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Philanthropy


Alumnus Michael D. Hausfeld, JD ’69, helped secure a $5.1 million cy pres award to endow a Center for Competition Law at GW Law School.

Leading the Way in Competition Law

Law School receives $5.1 million for new center

An alumnus who has set new standards for social justice is now helping GW Law School forge its own path in the emerging field of competition law.

Michael D. Hausfeld, JD ’69, one of the nation’s top civil litigators, secured a $5.1 million cy pres award to endow a Center for Competition Law at GW Law School. The innovative center, one of the first of its kind in the world, will help further the research, theory, and practice of antitrust law, an increasingly significant field that evolves day by day with market globalization.

“In the international arena, this is an opportunity that rarely, if ever, occurs. [Those involved in the Center] will be developing a new set of legal rules; everything is fresh,” Hausfeld says. “Not only will they be engaged in the law, but they will be helping to write the law. There is nothing more challenging and stimulating.”

The cy pres award, which was granted to GW Law in July, is a portion of a class-action settlement in the case of Diamond Chemical Company, Inc. v. Akzo Nobel Chemicals B.V. and Atofina Chemicals, Inc., et al., a successful antitrust lawsuit brought by Hausfeld that alleged global price fixing schemes.

A cy pres award is made when full restitution to all injured parties in a class-action lawsuit is impossible or infeasible. Instead, the funds are used in a way that indirectly benefits the parties.

Hausfeld, who specializes in antitrust and international law at the Washington firm of Cohen, Milstein, Hausfeld & Toll, says he envisioned a Center for Competition Law at GW because of the school’s pioneering work in the field. GW Law already has an established antitrust program and expertise in a variety of international law issues.

Dean Frederick M. Lawrence points to these strengths as “a perfect synergy” for the center, which will bring together scholars, students, and practicing attorneys to sponsor and conduct research, organize conferences, and serve as a resource to promote private enforcement in competition law in the United States and abroad. Professor Edward Swaine, who specializes in international law, foreign relations law, and antitrust law, will be the center’s acting director. Professor Jonathan Siegel, Professor Roger Trangsrud, and Steven Schooner, senior associate dean for academic affairs, spearheaded work on the cy pres papers.

“This is real academic recognition of the fact that competition law has become a global phenomenon,” Lawrence says. “We will strive to provide research and academic programs that both advance knowledge in the field and engage with practicing attorneys and government policymakers in order to have a significant practical effect.”

Scholars and practicing attorneys say there is a substantial need to review and evaluate the current environment of antitrust law on a consistent and focused basis. Robert Anderson, counsellor in the World Trade Organization Secretariat’s Intellectual Property Division and a globally recognized authority in international competition policy, articulated the potential for such a center in his declaration to the court: “Approximately 100 countries now have national competition laws.... [This] has given rise to a major need for educational and training support and to important issues of policy coordination between countries in the application of competition law.” He explained that “work aimed at strengthening competition laws and institutions in countries with limited experience in this area, including scholarly analysis and research in addition to the training of well-qualified practitioners, can serve the interests of consumers worldwide. Such work can, in particular, help to promote a global business environment where cartels and other harmful anti-competitive practices are not tolerated.”

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Dean Frederick M. Lawrence and GW President Steven Knapp recognize Michael D. Hausfeld, JD ’69, during the Dean’s Dinner Oct. 12 at the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington.

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Hausfeld echoes that the center’s focus on practical training is crucial to excelling in the ever-changing field. He says GW Law gave him the background he needed to succeed. As a law student in the late 1960s, Hausfeld appreciated that GW classes required more than reciting case histories.

“GW taught me to keep an open mind,” Hausfeld says. Course work “concentrated on our ability to imaginatively relate to a case…to put together the best advocacy while still understanding the strength of the other side.”

Hausfeld used this education and insight to help establish an impressive career. During the past three decades, he has been involved with some of the largest and most successful class actions in the fields of human rights, discrimination, and antitrust law. In Friedman v. Union Bank of Switzerland, Hausfeld represented Holocaust victims whose assets were wrongfully retained by private Swiss banks during and after World War II. He broke legal grounds in 1976 by trying the first case establishing that sexual harassment in the workplace was a violation of civil rights. And he negotiated a then-record $176 million settlement from Texaco Inc. in a 1997 racial-bias discrimination case.

In competition law, Hausfeld is or has been co-lead counsel in antitrust cases against manufacturers of genetically engineered foods, managed healthcare companies, bulk vitamin manufacturers, technology companies, and international industrial cartels.

For Hausfeld, being a good attorney means “having a passion to try to even the imbalance in the system itself.” He recalls a defining moment in his career in the early 1970s, when he was representing a group of individuals in a large antitrust case against some of the most renowned Wall Street firms.

“Our clients asked us, ‘How are we ever going to stand up to these forces?’”

He replied: “That’s the beauty of having equal talent.”

Always willing to stand up for a just cause, Hausfeld says he has retained the same passion that fueled his interest in law more than 30 years ago. He hopes this passion for social justice will find its place at the Center for Competition Law, and in the students who choose to take on the challenging field.

“GW is situated to achieve what law schools need to at this time,” he says. “The students are not just products of 150 years of curricula; they are being taught to adapt to legal challenges.”

Lawrence adds that Hausfeld’s work ethic, decency, and intelligence will set the tone for the center.

“Michael’s wisdom and generosity are wonderful examples that, in the practice of law, one can do well and do good at the same time,” Lawrence says.

—Jaime Ciavarra

GW Law Alumni Jointly Establish Chair of International Law

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Jane Weatherly, JD ’99, flanked by GW Law Dean Frederick M. Lawrence (left) and GW President Steven Knapp, displays the decorative bust of George Washington presented to her by Lawrence in recognition of her generosity to the Law School.

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The elegant ballroom of the American Red Cross National Headquarters in Washington was the perfect backdrop for the fall Dean’s Dinner on Oct. 12, featuring the formal announcement of GW Law’s newest endowed chair—the Manatt/Ahn Endowed Professorship of International Law.

At the well-attended dinner, GW Law Dean Frederick M. Lawrence paid tribute to the chair’s major donors—Ambassador Charles T. Manatt, JD ’62, and Jane Weatherly, JD ’99, who made a generous gift from the estate of her late mother, Jin-Hyun Weatherly Ahn, MBA ’81, to establish the professorship. “I knew that my mom had been very close with Chuck Manatt and Pat Gurne, whom she served with on GW’s Board of Trustees, so when she passed away unexpectedly in January 2003, we sat down together to discuss funding a professorship that would both recognize her and contribute to the University and the legal community,” Weatherly says.

A chair of international law was the perfect compromise, as both Manatt and Ahn shared a global focus in their professional lives. “My mother was a phenomenal businesswoman whose playground was the international community,” Weatherly says. “As an international business consultant specializing in joint ventures between the United States and abroad, she brought Mars bars and Spam to Korea and Hyundai to America.” A native of Seoul, Korea, who immigrated to the United States as a young adult, Ahn also owned several hotels and resorts in the United States—including a 27-hole golf resort in St. Augustine, Fla.

The devoted GW alumna served on the board of trustees from 1993 to 1999 and was a generous donor to the School of Business and Public Management. “She felt very strongly about the importance of supporting the University,” says Weatherly, who recently joined the Dean’s Board of Advisors at GW Law. “This professorship ensures that she’ll continue to contribute to the Law School and the University even after her passing.”

The Manatt/Ahn chair, which will be filled by Dinah L. Shelton, a prominent professor of international law and human rights law, is the first of its kind at GW. Through the new professorship, the Law School is “uniquely positioned to become a top leader in advancing human rights and commercial rights worldwide under the rule of law,” says Manatt, who served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Dominican Republic from 1999 to 2001.

“International law is clearly an area of law that seems to change overnight,” says Weatherly, who, along with Manatt, received a bust of George Washington from Lawrence in recognition of her generosity. “It’s not about individual countries anymore. International law is really exploding, and, with the superb choice of Dinah Shelton as the first Manatt/Ahn professor, I strongly believe that GW Law will continue to be a leader in the field.”

At the Dean’s Dinner, Lawrence lauded both Manatt and Weatherly for their “extraordinary role” in building faculty endowment at GW Law. “We are delighted to honor these two alumni from different generations who share a devotion to the school, to the rule of law, and to helping us build our academic programs,” he said.

The dean praised Weatherly for her deep commitment to public service and public interest. As a second year GW Law student, Weatherly served in the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics’ Administrative Advocacy Clinic—an experience that ultimately led her to pursue a career in public interest law. “I appreciate the opportunity to help the underserved because I believe there’s no reason why the size of someone’s wallet should determine the kind of benefits they do or don’t receive in the legal system,” she states.

After graduating from GW Law, Weatherly worked for several years in the public defender’s office in Palm Beach County, Fla. “I really loved it,” she says. “Just one thank you a week made it all worthwhile.” Last year, she and her husband, Ryan, moved to Taos, N.M., where they are happily raising baby daughter Olympia, who turned 1 on Nov. 30.

Weatherly says that she is honored to serve on the Dean’s Board of Advisors at her alma mater. “Fred Lawrence is a great leader who is doing a phenomenal job and I’m thrilled to support him,” she says. “I loved my time at GW Law and am pleased to contribute both through the advisory board and the professorship, which I hope will not only enrich the minds of future lawyers, but also help them shape the world.”

—Jamie L. Freedman

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Mike Naeve, JD ’84

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James R. Simms, JD ’86

Law Firm Challenge

This year’s inaugural Law Firm Challenge ended with a solid finish! Of the 140 GW Law alumni employed at the five participating law firms, 40 percent made a gift to the Law School. This is a tremendous increase from past firm support.

Of the participating firms, Skadden Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates achieved the highest number of alumni participation. Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP raised the most dollars for the Law School’s Law Firm Challenge.

Established in the fall of 2006, the Law Firm Challenge is a friendly competition led by alumni volunteers from each participating firm. The Challenge is designed to involve alumni in the life of the Law School and to promote alumni participation in the GW Law Annual Fund.

The upcoming 2007-08 school year will kick off the Challenge in early April and include five additional law firms. Mike Naeve, JD ’84, will replace Carole Elder Bruce, JD ’74, as the current Law Firm Challenge Chair.

Thank you to all the participants and volunteers of the 2006-07 Law Firm Challenge.

Carol Elder Bruce, JD ’74, Law Firm Challenge Chair
Venable LLP

Jonathan S. Kahan, JD ’73, Firm Challenge Vice Chair
Hogan & Hartson LLP

Mike Naeve, JD ’84, Partner Agent
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP & Affiliates

James R. Sims III, JD ’86, Partner Agent
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP

Barry J. Hart, JD ’73, Partner Agent
Winston & Strawn LLP

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Intellectual Property Advisory Board Members

CHAIR

G. Franklin Rothwell, JD ’56

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

Brian Brunsvold, JD ’67
Hon. Q. Todd Dickinson
Richard L. Donaldson, LLM ’73
Charles R. Donohoe, JD ’70
Donald R. Dunner
Hon. Timothy Ellis
Albert E. Fey, JD ’58
Jack C. Goldstein, JD ’68
Jorge A. Goldstein, JD ’82
A. Sidney Katz, JD ’66
Gary S. Kindness, JD ’65
Jeffrey P. Kushan, JD ’92

Otto B. Licks, LLM ’95
Hon. Richard Linn
Don W. Martens, JD ’63
Roger L. May, JD ’72
Joseph Nicholson, JD ’90
Raymond P. Niro, JD ’69
Carol Oberdorfer
Norman F. Oblon, JD ’68
Hon. Ralph Oman
C. Larry O’Rourke, JD ’71
Daniel R. Passeri, JD ’94
Hon. Marybeth Peters, JD ’71
Louis T. Pirkey, JD ’64
Hon. Randall R. Rader, JD ’78
James R. Sims III, JD ’86
Jonathan T. Suder, JD ’84
Harold C. Wegner
Hon. Ronald M. Whyte

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The George Washington University Law School Board of Advisors

CHAIRMAN

Darrell L. Dreher, JD ’73

CHAIRMAN EMERITI

Richard W. Blackburn, JD ’67
David R. Berz, BA ’70, JD ’73

MEMBERS OF THE BOARD

Hon. William P. Barr, JD ’77
Bradley Ian Berger, JD ’72
Hon. Edward Blackmon Jr., JD ’73
David S. Brown Jr., JD ’69
Carol Elder Bruce, BA ’71, JD ’74
Bobby R. Burchfield, JD ’79
Rosalie Burns, M.D.
Dale L. Carlisle, JD ’60
Charles A. Clarkson, JD ’72
Douglas E. Davidson, JD ’71
Stephen J. Davidson, JD ’73
Jared M. Drescher, JD ’67
David B. Falk, JD ’75
Hon. Daniel R. Glickman, JD ’69
Hon. Steven M. Goldman, JD ’76
Franklin L. Haney, LLB ’65
A. J. Johnson, MBA ’96, JD ’96
Jonathan S. Kahan, BA ’70, JD ’73
J. Richard Knop, JD ’69

Steven A. Lerman, JD ’72
Theodore A. Levine, JD ’69
Edward H. Lyman, JD ’68
Robert E. Mangels, JD ’70
Thomas L. Mills, JD ’75
Alexia Morrison, JD ’72
Preston R. Padden, JD ’73
Robert L. Patron, JD ’98
Edwin L. Phelps, JD ’68
Hon. Margaret M. Richardson, JD ’68
Marcos G. Ronquillo, JD ’79
Hon. Gerald Rosen, JD ’79
John T. Schwieters, JD ’65
William H. Shawn, BA ’70, JD ’73
Ronald J. Silverman, JD ’72
Thomas F. Smegal Jr., JD ’61
John W. Snow, JD ’67
Ira L. Sorkin, JD ’68
Dennis Charles Sweet III., JD ’80
Steven A. Tasher, JD ’73
James L. Volling, JD ’79
Charles S. Walsh, JD ’67
Timothy J. Waters, JD ’68
Jane L. Weatherly, JD ’99
Lawrence Zweifach, JD ’73

EMERITUS MEMBERS

Gary C. Granoff, BBA ’69, JD ’73
Hon. James F. Humphreys, JD ’78