Sustainability & Excellence

$30 Million Grant to support Wayne Law’s Building for the Future

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ayne Law has been quietly ascending the ranks of the nation’s best law schools by prioritizing strategic growth with a mission-based impact in the heart of Detroit. Thanks in part to a $30 million capital outlay grant from the State of Michigan, the law school will soon have the facilities to match its ever-improving legal education.

“This level of financial commitment from the State of Michigan is a testament to the law school’s growth, trajectory and impact,” said Wayne State University President Kimberly Andrews Espy, Ph.D.

Plans for the modern facility envision purpose-built spaces that can easily adapt with the times and accommodate a rapidly growing student body as the law school continues developing and expanding its educational and community programs.

“We are looking forward to building a new home the school needs and deserves – a home befitting one of the best law schools in the country.”

Wayne Law Dean and John W. Reed Professor of Law Richard Bierschbach, in acknowledging the significance of the $30 million grant, said, “The state’s action reflects the power of our community to unite support around Wayne Law’s unique public mission: combining academic excellence, access and community engagement to educate lawyers and shape legal knowledge to transform lives and serve communities in a positive way.”

Dean Bierschbach’s testimony before the Joint Capital Outlay Subcommittee of the State Legislature proved crucial in helping the school advocate for and ultimately secure the grant, which was awarded outside of the normal appropriations period.

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“This extraordinary capital projects commitment from the State of Michigan will be a starting point of significant philanthropic support that will be required to make a comprehensive state-of-the-art building a reality,” said Bierschbach. “We will need the financial support of our entire alumni community to make this project a reality, and we look forward to engaging them in helping to build a new home – a home befitting one of the best law schools in the country.”

Updates about this project will be communicated as more information becomes available.

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