IRVINE, Calif. (September 6, 2023) — The University of California, Irvine School of Law (UCI Law) is pleased to announce the naming of its accomplished Pro Bono Program in recognition of a generous gift from Michael G. Ermer, Partner Emeritus at Irell & Manella LLP. The program will now be known as the Michael G. Ermer Pro Bono Program, in tribute to Ermer’s dedication to public service and his significant contributions and long support of UCI Law’s public service law programs.
“I am proud and honored to join with UCI Law to support its strong commitment to pro bono work. It is my hope that this endowment will help encourage more young attorneys to include pro bono work as an important part of their careers,” said Michael G. Ermer, Partner Emeritus at Irell & Manella LLP.
“We are immensely grateful for Mike’s generosity, his dedication to public service, and his help in empowering students who wish to give back and make a difference for those most in need,” said UCI Law Dean Austen L. Parrish. “His efforts to bridge the access-to-justice gap, particularly for low-income Californians, align perfectly with our mission, and we are proud to have his name associated with our program.”
UCI Law’s pro bono program embodies the Law School’s commitment to public service and experiential learning. Open to all UCI Law students, the program provides students an opportunity to offer legal services to underserved communities under the guidance and supervision of licensed attorneys and faculty members. Since its inception in 2009, UCI Law students have collectively contributed over 150,000 hours of pro bono work. More than 90 percent of students actively participate in pro bono work at some point during their time at UCI Law — with over 100 pro bono projects available each semester — providing crucial assistance to underserved individuals.
UCI Law has one of the most robust pro bono programs in the country. The last time it published its “Public Service Honor Roll,” National Jurist magazine ranked UCI Law third in the country among all law schools in community service hours per student. UCI Law Director of Externships and Pro Bono Anna Davis was recognized by the Public Law Center as a 2015 Attorney of the Year for her efforts spearheading the award-winning program which has garnered numerous accolades, including a Pro Bono Service Award from the Legal Services Corporation, a President’s Pro Bono Service Award from the State Bar of California, and the Advocates’ Award from the Western Center on Law & Poverty. Anna Davis, on behalf of the pro bono program, also received the 2022 Wavemaker Award for Distinguished Legal Services from Surfrider Foundation.
The Michael G. Ermer Pro Bono program complements a range of other ways that faculty, staff and students engage and partner with the local legal community. UCI Law’s experiential learning and outreach opportunities include UCI Law’s community programs, its extensive core and elective clinics and its externship program. Substantial additional support in partnership with the Southern California legal community is found through the work of our interdisciplinary research centers, initiatives and student organizations. The pro bono program has also served as a stepping stone for UCI Law graduates, who have successfully transitioned into post-graduate paid positions as a direct result of their leadership roles in student pro bono projects.
A highly regarded litigator in Orange County, Michael G. Ermer is a Partner Emeritus and former Managing Partner of the Newport Beach office of Irell & Manella LLP. His practice focuses on complex business cases, including intellectual property litigation, trade secret litigation, insurance litigation and securities litigation. Ermer is a recipient of numerous accolades and was most recently named “Litigation – Intellectual Property Lawyer of the Year” by The Best Lawyers in America for 2023.
We are immensely grateful for Michael G. Ermer’s generosity, his dedication to public service, and his help in empowering students who wish to give back and make a difference for those most in need. His efforts to bridge the access-to-justice gap, particularly for low-income Californians, align perfectly with our mission, and we are proud to have his name associated with our program.
– Austen Parrish
UCI Law Dean and
Chancellor’s Professor of Law
Central to Ermer’s career is his dedication to pro bono work and the local community. In addition to maintaining an active pro bono practice, Ermer co-chairs Irell & Manella’s Pro Bono Committee. Under his leadership, Irell revamped its pro bono program and was recognized with numerous awards, including the California State Bar President’s Pro Bono Award, the Century City Bar Association Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award, and the Public Law Center Law Firm of the Year Award, among others. The UCI Law Pro Bono Program honored Irell with the Community Partner of the Year award in 2014 thanks to the firm’s efforts to create multiple pro bono projects supporting UCI Law students. UCI Law has offered a pro bono project for students to work with Irell attorneys on pro bono litigation almost every semester for more than a decade.
Ermer also currently serves or has served as a member of the California State Bar’s Civil Justice Strategies Task Force, which was designed to examine and address the justice gap in California; the Orange County Bar Association and its Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee; the American Bar Association; the Association of Business Trial Lawyers; and the American Intellectual Property Law Association. He is also a past president of the Board of Directors for the Public Law Center, Orange County’s primary pro bono legal provider.
Ermer has been a steadfast supporter of UCI Law. In 2019, he joined UCI Law’s Board of Visitors and played a pivotal role in facilitating collaboration between UCI Law and Irell & Manella on various pro bono initiatives, including UCI Law’s Bankruptcy Application project, a popular project that helped numerous individuals file bankruptcy applications. Ermer’s commitment to public service and helping those most in need, at one of Orange County’s premier law firms, makes him an exceptional choice to have UCI Law’s Pro Bono Program bear his name.
Indeed, UCI Law Director of Externships and Pro Bono Anna Davis has described Ermer as “an example of the kind of attorney we hope our law-firm bound students will aspire to be.”
The newly named Michael G. Ermer Pro Bono Program at UCI Law looks forward to continuing its tradition of providing high-quality legal services to underserved communities.
I am proud and honored to join with UCI Law to support its strong commitment to pro bono work. It is my hope that this endowment will help encourage more young attorneys to include pro bono work as an important part of their careers.
– Michael G. Ermer, Partner Emeritus at Irell & Manella LLP
About the University of California, Irvine School of Law
The University of California, Irvine School of Law is a visionary law school that provides an innovative and comprehensive curriculum, prioritizes public service, and demonstrates a commitment to equity within the legal profession. Nearly half of all UCI Law’s J.D. graduates are people of color, and almost a third are first-generation students. At UCI Law, we are driven to improve our local, national, and global communities by grappling with important issues as scholars, as practitioners, and as teachers who are preparing the next generation of leaders. The collaborative and interdisciplinary community at UCI Law includes extraordinary students, world-renowned faculty, dedicated staff, engaged alumni, and enthusiastic supporters. Connect with us on Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, X, and sign up for our monthly newsletter for the latest news and events at UCI Law.
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