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Dear alumni and friends:
Last week in Nashville, we had the pleasure of hosting the Founders Circle Dinner, where we honored Jim Cuminale ’78 and Nicholas S. Zeppos, Chancellor Emeritus and University Distinguished Professor of Law and Political Science Emeritus.
Jim Cuminale has had a tremendous impact on the Law School as a donor and volunteer. He has supported many of the dean’s top priorities, including endowing the Cynthia A. and James W. Cuminale Scholarship and the Judge Martha Craig Daughtrey Director of Public Interest. Chancellor Emeritus Zeppos served with distinction as provost and chancellor, and he is among the Law School’s most renowned professors. We capped the night with the exciting announcement that, thanks to a generous gift of $8 million from three of Chancellor Emeritus Zeppos’ former students - Hal Hess ‘90, Andy Bayman ‘89, and Lawrence Epstein ’92 (BA’89) - the law school’s courtroom will be renamed in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Zeppos. This is a fitting and well-deserved honor. Thank you to all Donor Society members and friends of the Law School who attended!
I would also like to extend my gratitude to alumni who recently hosted Admitted Student Receptions, including Richard Hays ’86, Robert Hays ’83, and Charlie Morgan ’88 in Atlanta; Paul Werner ’02 and Hannah Wigger ’17 (BA’13) in D.C.; David Gelfand ’87 (BA’84) in New York; and Zach Fardon ’92 (BA’88), Leila Morgan '17, Paul d'Ambrosio '22, Erin Embrey '22, and Kristen Smith '23 in Chicago. Your generosity in welcoming prospective students and sharing your experiences played a vital role in shaping their impressions of VLS. Thank you for making these events such a success!
Even as the semester wraps up, programming at the school remains in full swing. Multiple academic programs held their named lectures. The Weaver Lecture in Law, Brain Science, and Behavior featured distinguished professor of law and neuroscience Francis X. Shen. Ambassador Roger D. Carstens, Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, delivered the Jonathan I. Charney Distinguished Lecture in International Law, and author and lawyer Stephen Bright delivered the Barrett Lecture.
I hope to see you at some of our alumni events this year (see below for save the dates). I am always grateful for such an engaged and supportive alumni community.
Sincerely,
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Chris Guthrie
Dean and John Wade-Kent Syverud Professor of Law
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Vanderbilt Law School Receives $6.8 Million Gift to Establish an Innocence Clinic
Vanderbilt Law School has received a gift from the Anbridge Charitable Fund to endow the creation of The Gail Anderson Cañizares Innocence Clinic, which will support the exoneration of wrongfully convicted individuals in Tennessee while providing students with hands-on case experience. "Thanks to the vision and generosity of Gail and Rob Cañizares, we will be able to provide our students with a transformative educational experience in pursuit of justice for the innocent," said Dean Chris Guthrie.
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Upcoming Event: VBA Alumni Golf Tournament
The Vanderbilt Bar Association invites you to join the VBA Alumni Golf Tournament on Saturday, April 12 at Hermitage Golf Club. The format of the Tournament is a scramble with teams of four. Tee times for foursomes will start every 10 minutes between 11:50 a.m. and 1:20 p.m. There are only 40 spots (10 teams) available. Those spots will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis, so make sure to reserve your spot as soon as possible!
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Vanderbilt Project on Prosecution Policy Launches “True Bill Talk” Podcast
Hosted by VPOPP Director Alissa Marque Heydari, the podcast will feature in-depth conversations with prosecutors, policy experts, and advocates to provide diverse perspectives on the challenges and responsibilities of prosecution.
The first episode, available now, features a conversation with Todd Williams, District Attorney of Buncombe County, North Carolina, who transitioned from a career as a public defender to leading a prosecutor’s office.
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Giving Day 2025 Challenges Announced!
Join the Vanderbilt community for our 9th annual Giving Day on April 10 and give back to the areas and initiatives at the Law School that mean the most to you! Make your gift early here and help us unlock these challenges:
- Participation Challenge: When we reach 100 donors, we unlock a gift of $10,000 to the Law School from Dean Chris Guthrie and Vice Provost Tracey George
- Participation Challenge: When we reach 200 donors, we unlock a gift of $10,000 to the 1994 Law School Class Scholarship from Brad Williams ’94
- Participation Challenge: When we reach 300 donors, we unlock a gift of $25,000 to the Law School from Hal ’90 and Jodi Hess
- Participation Challenge: When we reach 400 donors, we unlock an additional gift of $25,000 to the Law School from Hal ’90 and Jodi Hess
- Matching Gift: Dan ’98 and Lisa Brooks will match 4:1 every donation up to $25,000 to the Ones W. Polk II Memorial Scholarship.
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What Can the TVA do to Better Prepare its Electric Grid for More Extreme Weather?
A new paper from EELU Program Director Caroline Cox, and Jay Eischen '25, a fall 2023 EELU Research Fellow, explores how utilities – and the TVA in particular – can better prepare the electric grid for climate change.
The authors provide an overview of resilience and its place in the electric grid before delving into the regulatory environment, best practices, and case studies from other electric utilities.
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Save the Date for Reunion!
The Law School Reunion Weekend will be held November 7 - 8, 2025. Classes ending in 0 or 5 will be celebrating in Nashville! More information forthcoming.
If you are interested in volunteering for your class, please email alumni@law.vanderbilt.edu.
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Andy Bayman ‘89, Lawrence Epstein ’92 (BA’89), and Hal Hess ’90, who made an $8 million gift to rename the courtroom in honor of Chancellor Emeritus Nicholas S. Zeppos, were recognized by Dean Guthrie at last week’s Founders Circle Dinner.
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Save the Date and Join Us at our Future Campaign Events!
- London – May 21, 2025 | Saatchi Gallery
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