Record number of participants and amount of money raised for USC Law
—By Bridget O’Sullivan
This year’s Law Firm Challenge has set new records for the number of participants and amount of money raised for USC Law. Hundreds of alumni from around the world came together to show their support for their law school.
The Law Firm Challenge calls on firms, organizations or companies that have two or more USC Law alumni to join the annual competition; the goal of each group is to achieve 100 percent participation by securing contributions from all of their alumni. Winners of the program were thanked in an ad placed in The Daily Journal, posted during the school’s On Campus Interviews and listed online.
This year, a record number of groups reached that goal, including more than a third of first-time participants. Their efforts, combined with the dedicated involvement of USC Law’s younger alumni, helped make this the most successful year on record. This year’s outstanding participation in the Challenge contributed to a two percent increase in the participation rate, which is at 19 percent for 2008. This increase in the participation rate shows the academic and legal communities that alumni support for USC Law is strong.
Janna Boelke ’03, a real estate associate in the Los Angeles office of Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, served as a class gift agent with Ken Doran ’81, a co-representative in the Law Firm Challenge.
“The reason I participate in the Law Firm Challenge is the opportunity it provides me to connect with Gibson's internal USC Law alumni network and unite everyone with the common goal of supporting the law school,” she said.
A record 69 firms and organizations joined the Challenge this year, almost double the 39 groups involved last year. This increase brings the number of Challenge participants to nearly 10 percent of the school’s alumni.
As the level of participation increases, so does the scope of the campaign.
“This year, we were energized by the friendly competition with our peer law firms, and I enjoyed reaching out to alums in our other offices that I had never met before,” said Boelke. “I now realize how far and wide the reach of USC Law is — we even have an alum in our London office who made a contribution during the Challenge!”
Another young alumna, Lindsey Hansen ’06, led her firm to their first-ever participation in the Law Firm Challenge. All four of their alumni took part in the effort.
“The Trojan alumni of McGuireWoods are proud to support USC Law,” Hansen said. “It was a pleasure participating in the USC Law Firm Challenge, and we plan to do it again next year.”
Alumni at the California Department of Justice, another newly involved group, also successfully achieved 100 percent participation. Represented by Gloria Castro ’97, all 24 alumni made contributions this year.
“The alums in the Office of the Attorney General in the California Department of Justice were very enthusiastic about the Challenge. The fact that we reached our 100 percent participation goal reflects our passion and commitment for USC Law and the people of the State of California that we serve,” Castro said. “We may not make the most money, but we have shown we have the most heart vis-à-vis our competition.”
These efforts illustrate the reach of the USC Law family and exemplify the commitment of USC Law alumni to the community. If you are part of a firm, organization or company that has two or more USC Law alumni and you would like information on becoming involved with next year’s Law Firm Challenge, please contact Emily Page, assistant director of development and graduate relations.
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