Sherrese Smith, who earned her J.D. from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law in 1996, and her husband Ade Heyliger, have established the Smith & Heyliger Endowed Scholarship Fund to support Northwestern Law students facing the costs of a legal education.
The Smith & Heyliger Endowed Scholarship Fund also inspired an additional scholarship for the law school, led by Aaron Charfoos, Geoff King and Jason Fiebig — fellow Northwestern Law alumni at Paul Hastings — who matched Smith’s gift to establish a new endowed scholarship: the Paul Hastings LLP Scholarship Fund.
“A lot of deserving people who could have profound impact on the legal profession and the world just don’t have the opportunity to go to law school,” Charfoos said. “We wanted to have a scholarship that was directed at identifying those people and giving them the opportunity.”
Smith, a global managing partner of Paul Hastings LLP and one of the nation’s leading advisers in media, technology and telecommunications law, said her own professional trajectory was shaped by opportunities she received as a law student, including scholarship support.
“The creation of this scholarship fund is a tangible way to extend that support to students who are beginning their legal education,” she said.
Smith recently became chair of the law board for Northwestern Law. At Paul Hastings, she advises Fortune 500 companies, global technology businesses and major media organizations on emerging issues where law, innovation and public policy converge.
“Sherrese Smith has already contributed so much to the law school, and we are incredibly grateful to her for her generosity,” said Interim Dean Zachary Clopton. “This scholarship will make a lasting, tangible impact on the lives of students for many years to come.”
