt Ocean Institute.

Bernard G. Segal

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

In 1992, Bernard Segal (1907-1997) established an endowment at the ABA and directed its annual income to support activities or publications promoting civil rights.  For more than five decades, the ABA’s charitable programs have worked on hundreds of issues addressing a broad range of civil rights, civil liberties, and international human rights.  Thanks to his past leadership as an ABA President (1969-70) and this endowment, the ABA continues to promote policies affecting religious freedom, LGBT rights, gender equity, and other significant civil rights issues. 

Edward D. (Ned) Spurgeon 

SILVER DONOR    $100,000 - $499,999

Ned Spurgeon (1939-2021) created the Edward D. (Ned) Spurgeon Professional Elder Law Education Endowment Fund culminating in more than two decades of leadership in the ABA Commission on Law and Aging.  Mr. Spurgeon was a long-time active proponent for the legal rights of America’s indigent aging population.  The Commission honored him for his leadership role on the occasion of its 30th anniversary in 2009.  In 2016, Ned Spurgeon received the ABA Senior Lawyers Division's John H. Pickering Achievement Award for his unparalleled efforts in addressing the law-related needs of older persons across numerous domains: legal education, scholarly research, the delivery of legal services, innovative programming, and policy development.  Mr. Spurgeon’s remarkable contributions, foresight and dedication to elder rights has greatly impacted the field by increasing its visibility and vitality. Initiatives spearheaded by Spurgeon forged a momentous and continuing path of justice for older persons, especially those in poverty.  He founded the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging in 1998 and served as Director and later Co-Director until 2018. 

Robert A. Stein

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Professor Robert (Bob) A. Stein’s giving to the ABA’s good works, to protect the rule of law and provide access to justice for the indigent, dates back to 1993 with his $100 donation.  As the ABA’s Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer (1994 to 2006), Bob Stein oversaw law reform programs in more than 25 countries in Central and Eastern Europe and in Asia. He continues to be active as a delegate on the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates.

Reginald M. Turner, Jr.

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Reginald (Reggie) Turner, a lawyer with Clark Hill in Detroit, is an accomplished litigator, government affairs advocate, and strategic advisor.  Reggie served as ABA President in 2021-2022.  Prior to his presidency, he chaired the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession and the Commission on the Lawyer's Role in Assuring Every Child a Quality Education.  In the ABA House of Delegates, he served as the state delegate for Michigan and as chair of the Rules & Calendar Committee, the Committee on Issues of Concern to the Profession, and the Committee on Credentials and Admissions. A donor to the ABA Fund for Justice and Education since 2005, Reggie has directed a large share of his generosity to the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund that provides $15,000 each, over three years, to as many as 20 diverse law students annually.

Peter A. Winograd

BRONZE DONOR    $50,000 - $99,999

Peter Winograd’s law school class of 1963 was comprised of 500+ students, almost all of whom were Caucasian males. After graduation, receipt of a one-year teaching fellowship at NYU School of Law marked the beginning of a long career in legal education that included assistant/associate deanships at NYU, Georgetown University Law Center, and the University of New Mexico School of Law, as well as four years at Educational Testing Service as Director of Law Programs for the Law School Admission Council (LSAC, then an ETS client). Peter, along with representatives of several other law schools, soon became involved in early efforts to diversify the population of law school entering classes, reaching out initially to colleges with large populations of underrepresented groups and developing summer “headstart” programs. These projects expanded over the years, with results measurable both within law schools and the profession generally, and carried over into Peter’s primary activities as an ABA member. After serving for nine years on the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar (four as Secretary), receiving the Section’s Robert J. Kutak Award, and serving on more than thirty law school site evaluation teams as a member or chair, he served a term on the Board of Governors, four years as a Section Officers Conference Liaison to the Board, two terms on the Fund for Justice and Education Council, and a term on the Legal Opportunity Scholarship Fund’s (LOSF) Selection Committee. The latter assignment so impressed him with the high potential and the hurdles already overcome by LOSF applicants that Peter has earmarked most of his FJE contributions for the LOSF and has encouraged others to do the same. In 2018, at the 50^th anniversary celebration of CLEO (the Council on Legal Education Opportunity, which was supported by the ABA in its early years), he received a Founders Award.