FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - One of the largest law firms in the region, the Bassett Law Firm, will provide a $100,000 gift to the School of Law building project.

The firm’s attorneys wanted to give back to their alma mater and honor the founding partner, W. W. "Bill" Bassett, for his contributions to the legal profession, said Woody Bassett, member of the firm and Bill Bassett’s son.

As part of the Campaign for the Twenty-first Century, the School of Law is raising funds for a major building expansion. One of the largest classrooms in the existing building will be named the W. W. "Bill" Bassett Classroom.

UA Chancellor John A. White said, "I’d like to thank the members of the Bassett Law Firm for this generous gift to provide much needed space for our law school. The expansion will help us satisfy accreditation requirements and will enhance the educational experiences of our students. Naming the classroom for Mr. Bassett adds another very important name to the UA law school."

Richard Atkinson, dean of the School of Law, said, "My respect for the Bassett Law Firm in general, and Bill Bassett, in particular, has long been boundless. I prize the fact that with the naming of the classroom the association between the Law School and this distinguished firm will be perpetual."

Woody Bassett said, "Every lawyer at the Bassett Law Firm is a graduate of the U of A School of Law and we all care deeply about it. We wanted to give something back to the law school and to the University of Arkansas while at the same time honoring my father for all he has done for the firm and for his many years of service to the legal profession. We thought it was a nice way to honor him and an opportunity to do our part to help the University of Arkansas be the best it can be. We are hopeful our gift will inspire other firms to consider making similar gifts to the law school as well."

Bassett Law Firm was founded in 1981 and consists of 15 attorneys. The firm’s offices are located in Fayetteville.

Bill Bassett was admitted to the Arkansas bar in 1949 after completing his J.D. at the University of Arkansas. He was a Special Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1983 and a Special Chief Justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court in 1991. He was a member of the Arkansas State Board of Law Examiners from 1984-1986 and is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. From 1973-1974, he was president of the Washington County Bar Association and is a member of the Arkansas American Bar Association. He has practiced primarily in the area of litigation.

This gift counts toward the $300 Million Challenge, the campaign-within-a-campaign to raise $300 million for academic purposes to match the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation’s $300 million gift. Challenge funds must be raised between Jan. 1, 2002, and June 30, 2005, the end of the Campaign. The Challenge total stands at $141 million, and the overall Campaign total stands at $771 million as of Nov. 30, 2003. The School of Law has raised $18.4 million, more than $400,000 over its $18 million Campaign goal.

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