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University of Michigan Law

Michigan Law Alum Donates Multi-Million Gift To Law School

The University of Michigan Law School just received a $5 million gift.

The Breach Family Foundation and Michigan Law alumnus David A. Breach, chief operating officer and chief legal officer of Vista Equity Partners, donated $5 million to permanently endow the David A. Breach Deanship. The gift will also help fund racial justice initiatives at Michigan Law.

“The Breach family has long demonstrated its thoughtful and generous commitment to Michigan Law, and this remarkable commitment will help shape the experience of Michigan Law students for generations to come; for that, we are enormously grateful,” Michigan Law Dean Mark D. West says in a press release.

RACIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES

The gift from the Breach Family will endow the Michigan Law Deanship, which will in turn help support the law school’s racial justice initiatives and goals.

“David’s philanthropic leadership and exceptional generosity in endowing the deanship will expand the Law School’s ability to address—through research, teaching, and service—the racial injustice and institutional barriers that Black people, indigenous people, and people of color continue to face,” Dean West says.

GIVING BACK

Breach, who graduated from Michigan Law in 1994, has a history of giving back to the community.

In 2017, Breach and his wife established the David A. and Emily A. Breach Law School Scholarship Fund offering $1 million to support socioeconomically disadvantaged students.

Breach cites his own humble beginnings and his time at Michigan Law as major reasons behind his success today and, more importantly, his urge to give back.

“I came from fairly humble beginnings financially and academically, but I was fortunate to have had people in my life when I was young who saw potential in me. Michigan Law changed my life’s trajectory in a profound way. It opened doors I didn’t even know existed and set me on a course for professional success,” Breach says.

He hopes his latest donation will continue opening doors for future students.

“This gift is an investment from my family and me to help ensure this special place remains one of the world’s premier institutions of legal education by empowering tremendous leaders like Dean West to make investments in the areas that will have the biggest influence and impact on the Law School, the legal community, and the world,” Breach says. “As a proud Michigan Law alumnus, it is a special privilege to have my name associated with such an exceptional public law school and its legacy of excellence.”

Sources: Michigan Law, Quadrangle

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