IU alumni donate $3 million for law clinic

For years, IU alumni and entrepreneurs David and D.G. Elmore have been searching for a way to give back to their alma mater. Both father and son value the education they received through the School of Law and the Kelley School of Business, respectively, and decided to fund an area that encompassed both of these fields. \nLast spring, the Elmores met with Lauren Robel, dean of the School of Law, and IU Foundation President Curt Simic to announce that they would provide a gift to the Entrepreneurship Law Clinic at IU. \n“(The Entrepreneurship Law Clinic) really gives students who want to pursue business and law a very unique experience,” D.G. Elmore said. “There are very few entrepreneurship law clinics at universities around the country. Students get firsthand experience helping entrepreneurs as they grow their businesses. We thought this was a good way to unite our passion for law and business with the need that the University had.”\nDavid Elmore said that aside from his passion for these areas, his interest in the donation was sparked by the opportunity to work with his son on the donation.\nThe Elmores have expressed their passion for business and law through their achievements since graduating from the School of Law. David Elmore is the owner and founder of Elmore Sports Group, a sports and entertainment company he started in 1969, which is comprised of minor league baseball and hockey teams and facility management, hospitality, special events and concession companies. \nD.G. Elmore is chairman and owner of two minor league baseball teams and industry-leading companies in corporate travel management, software development, micro-staffing, education publishing and manufacturing. The family expressed their enthusiasm to give back to the University in return for the outstanding education that allowed them to achieve such entrepreneurial success. \nThe Entrepreneurship Law Clinic opened two years ago with the support of a Lilly endowment. There has been an increased interest in employees with a background in business and law among law firms in the past few years, said Mark Need, IU Entrepreneurship Law Clinic director. \nNeed said the University recognized that it could pair itself with the nationally acclaimed Kelley School of Business. \nBoth schools sponsor the clinic, providing third-year law students and students in the joint J.D./M.B.A. program the opportunity to assist local and national businesses with high-growth potential start-up ventures that are at a crossroads between business and legal issues. Typically, eight to 10 students, usually in the J.D./M.B.A. program, are involved with the clinic each semester. \nNeed expressed his gratitude for the support of the Elmores.\n“This is the single largest gift Indiana Law has ever received,” Need said. “Their gift gives us a platform from which we can grow the clinic in the future. It is a boat of confidence that says local entrepreneurships support what we are doing and understand its importance. The gift makes sure our clinic will not go away.” \nIn addition to supporting the clinic, the $3 million grant will also be put toward a scholarship for students with an interest in business and law. The recipient of the scholarship will be an Entrepreneurship Law Clinic student, a joint J.D./M.B.A. student or a student with a strong interest in business law. \n“The ideal recipient would be someone who aspires to help others in the sense of being an entrepreneur,” David Elmore said. “A student with the drive and desire is someone I hope we can encourage with this scholarship.”\nThe Elmores also hope their gift will help attract more students to the joint J.D./M.B.A. program.\n“We believe in the joint program, but it is not as big as it could be right now,” D.G. Elmore said. “We hope (the gift) will attract high quality students to the program.”\nD.G. Elmore is an ’84 graduate of the joint-degree program. When David Elmore attended the University, the joint-degree program was not yet available, but he was allowed to take graduate business school courses in addition to his law courses. \nThe number of students entering the joint-degree program has increased since the opening of the clinic, according to its need for print sources, Need said.\nAnother reason for the increase in the number of joint-degree students is the availability of the new three-year program. Students may now get J.D. and M.B.A. degrees in three years, rather than four, an opportunity only three universities in the nation offer. Need said he expects the number to continue to increase, specifically by continuing to develop the clinic with the Elmore’s gift. The clinic will be formally renamed the Elmore Entrepreneurship Law Clinic on Oct. 5 in honor of the alumni’s significant contribution. \n“The Elmores are two alumni that are the perfect fit for embodying the entrepreneurial spirit,” Need said. “We are thrilled to name the clinic after the family.”