The million-dollar view of the Pacific Ocean from the Caruso School of Law in Malibu is getting some competition. Pepperdine University received a $1 million gift in July that will go toward its Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution. Judge Daniel Weinstein made the donation to the law school.
“We as a society are dealing with many crises at the moment, making Pepperdine’s mission of preparing a talented, diverse group of students to be tomorrow’s leaders and peacemakers more vital than ever,” he said. “The Straus Institute is a premier program for the training of the conflict resolvers of the future, with outstanding academics and top students from around the world.”
Judge Weinstein’s generosity will be used for a scholarship program for international students and to award the managing director position at the Straus Institute, that is currently held by associate professor of law and practice Sukhsimranjit Singh.
“Not only will [this] allow us to further develop programs at Straus, but it will also help us educate more students from around the world and equip them with the skills to mediate conflict,” Singh said.
Judge Weinstein is one of the top mediators in the world and a co-founder of Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (JAMS), the largest provider of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services worldwide.
“We are humbled by Judge Danny’s generosity and his faith in the Straus Institute’s leadership in dispute resolution,” said Paul Caron, Duane and Kelly Roberts Dean of the Pepperdine Caruso School of Law. “As one of the world’s leading mediators who has strong roots in California, he is a treasured partner in our mission to train current and future leaders in this vital field.”
The Straus Institute is one of five institutes available to law students at Pepperdine University. It has been ranked as the No. 1 dispute resolution program in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 13 of the past 16 years.
