Practice Management

Much like sport stadiums, product placement in movies and, really, advertising on the side of buses represents an interesting way these days to raise money, no longer it seems do you have venues and institutions named in honor of people who actually contribute something of importance in their respective fields, as we  after buildings and libraries and the like named after extraneous people who offer little more than money.

Take St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami.  It has entered a new level of selling the naming rights to almost everything for a price. Maybe there might be room, in my case, for there to be the Chuck Newton door stop or pencil sharpener or something.  I do not have that much money.

As reported by the National Law Journal:

"While all law schools seem to be launching naming rights campaigns to raise funds these days, St. Thomas University School of Law in Miami has taken the concept to a new level.

Not only is the small private law school selling naming rights to its school for $10 million, it is also offering donors the opportunity to have their names plastered on the student center, law library, conference room, annexes, breezeways, classrooms, instructor's offices, and a new "Center for Global Justice and Dialogue." The bathroom, however, is not for sale.

"The genesis of this is the law school is about to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year, and this is the first serious concerted fundraising effort we have launched," said Al Garcia, dean of the law school.

The naming rights fundraising campaign was launched one year ago.  And while the big enchilada ? the naming of the law school for $10 million ? is still up for grabs, the school has had considerable success selling off pieces of the school, raising some $600,000 so far....

[L]ast month, alumnus Alex Hanna donated $250,000 to name the school's law library. Hanna previously donated $25,000 to name the law school's main entrance.  Other donations include $50,000 from attorney Pat Cordero for a breezeway, $25,000 from Phil and Denise Gerson for the law school conference room, $10,000 from Miami-Dade Judge David Gerstein for the moot courtroom atrium, $10,000 from Sean Greene for the law school walkway and $10,000 from Michael P. Rudd for the student affairs walkway.



Other, smaller gifts will be used to name classrooms and faculty suites, said Mark Casale, director of alumni affairs and major gifts.....  But hasn't the economy hit lawyers?  Apparently not, according to Casale. "The economy is hitting hard everywhere, but there are attorneys in all walks of life doing well," he said"

I remember when Catholic Universities named buildings out after saints, or at least notable priests, nuns, brothers and the dedicated religious that dedicated their life to making a difference.

I would hope that if St. Thomas is going to do this, tht it at least use the money gained to drastically and dramatically reduce its tuition, and try to provide a free law school education to the deserving.  But, I doubt it will happen.