At a time when things are going tough both for law schools and law students, any help is more than welcome, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has reason to be happy. It has just received two contributions totaling $2.7 million to help students enrolled in its School of Law.
The major contribution of $2.4 million is from the Kathrine R. Everett Charitable Trust, and would be used to create an endowment for funding six full-tuition scholarships. The scholarships would be named Everett Chancellors’ Scholarships and would be provided to promising law students from North Carolina. The other gift is one of $300,000 for the Everett Enrichment Fund, which would provide program support for the students who receive Everett scholarships.
On Wednesday, John Charles Boger, the dean of the law school said “With this gift, the Everett family continues its remarkable generosity to Carolina law … We are deeply grateful to alumna Kathrine R. Everett, whose influence as a pioneer in the legal profession continues after her death through her generous philanthropy.â€
Kathrine R. Everett was a North Carolina lawyer who was one of the first women to graduate from the University of North Carolina School of Law. Her career spanned seven decades. Karhrine was also the first woman to argue and win a case before the North Carolina Supreme Court. She topped the State Bar Examinations in 1920 and practiced law until the age of 97. She died in 1992 and designated the UNC law school and the law school at Duke University as beneficiaries to a major portion of her estate.
Greg Everett, a trustee and grandson of Kathrine Everett said “She would be thrilled to know her gifts will serve to attract the very best and brightest student from the state to UNC School of Law and will contribute to the education of the state’s future lawyers and leaders.â€