The UC Davis School of Law is gaining some early momentum in its new building fundraising initiative.

This summer, the School of Law has received more than $2 million in leadership gifts toward its effort to remake the School of Law. Those gifts were celebrated Aug. 29 with an event that included donors, students, faculty and a generous amount of spray paint.

Bright white, spray-painted lines and clusters of balloons marked the proposed new building's boundaries. The plan for the remade facility includes a significant expansion toward the Mrak Hall traffic circle, and a new "front door" that faces east, allowing easy access to Mrak Hall Drive.

Guests expressed excitement at the prospects of seeing major changes at King Hall, which has not had a significant structural update since it was built in 1969.

"This initiative will enable the School of Law to offer superior training for these young lawyers who will be populating our legal community," said Yeoryios Apallas '72, who facilitated a $1.5 million gift from the William and Inez Mabie Family Foundation toward the building initiative. The school's library will be renamed the Mabie Law Library.

UC Davis and the state are funding more than two-thirds of the total building cost of $30 million, but campus officials are relying on donors to supply the remaining funds.

"Private support is crucially important to this initiative," said Rex Perschbacher, the school's dean. "It bridges the funding gap and allows us to build facilities that are critical to our future in educating the highest quality legal scholars."

The initiative's fundraising goal is set at $8 million. In addition to the William and Inez Mabie Family Foundation, leading donors include: alumni Thomas Stallard '75 and his wife, Meg; Philip Satre '75 and his wife Jennifer; Patrick Emery '74 and his wife Allison; Steve Machtinger '74 and his wife Susan; and Joseph Bernstein '74. In addition, Sue Wilkins, whose late husband, federal Judge Philip Charles Wilkins, was involved with the UC Davis School of Law in its moot court program and other activities, is a major donor to the initiative.

Rising support

Philanthropic support for the School of Law increased dramatically in the 2005-06 fiscal year that ended June 30. The Annual Fund increased 40 percent from the previous year and surpassed the goal of $200,000. The 2006 Graduating Class Gift program also set record-breaking levels, raising more than $12,000 from 101 class members who represented 52 percent of the students.

Marc Fernandez, law student and Law Student Association president, thanked those who supported the school and challenged the school's alumni and future students to give back to the school through donations and volunteering.

"This school retains a special place in the hearts of all those who have passed through these walls. I ask that all of us remember King Hall in every way possible." Fernandez stated.

Law school leadership has set a goal to be the best, small public law school in the nation. Consistently appearing in the top tier of the U.S. News and World Report rankings, the school's academic program is progressive, with intellectual property programs, legislative and public interest offerings, bioethics law, and immigration and human rights law joining the school's established strengths in international law, environmental law, and corporate and public law. The school also has a strong commitment to public service through the operation of its law clinics and its library, which serves as a regional resource for free legal information to the public.

The law building, King Hall, is named after the late civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and reflects the school's commitment to providing a comprehensive legal education marked by high ethical standards. The building name will remain the same after the expansion, and the new light and open style set out in the building plans is designed to reflect the public spirit of the school.