2024-25 NYU Law Firm Challenge “The Challenge”

NYU Campus

The Challenge is a wonderful way for those of us at firms to make a collective impact to and through NYU Law. Together, we enable the Law School to provide financial security to vulnerable students, advance groundbreaking and urgent research to the benefit of society, and make justice accessible for all through the annual fund. In fact, because of you, more than two-thirds of the student body receives some form of financial aid – a figure that has more than doubled in the past decade. But there’s so much more to do.

The Law School will recognize high-achieving firms – those with more than two-thirds alumni involvement – on the website, in the NYU Law Magazine, on the prestigious Wall of Honor in Furman Hall, and with a chance to highlight your firm to current students. The Law School will give challenge winners (100% participation or the highest participation within their group) an opportunity to attend a Law Firm Challenge sponsored Coffee Mess. Truly, the Challenge is a fantastic way to boost your firm’s visibility among current students. 

Make a difference at NYU Law (and in the world) and give today. Your involvement – no matter the degree – matters. 

Thank you for your leadership in every sense of the word. And good luck!
 

To win the Challenge and be recognized on the Wall of Honor, each firm must have at least 50% partner participation in the Weinfeld Program. The Weinfeld Program is NYU School of Law's most prestigious donor recognition society. Instituted in 1989, it honors the legacy of alumnus Judge Edward Weinfeld (1921) by recognizing alumni and friends whose generosity exemplifies Judge Weinfeld's dedication and commitment to the Law School. Members of the Weinfeld Program commit to making annual gifts of $5,000 or more to any area of the Law School, preferably to the annual fund. 


Each firm participating in the Firm Challenge should designate a partner to serve as the firm representative to the Law School. This representative partner works with the Law School to relay NYU Law updates, communicate the firm’s progress and standing in the Firm Challenge, and encourage firm partners to make their personal best philanthropic contributions to NYU Law by members of the Weinfeld Program. Knowing the potential impact, contributions should be aspirational.  


The Challenge runs from September 1 through August 31, our fiscal year. Any partner leadership gift made during this time – no matter the size or designation – counts towards the firm’s participation in the Challenge. The Challenge aims to encourage camaraderie and deepen shared values, strengthening the firm’s relationship with NYU Law.
We will update Challenge progress and display results via the website and email on a quarterly basis. We will also update firm representatives on their respective firm’s progress on a monthly basis as they work closely with the Law School to encourage individual alumni partner engagement. 


Through the Challenge, we strive to engage participating firms and inspire them to strengthen their overall philanthropic relationship with the Law School, while also fostering relationships with individual alumni, aligning their interests with the Law School and engendering consistent, philanthropic behavior. 

NYU Law Firm Challenge Participating Firms

  • Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP
  • Cravath, Swaine & Moore
  • Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP
  • Dechert LLP
  • Desmarais LLP
  • DLA Piper LLP
  • Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
  • Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP
  • Groombridge, Wu, Baughman & Stone LLP
  • Hogan Lovells
  • Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Firm 
  • Johnson Shaprio Slewett & Kole LLP
  • Kirkland & Ellis LLP
  • Latham & Watkins, LLP
  • Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP
  • Proskauer Rose LLP
  • Steptoe & Johnson LLP
  • Sullivan & Cromwell LLP
  • Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz
  • White & Case LLP
  • Willkie Farr & Gallagher, LLP
  • WilmerHale
  • Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

For more information on the Firm Challenge or to inquire about your firm's participation in the Challenge, please contact Michele Eddie at michele.eddie@nyu.edu. 

Wall of Honor

The Wall of Honor spotlights firms for their extraordinary support of students and faculty through the Challenge. Firms achieve a place on the Wall of Honor through collective participation of 50% or more alumni giving. We also look forward to celebrating participating alumni through the Weinfeld Program our premier donor recognition society.