The gift is believed to be the largest in the law school’s history.
The clinic matches law students with impoverished clients who need legal representation and advice. Since its inception in 2009, the clinic has handled more than 500 cases and works closely with the Legal Aid Society, which is housed in the same building.
Sue Ellen Ackerson of Louisville and her family made the gift to honor Robert Ackerson, her late husband, who founded Ackerson and Yann law firm. The clinic is being renamed The Robert and Sue Ellen Ackerson Law Clinic.
“This gift is truly powerful because it helps some of the most underserved people in our community,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “We are grateful to the Ackersons for ensuring that the law clinic will be funded well into the future.”
Ackerson graduated from the UofL College of Business in 1955. Her husband, a 1958 law school graduate, died in 2008.
“We wanted to do something to help both the law school and the community as well as show both Bob’s and my appreciation for all the university has meant to our family,” she said. “The clinic was a perfect fit.”
