The University of Washington School of Law

Law School Receives Hefty Donation for Environmental Law

The University of Washington School of Law just received a multi-million-dollar donation that will support law grads pursuing public interest environmental law.
The $3.75 million dollar gift will establish the John Diehl Endowed Fellowship, which will be awarded to UW Law grads practicing environmental public interest law, including natural resource conservation, wilderness protection, and environmental health, according to a press release.
“We are extremely grateful to Mr. Diehl for his support of our graduates and commitment to public interest environmental law,” says Mario Barnes, professor and the Toni Rembe Dean of the UW School of Law. “His gift creates a tremendous legacy that will enable us to recruit more top students to UW Law and encourages our students to fight for environmental justice, resource conservation and wilderness protections for generations to come.”
PARTNERSHIPS
The fellowship will encourage partnerships with nongovernmental organizations working on environmental issues.
“Some of our most pressing environmental issues will be decided by experts trained in law and policy,” Barnes says. “As a society, we benefit from legal advocates with a background in environmental law.”
The hope is that students can get an early career financial boost to pursue public interest environmental law after graduation.
“The big environmental challenges are many, which creates a rich field of legal need,” Todd Wildermuth, director of environmental law at UW, says. “Diehl’s gift allows more students to jump right into the field and get to much-needed work right away.”
The announcement of the fellowship comes during UW’s “Be Boundless – For Washington, For the World” philanthropic campaign, which has helped established 1,025 new scholarships and fellowships.
Sources: University of Washington, University of Washington