Generous Donation from Alumna Hilarie Bass Announced

The gift to the UM School of Law will be used to support the school’s Legacy of Legal Education.

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (March 20, 2014) – A generous gift from University of Miami Board of Trustee member and co-president of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, Hilarie Bass, J.D. ’81, will name an area central to student life and education at the UM School of Law. The well-known student Bricks area in the heart of the law school quadrangle will be named “The Bass Bricks” in her honor. Bass has generously provided a $1 million commitment to the law school in support of Momentum2: The Breakthrough Campaign for the University of Miami.

"It was important to me to give back to this institution that played such a crucial role in my development as an attorney and shaping the person I am today," said Bass, a member of the School of Law's Visiting Committee and Momentum2 Campaign Committee. "I chose the Bricks because it's the center of campus life at the School of Law, and I have fond memories of the time I spent there. I hope that future students who gather there will leave inspired to fulfill their own dreams and go on to great success within the legal community."

Bass’s contribution will also honor the value of practical experience and the training that one can receive as a student at Miami Law.

“The law school taught me to solve people’s problems,” she said. “Being a good lawyer is more than just being able to write a great 20-page memo. While detailed legal analysis is the foundation on which everything else is based, clients want a straightforward, two-sentence answer about how you can solve their problems. I have to credit Miami Law with teaching me those important skills.”

Bass is a passionate supporter of the University of Miami. In addition to gifts to the School of Law, her generous contributions have included support for the School of Education and Human Development, the College of Arts and Sciences, and Athletics.

“Hilarie Bass's contributions to this law school community are deep and varied,” said UM School of Law Dean Patricia D. White. “She is a source of wisdom and innovative ideas, she mentors students and makes connections for them and for the institution, she is a wonderfully articulate and committed advocate for the school, and she is unfailingly generous with her time. She is a wonderful role model for lawyers everywhere and it is appropriate that the central gathering space at the school will become "The Bass Bricks."

A ceremony will be held in the fall to officially dedicate The Bass Bricks in her honor and to recognize her philanthropy.