The Class of 1986 started at Emory Law the same day Rich Freer joined as an assistant professor — in August of 1983. In the months leading to the 1986 graduation, Emory Law Magazine published an article that quoted Thomas H. English, Professor Emeritus, Department of English. The professor wrote:

“In establishing the law school, the trustees of the University have realized that there can be no excuse for its existence if it is to do no more than simply increase by one the number of law schools of the type which already exists in the South. The legal profession is undoubtedly overcrowded numerically, while the demand for properly trained lawyers continues under-supplied. To provide at home a supply for this real need and to lead other Southern schools to adopt a program which will enable them to assist therein are the ultimate and larger objects which have led to the establishment of this school.”

Today, four of those graduates from the Class of 1986 have taken heed of Professor English’s words. They have been leading an effort that will establish The Richard Freer Endowed Scholarship to honor Dean Richard D. Freer’s enduring commitment to student flourishing.

The Ring Leaders 

Meet Chuck Palmer 86L, partner with Troutman Pepper Locke; Mark Wasserman 86L, CEO emeritus with Eversheds Sutherland; Paul Murphy 86L, retired partner with King & Spalding; and DeWitt Rogers 86L, retired partner with Troutman Pepper Locke. This group of alumni has inspired a momentum campaign that has already garnered the pledged support of Brad Ginsberg 86L, Sam Kaywood 86L, and Mike McConnell 86L. Collectively, the group has committed $110,000 to support the scholarship. 

Palmer explains, “My arrival at Emory Law School in August 1983 coincided with that of Professor Rich Freer in his first teaching position. While I never had him for a class, one could not help but know and like Professor Freer.  My degree and experiences from Emory have created opportunities for me that I never would have known existed. Several of my fellow classmates from the Class of 1986 and I were pleased to learn that Professor Freer is now Dean Freer. We want to support his efforts to elevate Emory and believe that creating a scholarship bearing his name will be enthusiastically supported by the many students— like us— who appreciate the positive impact he provides through his teaching, encouragement, and now leadership.”

How to Give

Gifts to this scholarship directly support the development of principled, sophisticated legal professionals. It sustains the resources and support systems that empower students to flourish— intellectually, personally, and professionally—and practice with confidence in any milieu.

This campaign is a tribute to Dean Freer’s legacy and a strategic investment in the future of legal education.

Freer says he’s humbled by the honor: “I was 30 years old when they started at Emory Law] and they were in their 20s. They have gone on to do such great things. And, more importantly, to be such remarkable leaders for their clients and their communities. We have, in a sense, grown up together. I could not be prouder.”

This endowed scholarship is a one-time campaign, and alumni, faculty, and friends of Emory Law are invited to participate at any level. All gifts are tax-deductible and will directly benefit students during the 2025–2026 academic year and beyond.

Give at http://momentum.emory.edu/freer.

Conviser Shares Time and Treasure

Beyond this gift, support for Freer’s student flourishing initiatives is vast.

Richard Conviser — distinguished legal educator and founder of BARBRI, the nation’s largest bar review company — has made a gift of $2 million to Emory Law specifically to enhance academic excellence initiatives. These funds will support programming and staffing precisely in the legal skills and bar readiness areas. Freer says, “We are so very grateful for Richard’s investment in Emory Law. His gift makes it possible to accelerate the academic excellence initiatives we started last year.” 

The faculty and staff are “all in” in creating and providing durable curricular change and intervention strategies to enhance our student experience and outcomes, Freer adds.  

Conviser has a long relationship with Emory Law, dating to the 1980s when David Epstein served as dean, and including appointment as a Dean’s Professor.  

“I’ve been so close to Emory for decades. It’s right up there with Chicago roots in terms of legal education,” Conviser quipped. “Law schools have gotten much more diverse in terms of what they’re doing … it is teaching torts and contracts and real property, but it’s so much more. These endeavors are great for the institution.” 

Including the gift from Conviser, gifts to Emory Law’s Excellence Fund, gifts to scholarship endowments, and gifts to programs, clinics and centers at Emory Law, the total giving to student flourishing efforts since Dean Freer took office last year has reached over $6 million and counting, a significant milestone to note.

Freer says, “I hope people see this as teamwork — I’m so proud to be a member of the team of faculty who educate, mentor, guide, and prepare these wonderful professionals — these Emory Lawyers.”