Supporting Student Organizations: Alumni Gifts Make a Difference

UC Davis School of Law alumni often say that participation in student organizations provided some of their most valuable learning experiences and fondest memories of law school. Many, including Chris Hughes '07, are helping to ensure that the tradition continues by making gifts to the student organizations that made their King Hall years special.

As a law student, Hughes was a co-founder of the King Hall Negotiations Team (KHNT).  Together with Micah Nilsson '07 and Professor Donna Shestowsky, he travelled to American Bar Association-sponsored negotiations competitions, an experience so rewarding that Hughes and Nilsson were determined to make sure similar opportunities were available to subsequent generations of students.  They took on the laborious process of registering the KHNT as a student group during their final months of law school and continued their involvement after graduation.

Now an attorney with Hughes Law Corporation in Sacramento, Hughes has been a frequent volunteer, serving as a panelist for KHNT educational events, a guest speaker in Professor Shestowsky's Negotiations course, and a judge for the annual King Hall Negotiations Competition.  He has also provided financial support for KHNT activities.

"As a student, I remember what it was like to get involved with an organization, only to discover a shortfall in the school's budget," said Hughes. "Years later, as an attorney, it is my pleasure to contribute time and money to helping students achieve their goals, especially now that I can choose to donate money directly to specific organizations at the school."

Professor Shestowsky said that Hughes's generosity has directly benefitted students by enabling KHNT to host its intraschool competition and by funding special events such as mixers that offered students the opportunity to meet informally with guest speakers and alumni practitioners.

"Many law students have told me that negotiation competitions - the ones we organize internally, and the ones we send our students to around the country - really ignite their passion for learning how to be a good lawyer and bring value to their clients," said Shestowsky. "They also enjoy collaborating with other students on negotiation simulations and say that it leads to really great friendships. By supporting our negotiations program, alums can be part of this collaborative King Hall tradition that the students and I have worked so hard to build."

King Hall alumni who wish to support specific student organizations may do so via the School of Law's Online Giving Page or by contacting Karen Charney, Senior Director of Development, at [email protected] or (530) 752-6209.