The estate of the late Ernest Bainbridge “Lip” Lipscomb III, a distinguished patent attorney and professor in Charleston, South Carolina, has gifted The University of Mississippi School of law nearly $300,000 to provide scholarships for full-time students.
The Dr. Ernest Bainbridge Lipscomb III Memorial Scholarship Endowment will provide financial aid for full-time law students. First preference will be given to those participating in the Academic Success Summer Program, which helps prepare law students for positive outcomes in their classes and on the bar exam.
His daughter, Caroline Lipscomb Ernst, said her father understood the challenges many students face in accessing higher education.
“His preference for supporting those with financial need demonstrates his commitment to creating opportunities for talented students who might otherwise struggle to afford college,” Ernst said. “This aligns with his belief in education’s transformative power and desire to give back to the community.”
During his 50-year legal career as a patent attorney, Lipscomb worked for several companies and law firms such as Westvaco, Revlon, Alston & Bird and Barnwell Whaley Patterson & Helms.
Lipscomb became so experienced and knowledgeable about patent law that he became an expert witness. He was passionate about his career and wrote Lipscomb’s Walker on Patents, an 11-volume treatise on patents, trademarks and copyrights.
Lipscomb was first drawn to the university for its “academic reputation, beautiful campus and strong sense of community,” Ernst said. “He felt a significant connection to the school’s values and traditions.”
Frederick Slabach, dean of UM Law, said Lipscomb’s investment in scholarships at the law school will be life-changing for so many students.
