Members of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law community gathered in Baier Hall on Monday to honor a prominent alumnus and his wife for their gift to the school’s Center on the Global Legal Profession. Announced in October 2016, the gift from Milt, JD ’71, and Judi Stewart endows the center’s activity and establishes a professorship.
In recognition of their longstanding commitment to the law school, the center has been named the Milt and Judi Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession. The Stewarts have generously supported the center since its founding in 2009, including establishing the Stewart Fellows global externship program, which has funded more than 125 students’ summer externships in 10 countries since 2010.
In addition, professor Jayanth Krishnan was named the Milt and Judi Stewart Professor of Law. Krishnan – a socio-legal researcher who focuses on the legal profession, law and globalization, access to justice, and legal education – is director of the Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession.
“Through their remarkable generosity, Milt and Judi have ensured that the center now named in their honor will continue to provide Indiana University students with excellent and unique opportunities to immerse themselves into learning about international legal systems,” IU President Michael A. McRobbie said. “Their support is truly inspiring and will have an enduring impact on the IU Maurer School of Law as the school advances its mission to be an exceptional law school that benefits Indiana, the nation and the world.”
In addition to McRobbie, several other distinguished guests spoke at the naming ceremony, including Lauren Robel, IU Bloomington provost, IU executive vice president and former dean of the Maurer School of Law; Austen Parrish, dean of the Maurer School of Law and the James H. Rudy Professor; William D. Henderson, the Stephen F. Burns Professor of Law and founding director of the Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession; Christiana Ochoa, associate dean for research and faculty affairs; and Kylie Wood, a 2017 Stewart Fellow. Milt Stewart and Krishnan also delivered remarks on their vision for the center.
Stewart is a retired partner in the Portland, Oregon, office of Davis Wright Tremaine, an international business and litigation law firm with offices across the United States and in Shanghai. Long active in Indiana University activities, he currently serves as vice chairman of the Indiana University Foundation Board of Directors, where he is the volunteer chair of the university’s Bicentennial Campaign. Milt and Judi Stewart are both longtime members of the advisory board of the IU Eskenazi Museum of Art.
Established in 2009, the Milt and Judi Stewart Center on the Global Legal Profession engages in research that advances knowledge about the global legal profession, provides students with opportunities for hands-on learning about the law in other countries, and builds global partnerships with other law schools to enhance the impact of the profession throughout the world. With more than a dozen affiliated faculty, it is one of the leading research centers of its kind. Through its programs, the center has been instrumental in the law school’s holistic approach to transforming students into outstanding, ethical lawyers who understand the evolving nature of the legal profession.
Founded in 1842, the Indiana University Maurer School of Law is the oldest public law school in the Midwest. Ranked 30th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, it is the highest-ranked public law school in Indiana and among the top 15 public law schools nationally. In addition to its research on the legal profession, the school also has top-ranked programs in tax law (23rd), environmental and international law (25th) and intellectual property law (27th).
Ken Turchi is assistant dean for finance and administration of the IU Maurer School of Law.
