Philadelphia Lawyer Donates $50-Million to Drexel Law School

A Philadelphia lawyer is giving $50-million to Drexel University to help bolster its nascent law school’s standing in the ranks of legal education, reports The Philadelphia Inquirer. The donation from Thomas R. Kline includes a long-vacant Classical Revival-style Philadelphia building that will house the school’s Institute for Trial Advocacy, which trains litigators planning to focus on courtroom practice, as does the donor.

The gift also includes money for scholarships, new faculty hires, and an expansion of the trial-advocacy program. The eight-year-old law school will be renamed for Mr. Kline, a nationally prominent trial lawyer who became a spokesman for victims in the sex-abuse scandal involving the former Penn State University assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.